It Lives Inside (2023)

It Lives Inside is a low-budget horror film about a demonic Indian spirit.

Written and directed by Bishal Dutta for a modern audience. I imagine he draws upon personal experiences for a film like this. I'm not talking about the demonic part but perhaps fitting into the US education system. There were some progressive talking points that seemed wedged into the film, the main character even talks about homogeneous cultures at one point with her teacher. There were some good empathetic scenes once the introductions were over, especially about going against your mother's wishes to go to a party with someone she wouldn't approve of.

Megan Suri plays the main character Sam. She's infatuated with Russ played by Gage Marsh. He's probably best known for being in Batwoman the TV show. You might remember Megan from a movie called Missing. She does a pretty good job here since she's given a lot to work with. Dutta has some good horror moments for her to work with which for a horror movie is a must-have. Her character does suffer from looking like a 20-something because she is.

The movie suffers from having stereotypical characters in the over-protective mother and lackadaisical father. The mother is played by the gorgeous Neeru Bajwa. I haven't seen her in anything before but she has been in a lot of Bollywood movies.

The movie really starts to pick up in the second and third acts if you stick with it. It has a few good scares but the demon-monster itself could have been better. Result: C+

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