By Becca Johnson - February 21, 2025
Directed by Spider One (Allegoria), the younger brother of director Rob Zombie, Little Bites is the latest flick to premiere on spooky streaming service Shudder. Starring Krsy Fox (Terrifier 3) and other horror royalty including Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Bonnie Aarons (The Conjuring 2), it follows a young widow and mother called Mindy who tries to protect her daughter from a flesh eating monster named Agyar. Mindy has been secretly sacrificing her own life by allowing the creature to feast on her body as she keeps her daughter Alice hidden away at her grandmother’s house.
A dark twist on the common themes of addiction and the struggles of being a single parent, Little Bites is a unique vampire flick that despite boasting good performances and sparse but successful gore, lacks depth inside the script which renders it forgettable.
We are currently in a bit of a renaissance when it comes to vampire flicks, so it’s nice to see one from a completely different angle that tries something new. Locked away in a room, with a dinner bell to alert Mindy when he’s hungry, our resident vampire Agyar is a menacing antagonist. Taking small bites - as the title suggests - daily from Mindy to keep himself going, he talks in a calculated manner and looks utterly frightening. It plays its cards early with the creature design, though he is gnarly enough to cause a grimace every time he’s on screen. The make-up and effects look great, and Little Bites knows the importance of giving us a vampire that actually looks like a monster - he is certainly scary.
The horror on display is used sparingly, and is more so a vessel for the message behind the movie, but all instances of blood-sucking and body horror work well. There is one scene in particular, where we truly find out the effect it’s having on Mindy’s body, that is certainly harrowing. The sound design really ups the ante with the horror, ensuring the audience hear every bite mark left behind. Many horror fans may leave this movie wishing there was a little more of it, but all instances of gore are effective.
Little Bites should only be approached by those who are partial to a slow burn. Unlike most regular vampire flicks, it is mostly set in one location, and is metaphorical over anything. Through Mindy’s agreement with Agyar, we explore the lengths that mothers go to in order to keep their children safe. Parting ways with her daughter is no easy feat, but Mindy understands that it must be done in order to keep Alice out of harms way. It’s also a character study, as we experience a thorough delve into Mindy’s psyche, exploring the state of her mind after losing her husband and putting her all into parenting. Via a very endearing chat between Mindy and Ellenor (Langenkamp), we explore how hard single parenthood can be and how lonely it can feel. As important and poignant as this message is, Little Bites doesn’t explore it as thoroughly as it should. Themes are introduced early on, and it’s pretty easy to pin down what the movie is going for within the first act. This leaves it with nowhere to go as it progresses, keeping things very surface level. The same can be said about the exploration of addiction, which only just scratches the surface. Little Bites has something strong to say, but it lacks the depth needed to hammer it home.
A really impressive cast is rustled up here, lead beautifully by Krsy Fox. Impressing audiences last year with her believable turn in the grizzly opening sequence of Terrifier 3, she continues her winning streak here with a much more nuanced and emotional turn. Fox conveys every emotion expected of her perfectly, fully committing to the role. Unfortunately, it’s hard to comment on the rest of the cast as they’re so poorly utilised. Heather Langenkamp is only with us for one dialogue-heavy scene, and although this scene adds a lot of context to the metaphors at play, she does feel wasted and is certainly up for more than just donating some heavy dialogue.
Bonnie Aarons is reduced to mostly a voice-only performance, just on our screens for a couple of minutes when she delivers Mindy’s daughter back to her. Out of the horror icons available, Barbara Crampton certainly gets the most amount of screen-time as an agent of the Child Protection Services, but even this is only two scenes. All three of these ladies are certainly good enough, it’s just a shame their talent goes unnoticed and they’re wasted in smaller roles. At least Fox does enough to impress as our lead.
Little Bites has to be commended for its unique idea, and using the method of a blood-sucking vampire to discuss themes of motherhood and addiction. The creature design is excellent, any gore on display is effective, the performances are great and all the ideas for a strong horror/commentary are all at play. However, the plot is particularly slow, and doesn’t use its time wisely in terms of developing its themes and motifs. More depth within the script and better use of its talented cast would boost Little Bites from passable to great.
Now streaming on Shudder
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