Perpetrator (2023)
Combining slasher, supernatural, and even superhero elements, writer/director Jennifer Reeder’s Perpetrator is a thrilling, chilling feature that is a deliciously twisted display of teen girls taking on the patriarchy. Jonquil “Jonny” Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan) is too much of a handful for her father, who ships her off just before her 18th birthday to her Aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone having a blast in an “Is she or isn’t she evil?” role). Hildie sends Jonny to a private girls’ school from which students go missing, and viewers see that their disappearances lead to gory proceedings. Jonny and her new girlfriend Aviva (Casimere Jollette) are on the case, though, and determined to solve the mystery. Reeder’s coming-of-age horror looks great, boasts a solid cast, is directed with verve, and provides a great deal of suspense, mystery, and no shortage of gore. Plenty of dark humor is on display, as well. Reeder follows up her 2019 feature Knives and Skin with a sometimes surreal, consistently entertaining slice of cinema.
Perpetrator will be in theaters on August 25, 2023, and streaming on Shudder from September 1, 2023.
It Lives Inside (2023)
Director Bishal Dutta’s It Lives Inside puts a different cultural spin on both the teen horror and religious horror subgenres as Indian-American high schooler Samidha (Megan Suri) does her best to fit in with her fellow students, which former friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) doesn’t make any easier by walking around in a decidedly strange manner. She has good reason to do so, though, as she holds in a jar a demon that preys on loneliness — until, this being a slice of fear fare, the jar of course breaks. The demon now has its sights set on Samidha, and woe to anyone who tries to help her. The main point of interest with It Lives Inside is Dutta’s merging of the immigrant experience in the United States with Indian demonology, which provides some fresh food for thought. The film depends on far too many overly familiar story beats and tropes, however, as it ultimately offers little new in the teens vs. the supernatural story department. Suri does well in the lead, and Dutta shows a keen eye for framing and does a nice job with the pacing, though the demon reveal could use a bit more imagination in its design. Overall, aficionados of horror that offers different cultural takes should find It Lives Inside worth a watch.
Perpetrator and It Lives Inside screened as part of Fantasia, which took place in Montreal, Canada from July 20–August 9, 2023.
