Horror has been fit to bursting with movies that explore motherhood through the use of metaphor. Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook set the bar fairly high ten years ago, but as perceptions around parenting continually shift, so do the movies about it. The latest to tackle this subject through genre is Little Bites. Don’t let the name fool you. While it might sound like a kids’ movie, musician-turned-filmmaker Spider One (Rob Zombie’s younger brother) has a distinctly horrific, blood-curdling premise in mind that involves a struggling single mother being slowly devoured.
It’s an especially bloody month for Little Bites star Krsy Fox, who not only leads this film, but also has a role in Terrifier 3. But here, she plays Mindy, a widowed mother who is coping with something that her daughter Alice (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro) cannot be allowed to see. Sending the girl off to stay with her grandmother (Bonnie Aarons, The Nun), Mindy repeatedly allows herself to be feasted on slowly by a creature lurking in her basement. The monster, Agyar (Jon Sklaroff), rings a literal dinner bell and Mindy must respond to the impatient diner, otherwise it threatens to consume Alice while Mindy watches, unable to stop it.
As we see Mindy wasting away day by day, it quickly becomes obvious the metaphor that Spider One is trying to make. Furthermore, when Mindy’s pushy mother shows up and starts acting like she’s in Mommie Dearest rather than a grim horror, the point is hammered home in unsubtle fashion. It doesn’t take away from the sheer grotesque nature of the premise, though, especially for me who gets all squeamish at the thought of someone nibbling and slurping on me. ::shivers:: Nor does it take away from Fox, Spider One’s wife and his creative partner in the same way Sheri Moon Zombie is Rob’s. Fox makes Mindy’s transition from reluctant victim to ferocious, protective mama bear believable every step of the way.
Agyar also makes for an intriguing movie monster. It’s never quite spelled out what it is exactly. While its features suggest a Nosferatu-esque vampire, there’s considerably more to him than that. Beyond just the ability to devour a person whole in the matter of minutes, it’s cunning and manipulative, playing Mindy like a toxic man using her for whatever it desires.
Little Bites is stacked with cameos by genre favorites, which will surely boost its cred with the Midnight crowd. Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Heather Langenkamp pops up as someone with words of wisdom to share; and Re-Animator‘s Barbara Crampton plays Sonya, a Child Protective Services officer who gets a little too nosey for her own good. Chaz Bono also has a small role as a man who Mindy lures to her home for “dessert”. Cher is credited as one of the film’s producers, a huge boost given that she doesn’t do this sort of thing very often. Most of these guest appearances clog up a poorly-paced middle section of the film. Spider One is clearly most interested in how things began, and how they come to a blood-soaked end. Everything else feels tonally uncertain, which you can see reflected in some of the cameo performances.
Fortunately, Little Bites does prove satisfying overall. Spider One’s use of practical effects and shadows to mask Agyar’s presence are very effective. When seen barely peeking out from the darkness, it’s hard not to feel uneasy at the thick smear of red covering Agyar’s face. The bites covering Mindy’s body look absolutely disgusting, and show signs of infection and decay over time. Making them so much worse is the horrific sound of Agyar sucking on her wounds like raw oysters. Fox is really good at capturing the drain Mindy’s experiencing from trying to be a good mother. As far as horror movies about motherhood, Little Bites is a worthwhile entry that plays more to fans of gore than the psychological. It’s not perfect, but Spider One and Krsy Fox show enough promise to be interested in what they’ll sink their teeth into next.
Little Bites opens in theaters on October 4th.
