Written and directed by Vincenzo Nappi, First Bite is a short horror film starring Catherine Saindon (Game of Death) and Hana Kashaf (Hysteria). The film takes place in a single location and follows Alex (Saindon) as she deals with what seems like a bit of party-too-hardy at the local metal club.
The first scene is really shitty. Literally. The film opens with a shot of a filthy public toilet loaded with human waste. Alex enters and then proceeds to vomit in said toilet for what feels like a decade, which really wasn’t helping me enjoy the bowl of mac and cheese that was sat in my lap at the time. What follows is pretty standard fare for horror fest pickings. It is a quaint short but not really scary by any means. Rather than focussing on the story, it’d be better to tear apart those technical details.
The acting is good, with Saindon and Kashaf playing their parts to a tee. I grew up frequenting bars and clubs like the one in the short and know the local stereotypes all too well. The film was actually a little nostalgic, all things considered.
The lighting managed to catch that seedy feel of the bar and the special effects and editing were right on the money. The gore was great and looked authentic and the sound editing and background music added to the overall aesthetic. It was a solid film, well-constructed and almost flawless. It was, perhaps, a little too safe though.
The film is great—in all aspects, it is what I’ve come to expect from festival level submissions. The thing is though, it is too similar to what I watch when it comes to film festival submissions. It did little to set itself apart from a lot of good competition that is circulating these days, especially with all the clever quirks and ideas coming out during the pandemic. First Bite was definitely delicious, but I didn’t quite get my full. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Poster and trailer below.
Official Selection – Fantasia International Film Festival, Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, Flamingo Film Festival, Mountain Tales Film Festival, Rock And Metal International Film Festival, Sin City Horror Fest, Picture Show Panic, Hellifax Horror Fest, Soho Horror Film Festival.
