‘Bite’ (2016)

So I’ve got three books on the go, in  varying stages of completion and none likely to be reviewed today. What does a Graeme do in a situation like this? What he always does, put all the books to one side and revisit an old favourite on DVD instead. This time, it’s ‘Bite’, a really icky slice of ‘body horror’…

While partying on a bachelorette getaway with her friends, bride-to-be Casey is bitten by a mysterious, unseen bug. On returning home what first appears to be a nasty infection rapidly mutates into something far more sinister as Casey takes on an horrific insect-like transformation. Shedding skin, vomiting acidic bile, biting off nails and excreting slime drenched eggs all over her newly created nest, Casey must now find flesh to feed on.

Back in the days when there was no coronavirus and I could go to our Wimbledon offices, I used to spend my lunchtimes in HMV, looking through the horror DVDs and on occasion, treating myself to a random purchase to watch that evening. ‘Bite’ was one of those random purchases, a price that was just right along with an intriguing blurb and an ‘18’ rating (if you’re going to do horror, it really needs to be ‘18’ rated; there’s so much that you can’t do if it isn’t…)

You know those films where you feel like you’ve discovered a little gem and you’re the only person who knows about it? It’s a film that’s all yours… Well, ‘Bite’ was one of those films for me, I loved it on first viewing and loved it just as much when I watched it again last night.

‘Bite’ does have the misfortune of treading the same path as a more illustrious and well known predecessor, you know the one. That’s to be expected, to a point, as  there’s only so much that you can do with a ‘transformation into an insect story’, it happens slightly differently here but it’s the same deal essentially. Give it a chance though as ‘Bite’ does have it’s own tale to tell as well. What I found, underneath all the grotesque body horror (more on that in a bit), was a tale of empowerment as Casey’s transformation enables her to take action (albeit through ‘insect instinct’) against a number of people who are actively out to ruin her life. The downside is that Casey’s insect transformation sends her against the one friend who tries to help her but it’s great, in its own way, to see people get a neat little dose of karma and for Casey to take more of a stand in her own life.

Not just that though, ‘Bite’ is a really creepy film as Elma Begovic brings a real intensity to Casey’s transformation to the point where it is so easy to believe that she is part insect. When people enter her flat then, things get really tense very quickly as you know exactly what’s coming, even if they don’t; there were a couple of ‘on the edge of my seat’ moments for me.

And the body horror… Again, there are nods to ‘The Fly’ but that shouldn’t detract from just how far ‘Bite’ is willing to go in order to make you try and lose your dinner. I can handle a cockroach being eaten but my weakness is anything to do with fingernails being peeled back (no matter how bad a film is, that will always get me) and that moment was just horrible… I guess your mileage will vary then but I got the feeling that ‘Bite’ was willing to really go for it, on this score, and that’s all I want really.

‘Bite’ is a simple tale then and one that you may feel you’ve seen before but give it a chance and I think you’ll get something out of it. There’s a neat little twisted tale to be told here and it’s covered with enough slime and gore to leave you feeling just that little bit uncomfortable…