Film Review: BITE (2015)

Three girls head to Costa Rica for the bride to be Casey’s bachelorette party. While enjoying their time away they go swimming in a suspicious looking river that one of the locals tells them is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, someone needs to go to the opticians fast if he thinks that is beautiful. Casey and her friend play in the water until Casey gets bit by an unknown insect calling the end to the fun. Once back from the trip Casey starts to change for the worst with her bite getting more infected and she constantly feels sick.
Soon her apartment is covered in goo as she creates a hive for her eggs that she has oozing out of every orifice imaginable. Her friends and fiancee grow concerned that they haven’t seen her in a while so go to her apartment, only to be confronted by the new and improved Casey that will undoubtedly want the fiancee to call off the wedding…fast! Before Casey gets knocked off she manages to kill off her friends and infect her fiancee with whatever she had. One week later the building is in quarantine with the police and environmental team investigating the strange appearance of what is inside. Not only do they find that the building should ideally be torn down and incinerated to stop the spread of this infection but they come across Casey’s fiancee. Upon trying to rescue him he bursts open with hundreds of the insects that started the contagion escaping, leaving the film with an ending that can only be seen as open for a sequel….BITE 2: BACK TO NATURE perhaps. For me what immediately springs to mind is David Cronenberg’s THE FLY thanks to this movies use of acid puke and Casey’s transformation into an insect like creature. While BITE doesn’t go quite to the extremes of Croneneberg’s movie it does have its moments where members of the audience with a weak stomach will be gagging. Stick with the movie as the first 20 minutes are rather dull and the characters are less then desirable but once Casey starts changing you will forgive the slow start. BITE is by heart a body horror and revenge movie rolled into one with enough ickiness to keep you watching till the end.

Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins