Countless horror filmmakers have made movies about the horrors of the human body, but how many of them truly understand the ins and outs of flesh, bones, and organs? James Owen certainly does, as the first-time director has 30 years’ worth of surgical experience and medically approved human dissection under his belt. What’s more, these experiences have informed his debut feature Bite, a sordid tale of cannibalism and crime.
Bite follows Nina (Shian Denovan) and Yaz (Nansi Nsue), a pair of con artists who find themselves on the run from dangerous criminals following a theft. Their escape plan leads them towards a house occupied by a seemingly innocent elderly widow named Beryl (Annabelle Lanyon), whose family just so happens to be deranged psychopaths with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Maybe they should have tried their luck against the gangsters who were after them instead.
Early reviews of Bite have compared it to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, though the criminals-encounter-cannibals plot is arguably more reminiscent of Xavier Gens’ Frontier(s). However, as the trailer shows, the film boasts a distinctly British personality and it promises to be a gruesome experience with a pitch-black sense of humour.
Owen co-wrote the script for Bite alongside Tom Critch, a freelance script writer whose previous clients include Rusty Quill, Azhur Saleem, and Black Bull Films. Critch was shortlisted for Sky’s Comedy Rep 2022 competition and he was the winner of Best Comedy at the Portobello Film Festival. Prior to those accomplishments, he won the David Nobbs Memorial Trust competition.
Bite was selected to play at last year’s Arrow FrightFest, where it received its World Premiere. However, viewers who didn’t attend the festival will be able to see the cannibalistic caper for themselves later this month, as the film arrives on digital HD on October 30.
