BITE - FrightFest Review

A couple of small time criminals find themselves pitched against a family of murderous maniacs, in Director James Owen's feature film debut BITE, which premiered at this years FrightFest in London last month and I was fortunate enough to view a screener copy of (as I was unable to attend in person).

The story for this rather gruesome yarn, centres around a couple of opportunist thieves, Yaz (Nansi Nsue - Dead Destination) and Nina (Shian Denovan - Sawney: Flesh of Man) who are on the run, following a botched robbery. Which sees them being chased by some extremely unsavoury Russian mobster types.

Splitting up, Nina accepts a lift from a kindly old lady, Beryl (Annabelle Lanyon – Werewolves of the Third Reich) who offers her a room for the night. But it seems Beryl's intentions may not be purely altruistic, as she awakes, on what she believes to be the next day, and discovers Beryl is not the lonely widow she claimed and Nina is not the first person whose stayed there...

Deciding to get the hell out quickly, Nina subsequently finds the mobsters she crossed are closing in on her and her partner Yaz. So they decide to get back together and get out of town completely. But with no money and knowing that Beryl has a large sum of cash stashed away, they think tricking their way into her house and ripping her off should be a relatively simple task. 

This turns out to be a huge mistake, as they find themselves stumbling straight into the middle of a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” situation and the two small time criminals find themselves up against a whole murderous family, who are capable of far, far worse things than themselves, or even the mobsters they are trying to flee from.

A very dark, gritty and disturbing yarn, which seems to owe more than a passing nod to films, like the aforementioned “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” as well as “Hobroken Hollow” and “We Are What We Are”. Needless to say, I was mightily impressed with Director James Owen's debut here, which features a whole bunch of plot twists and doesn't skimp on the gore, as well as having a good cast of seasoned actors. 

I was also pleasantly surprised to see boxer, turned actor, Joe Egan in this, playing a heavy, along with John Campling of "Harry Potter" fame. Sharper eyed viewers may also recognise Anthony Ilott in one of the lead roles, who starred in the similarly themed “Wrong Turn 6”. 

If you love low budget British horrors, this is one you should definitely seek out. If nothing else, it will certainly make you think twice before accepting kindness from strangers. 

For more info on this and other projects from the Director, checkout his website: https://www.arthrofilm.com