Don’t Be Afraid to Take Little Bites (FANTASTIC) Out of This Neat Take on Vampirism
Title: Little Bites
First Non-Festival Release: October 4, 2024 (Limited Theatrical Release)
Director: Spider One
Writer: Spider One
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Starring: Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff, Barbara Crampton, Bonnie Aarons
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2024.
When driven to the edge, good parents will do whatever it takes to keep their children safe from harm even if that hurts them in return. This selflessness isn’t necessarily borne out of obligation but because of a desire to build a better life for their kid.
This is what drives Mindy (Krsy Fox). With a vampire (Jon Sklaroff) holding up in a downstairs bedroom, Mindy allows him to bleed her dry daily to satisfy his constant bloodlust and keep her daughter Alice (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro) out of harm’s way. With Alice at her grandmother’s house and Mindy’s deteriorating health and absent mental state obvious to outsiders, she must not only fight off the monster in her house but also Child Protective Services and her intrusive mother (Bonnie Aarons) from questioning why Alice needs to stay away from her.
A dark metaphorical horror, Little Bites is an offbeat vampire flick with empowering social commentary.
Operating as an extended metaphor for relationship violence and co-dependency, Little Bites dissects the reasons why people persist through awful situations. Isolated and resigned to her fate as a human blood bag, Mindy finds the reality of her situation sinking in when she loses more and more function of her body. This twisted relationship only brings Mindy misery despite the general ambivalence expressed by the vampire at her suffering. It’s inconsequential to him that she is in pain, but it is important that she knows she can never leave without facing his wrath. Mirroring the abusive relationships that far too many people find themselves trapped in, Little Bites extends empathy and grace to Mindy, and by extension, victims and survivors of abuse in how she is treated throughout the film.
The dynamics between Mindy and the various players in her life feed into this spiral further. Making excuses for friends she runs into at the grocery store, overwhelmed at the cheery yet persistent CPS investigator (Barbara Crampton), and unwilling to explain the true depths of her problems to her mother, Mindy cannot even fathom to ask for help. Initially, it would be easy to write off her contempt and distrust of these people, but Little Bites understands that the intentions of these players matter. While unaware to the true horrors that lie within the house and misguided in how they help, they do express concern for Mindy. The problem is they focus on the visible symptoms, rather than the root of her problems: the parasitic relationship sucking the light out of her. Only then, they would realize the true valor Mindy displays in keeping Alice as far away from this influence as possible.
The audience is given the gift of omniscience, which makes it easier to empathize. Little Bites questions if viewers would be so quick to think positively of a mother in similar circumstances without this context. Even with the context, it is far too common for it to be shrugged off, leaving people trapped in these circumstances with few options.
Tasked with carrying the film on her shoulders nearly every scene, Krsy Fox delivers an exceptional performance as lead. This is daunting enough for any film, but especially one with such a somber mood and heavy subject matter. Fox does this with aplomb, selling every agonizing moment of pain to light up the audience’s sympathetic neurons. Little Bites is never comfortable, and Fox ensures to bring the fire to every scene making her desperate attempts to protect herself, and more importantly Alice, seem all the more personal. The pain is etched on her face, even when she is smiling, even when it is tucked away in her most “perfect” condition. Without Fox’s performance, Little Bites would struggle to fill the air of its slow pace.
The biggest enemy of Little Bites comes in the form of its languid pacing. While at times feeling deliberate, the story drags on the middle as Mindy waffles on what her next moves will be. While it does give the film plenty of room to decide how Mindy’s torment will prolong, it doesn’t quite earn the slow burn it demands. The story lingers, much like an unwelcome visitor when Mindy cannot seem to commit to her next move. All the elements of suspense are employed, but not executed at the level needed. Warnings of additional timed CPS visits, a body dragged through hell and back in a house, and an odd sense of timing in regard to Mindy’s draining make it difficult to stay engaged with the story.
Dark and affecting, Little Bites is a nice slice of horror that delivers chills from the implications of its story. Its central metaphor for codependency anchors the admittedly sleepy storytelling enough to end on a confusing stinger, making for an overall enjoyable experience. Fans of Spider One’s previous work will find plenty to appreciate here, especially since his style and approach to filmmaking continuously grows in interesting directions. Don’t be shy to take a a big bite out of Little Bites once it fully releases on Shudder.
Overall Score? 7/10
