Little Bites review
Spider One is back with another strong horror outing. A slow burn meditation on the sacrifices a mother makes for…you know what? It’s about a MONSTER THAT IS SLOWLY EATING SOMEONE ALIVE. That’s the headline.
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Little Bites
Directed by Spider One
Written by Spider One
Starring Krsy Fox, Jon Slaroff, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Barbara Crampton, Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons and Chaz Bono
Little Bites Review
When we last saw writer/director Spider One (in film anyway), he was releasing the surprisingly strong Bury the Bride as a Tubi Original. We’ve talked the ups and downs of the Tubi Original label before…but if seeing those words gives you immediate low expectations…Bury the Bride blew them away. It’s a fun, fast paced story driven by a fantastic narrative twist. Flash forward a year or so and Spider One is back with Little Bites. It’s a very different film. A straightforward, slow burn horror story. A tale of personal sacrifice with a soft-spoken monster who is eating a desperate mother alive. But only in little bites.
Mindy Vogel (Krsy Fox) has sent her daughter Alice (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro) to stay with her grandmother while she deals with something. That something is a monster named Agyar (Jon Skarloff) who has taken up residence in their home. He feeds off Mindy…ringing a dinner bell when it’s time for his supper. She endures this in order to spare her daughter from his hunger. With grandma tiring of Mindy’s inability to care for Alice, Child Protective Services closing in, and a growing illness caused by being what’s on the menu…Mindy must find a solution to her monster problem.
First thing’s first. Little Bites is executive produced by Cher! As far as I can find…this is the first feature film she has ever taken a producer credit on. That seems impossible but, hey…I did a whole 30 seconds of research so who are we to doubt it? If that sounds odd…it’s easily explainable. Chaz Bono worked with Spider One in Bury the Bride and returns in Little Bites. That’s the Cher connection. It’s just a fun side note about the production.
Chaz Bono isn’t the only familiar face that pops up in Little Bites. Genre legends Barbara Crampton and Heather Langenkamp appear in supporting roles. Crampton plays a CPS agent tasked with investigating the well-being of Alice after a sickly and distracted Mindy is seen in public. Langenkamp shows up as a lady Mindy encounters on a park bench. Pivotal scenes that give both actors something worthy of their time. Bonnie Aarons later appears as Alice’s grandmother. Spider One is clearly a horror fan…casting some iconic faces makes perfect sense.
As fun as it is to see favorites pop in for a scene or two…Little Bites mostly succeeds due to its two lead performances. Krsy Fox is excellent as the tortured mother going to extreme measures to keep the monster away from her daughter. Jon Skarloff is equally good as the quiet, menacing creature who is in total control of Mindy. He gives a memorable performance, shrouded in darkness…whispering excellent dialog. He’s an intimidating presence not just because he eats people…but because of the control he has over Mindy. It’s the ultimate abusive relationship. Slowly eating her alive.
Little Bites unfolds slowly. Every scene is given time to breathe and sink in. When she can no longer take being fed upon, Mindy heads out in search of another answer. Enter Chaz Bono’s Paul. A man she leads back to her home under false pretenses in hopes to satiate the monster. Unfortunately, he proves to have a very specific pallet. One that finds itself craving Mindy’s daughter more and more.
Between Child Protective Services knocking on the door and Grandma’s growing impatience…Alice’s return to the home is inevitable. It puts a ticking clock on the Agyar dilemma. Mindy has nothing more to give…and no other option. There’s an obvious metaphor for motherly sacrifice. It’s not heavy handed or distracting. It simply informs the why of her situation. It uses the metaphor perfectly by never letting it overwhelm the central premise of a monster slowly eating a mother alive. It’s an awesome idea if you never stop to think about what it represents.
Little Bites takes its intriguing premise and adds terrific performances, genre legends, and a captivating monster with a dinner bell. Spider One shows, once again, that he has a good eye for horror storytelling. Krsy Fox gives a knockout lead performance. Jon Skarloff creates a compelling creature. It even sticks the landing at the climax. Little Bites is a strong Spooky Season release and another indication that Spider One is a horror filmmaker to watch. Plus…Barbara Crampton. You can never go wrong with Barbara Crampton.
Scare Value
Bury the Bride stuck the landing on an impressive twist implementation. Little Bites succeeds with the opposite approach. This is a straightforward slow burn horror story. It features an excellent lead performance and a monster to match. Sure, there’s a deeper meaning behind everything. But all the metaphor in the world isn’t going to top a soft-spoken monster who eats pieces of a desperate mother on the daily for the top discussion spot. It’s a great concept. Strongly executed by all involved.
3.5/5
Little Bites Links
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