It Lives Inside

There is a specific kind of atmospheric dread that comes from a glass jar filled with dark, murky water. You know the type—the kind of container that sits in the back of a pantry, looking like a science experiment gone wrong. In Bishal Dutta’s feature debut, It Lives Inside, that jar isn't holding spoiled pickles; it’s holding a Pishach, a flesh-eating demon from Hindu mythology that feeds on negative emotions. It’s a fantastic premise for a horror film: what happens when the monster under the bed is fueled by your own cultural displacement?

I watched this on a Tuesday night while my neighbor was power-washing their driveway for three hours straight, and honestly, the rhythmic, distant drone of the water actually added a weird layer of industrial dread to the silent, suburban scenes. It made the jump scares land with a bit more "oomph" than they might have in a silent room.

The Horror of Fitting In

At its heart, It Lives Inside is a "coming-of-age" story wrapped in a shroud of supernatural terror. We follow Samidha (played with wonderful vulnerability by Megan Suri, whom you might recognize from Never Have I Ever), an Indian-American teen who has shortened her name to "Sam" and spends her time trying to distance herself from her mother’s traditional expectations. She wants to be a "normal" American kid—which, in movie-land, means hanging out with the brooding boy in the hoodie and acting embarrassed when her mom, Poorna (Neeru Bajwa), packs her a lunch that smells like home.

The conflict kicks into high gear when her former best friend, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), shows up at school looking like she hasn't slept since the Obama administration, clutching that aforementioned creepy jar. Sam, in a fit of "please-don't-make-me-look-weird" frustration, breaks the jar. Big mistake. Huge. It’s basically "Lady Bird" if Lady Bird was being hunted by a Sanskrit-speaking shadow monster.

A New Breed of Monster

What I appreciated most about Bishal Dutta’s approach is how he integrates Indian folklore into the standard "suburban haunting" template. We’ve seen a thousand Conjuring clones where a Catholic priest shows up with holy water and a Latin Bible. Seeing the mythology of the Pishach—a demon that essentially gaslights its victims before devouring them—feels incredibly fresh.

The creature design, when we finally see it, is a mix of practical effects and digital polish that feels tactile and nasty. It’s a "less is more" situation for the first two acts, with the Pishach appearing as a pair of glowing eyes or a distorting shadow. When the full reveal happens, it’s got a spindly, predatory look that reminded me of the creature from Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, albeit on a much tighter budget. The sound design is the real MVP here; the way the demon "mimics" voices and creates a localized scratching sound in the walls is genuinely unsettling.

However, the film does struggle a bit with the "NEON pedigree" expectations. Since NEON brought us Parasite and It Follows, I went in expecting something perhaps a bit more avant-garde. Instead, It Lives Inside plays its cards fairly close to the chest, relying on some pretty standard jump-scare mechanics. The movie’s third act occasionally feels like it’s checking off boxes on a "Horror 101" syllabus rather than leaning into its unique cultural identity.

Why It Slipped Through the Cracks

Despite winning the Midnighters Audience Award at SXSW, the film only pulled in about $4.8 million at the box office. Why did it vanish so quickly? Part of it was the timing. 2023 was a crowded year for "elevated" horror, and without a massive franchise hook, a small-budget indie about immigrant trauma can get drowned out by the noise of M3GAN or Insidious: The Red Door.

It’s a shame, because the performances here deserve a larger audience. Megan Suri carries the film with a grounded intensity, and Neeru Bajwa is spectacular as the mother. The chemistry between them—the friction of two generations trying to love each other through a language and culture gap—is more frightening and real than the demon itself. I also loved seeing Betty Gabriel (the legendary "No, no, no" maid from Get Out) pop up as a supportive teacher, even if the script doesn't give her nearly enough to do.

Turns out, Bishal Dutta was inspired by his own grandfather’s stories. Apparently, his grandfather had a real-life encounter with something he couldn't explain back in India, and that "unspoken" family history is what gives the film its bite. It’s a movie that understands that for many first-generation kids, the greatest fear isn't a monster; it’s the idea that they’ll never truly belong in either world.

It Lives Inside is a solid, spooky debut that perhaps plays it a bit too safe with its scares, but wins major points for its atmosphere and lead performances. It functions as a great companion piece to films like His House or Run, using the horror genre to speak on the very real terrors of the immigrant experience. If you’re looking for a midnight watch that offers something slightly different than your standard haunted house fare, this one is definitely worth the 99-minute investment. Just maybe keep your Tupperware tightly sealed while you watch.