Film Review

It Lives Inside (2023) — stylish but derivative horror undermines themes

An Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity unwittingly releases a demonic entity…

Hollywood has always been dominated by horrors featuring ancient Christian demons and supernatural creatures. Although The Djinn (2021) and Attachment (2022) explored the rich world of Islamic demonology and Jewish mysticism, such stories are uncommon next to their Christian counterparts. Utilising elements of Hindu and Buddhist mythology, writer-director Bishal Dutta incorporates his own Southeast Asian heritage into the formula. His resulting feature-length debut, It Lives Inside, successfully combines a cautionary folk tale with a glimpse into the challenges of cultural assimilation.

In a world where conformity reigns supreme, Samidha (Megan Suri) is struggling to find her place amongst her peers. She’s more interested in catching the eye of Russ (Gage Marsh) than taking part in Hindi ceremonies with her mother, Poorna (Neeru Bajwa). Part of Samidha’s efforts to assimilate herself into her classmates is…