IT LIVES INSIDE movie poster | ©2023 Neon

Rating: PG-13
Stars: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay, Gage Marsh, Jenaya Ross, Beatrice Kitsos
Writer: Bishal Dutta, story by Bishal Dutta and Ashish Mehta
Director: Bishal Dutta
Distributor: Neon
Release Date: September 22, 2023 (theatrical), November 7, 2023 (home video and digital)

IT LIVES INSIDE bears certain similarities to the original THE EXORCIST, inasmuch as the film’s action relies on the concept that a particular religion’s demons are real. However, in the case of IT LIVES INSIDE, the religion is Hinduism, and the hero is not a cleric of any sort, but rather American high school student Sam (Megan Suri).

The opening sequence shows us the aftermath of a massacre inside a house, with mutilated bodies on the floor.

Then we’re introduced to Sam, an only child who lives with her Indian immigrant parents in a pleasant upper-middle-class neighborhood. This appears to be in the northeastern U.S., although IT LIVES INSIDE was made in Canada and the location is never specified, so it may take place there.

Sam’s dad Inesh (Vik Sahay) is an easygoing type. Mom Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) is much more traditional, scolding Sam for not understanding the significance of Puja Day. This is a holiday that celebrates the goddess Durga’s defeat of a malicious demon.

Sam, like most teens, just wants to fit in with her classmates. She seems popular, although her white friends invariably ask her inadvertently insensitive questions.

Desperate to be seen for herself and not as a representative of all things from India, Sam has cut ties with Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), a former friend and classmate from a similar background.

Tamira is clearly not doing well, and she’s taken to carrying around a jar with some strange black substance inside. When their teacher Joyce (Betty Gabriel) asks Sam to talk to Tamira, it goes badly. Tamira runs off, then can’t be found.

Sam feels guilty. In trying to locate Tamira, Sam discovers that her mother’s religious beliefs may have more basis in fact than even Poorna realizes.

Director/writer Bishal Dutta, who crafted the story for IT LIVES INSIDE with Ashish Mehta, demonstrates a fine sense of both lifelike social dynamics and dramatic horror tension.

While the specifics may be different, lots of women will recognize the tug of war between Sam and Poorna. Meanwhile, the story unfolds with a pleasing balance of foreshadowing artwork, detection, and set pieces that make us fear for every character in the frame.

Suri is everything she ought to be as our protagonist, commanding empathy even when Sam is being sulky, and registering real determination as the stakes heighten. Krishnan is moving as the lonely, frightened Tamira, and Gabriel is the warm, wise teacher we all wish we’d had. Bajwa and Sahay also have impact as Sam’s parents.

Another intriguing aspect of IT LIVES INSIDE is who does (and does not) survive. This doesn’t shake out predictably.

IT LIVES INSIDE has the well-executed building blocks of a good normal kid vs. supernatural monster movie, with some bonus qualities that make it easy to recommend.

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