Short Film Review: "First Bite" (2020)
First Bite Short Film Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by Canux Pictures via Vimeo
Written and Directed by Vincenzo Nappi
2020, 6 minutes and 9 seconds, Not Rated
Released on December 17th, 2020
Starring:
Catherine Saindon as Alex
Hana Kashaf as Olivia
Martin Kramer as Martin Kramer (voice)
Review:
Short films are most often either a pumped-up trailer for a larger work waiting to be born or a moment in time captured whole and complete. I’m partial to the latter because that’s where you can see the signature of a filmmaker in undiluted form; they’re focusing all their energies on making you feel every aspect of that one event. First Bite takes you into one such moment, a horror cliché made intimate and personal.
Yeah, Alex is having a shit time at the club. I hate when I’m bitten while partying.
Alex (Catherine Saindon; Psycho Prom Queen) comes crashing into the bathroom of a seedy club, vomiting uncontrollably. She’s can’t keep anything down, and what’s coming back up is bloody. Her hunger is insatiable; it’s driving her crazy. Her friend, Olivia (Hana Kashaf; Blood & Treasure), wants to make sure her friend is okay. Concern can be a dangerous thing, though- Alex has a nasty bite on her arm that looks infected. Maybe Olivia should let her ride it out…
Writer/director Vincenzo Nappi; (Is Your Daughter Home?) lays the filter on heavy for an oppressively dark, blue and purple hued nightmare of a bathroom that’ll make you want to wash the fuck out of your hands. Alex is an attractive woman, but everything in this bathroom is ugly by default. The sound effects add to the ambience of impending doom- that’s some extremely splashy and hefty barfing that smacks of realism.
That steady hue makes the solid gore work in First Bite appear black, and that in turn lends a legit infection vibe. You’re locked in the moment now with her, and when you see that bite on her arm you know she’s good and screwed. Catherine Saindon is giving you every bit of her anguish, too. It’s an agonized performance that demands you to feel it and doesn’t come off as hokey. Simply put, she kills it in what is essentially a one-woman show.
There is an inordinate amount of time spent on the sickness, but it appears to be in excess so that you get the intensity of the moment. There is no characterization or explanation of events. If you’re looking for that, you’re likely to be disappointed. If you’re looking to spend a few minutes feeling everything that comes with turning into a zombie, then throw up your horns and bang your head! A heavy metal soundtrack always scores points in my book.
First Bite has a jerky, extra vicious style that’s reminiscent of the stellar 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Vincenzo Nappi has both a sharp eye for in your face horror and a twisted sense of humor (see his other short, Is Your Daughter Home?, to see what I mean). I think I need to see more of this “canuxploitation”. Seems to me there’s a new name worth keeping an eye on in the horror genre.
Grade:
4.0 out of 5.0
