Little Bites
Written and Directed by Spider One
Starring Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff, Elizabeth Caro, Barbara Crampton, Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons, Chaz Bono
Runtime 105 min
In theaters October 4th and will stream on Shudder at a later date

by Vannah Taylor, Staff Writer

Content warning: this review makes brief mentions of drug use, domestic abuse, and struggles with mental illness

From the mind of musician-turned-director Spider One, is the newest feature tackling the difficulties of parenthood. Audiences at 2024’s Fantastic Fest indulged in the treat that is Little Bites, starring Krsy Fox as a desperate widowed mother sacrificing herself to protect her daughter. The film opens on Mindy as a bell beckons her downstairs to a small dark room. Behind this wooden door is a creature who feeds on her one little bite at a time. Despite her attempts to advocate for her own health and safety, her protests are dismissed. The creature's hunger takes priority.

Mindy sends her daughter Alice (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro) to stay with her mother (Bonnie Aarons) while she woefully figures out what to do about the arrangement she has allowed to take place. Without seeing what is really happening in Mindy’s life, everyone is quick to judge Mindy’s fitness as a parent–calling CPS (who employs horror icon Barbara Crampton as a stern and headstrong case worker), giving unwarranted advice, and jumping to the worst of conclusions. With its world premiere taking place just a day after Fantastic Fest’s beautifully insightful 10th anniversary screening of The Babadook, it was clear the two would make a potent “imperfect motherhood” double feature. Krsy Fox is raw and vulnerable. She fully leans into her flawed portrayal of Mindy, letting the audience themselves take their own pieces of her with them when they leave the theater.

The monster feeding on Mindy, named Agyar (John Skarloff), is a vampire-like haunting figure whose presence can be felt even when he is offscreen. But, as with almost any horror film, he is not just a cool looking monster. Spider One has explained that this is a personal film, reflecting his own experience with the insecurities and fears of parenthood–an experience he shares with the film’s star, Krsy Fox, who is his co-creator and spouse. The way Mindy’s life is being literally torn apart, the insecurities Agyar feeds to her, and the marks he leaves on her body all extend the boundaries of how the viewer can read into his existence. Drug use and addiction is a clear connection considering the physical marks that the bites leave on her body, and the way Agyar feels like a dirty secret lurking in Mindy’s house. Despite the torture Mindy endures to shield her daughter from Agyar’s jaws, it is obvious that this is not a typical “lets find a way to kill the monster” type of film that one might expect. The frightening reality of domestic abuse is another reading that strikes a chord. Despite the mention that Mindy is widowed, Agyar could be seen as a stand-in for an abusive partner–someone that Mindy readily throws herself in front of in order to shield Alice from any harm. The beauty and tragedy of the story that Spider One has laid before us (because it is inspired by his own fears as a parent) is that its meanings can be molded by the insecurities that exist within the viewer, allowing it to hit home regardless of what they may take in and out of the theater with them.

Spider One and Krsy Fox are a creative power couple who have joined forces as OneFox Productions to graciously bring fans touching films like Little Bites. Not only does Fox give an exposed and genuine performance, but she proves herself as an editor and sound designer. If there is one thing this filmmaking team is, it's fully committed to bringing their unadulterated vision to audiences, despite the odds. Whether it is in theaters or on Shudder later this year, check out Little Bites.