It Lives Inside

Watch in the UK

Watch in the US

Data provided by

6 / 10

1 Review

Rate this movie:

6 Based on 1 Votes

10

0
9

0
8

0
7

0
6

1
5

0
4

0
3

0
2

0
1

0

Overview

Desperate to fit in at school, Sam rejects her Indian culture and family to be like everyone else. However, when a mythological demonic spirit latches onto her former best friend, she must come to terms with her heritage to defeat it.

Media

IT LIVES INSIDE - Official Trailer #1

Cast

Mohana Krishnan

Director:

Bishal Dutta

Writer:

Ashish Mehta, Bishal Dutta, Bishal Dutta

Release Date:

2023-09-06

Run Time:

99m

Tagline:

You can't contain evil.

Genres:

Keywords:

based on myths, legends or folklore horror indian american supernatural supernatural horror

Financials and Popularity

Budget: Not Declared

Revenue: 4,800,000.00$

Vote Average: 5.7/10

Vote Count: 283 Votes

Movie Popularity: 1.452

Spoken Languages: English, Hindi

Review

View all reviews

Insomniacs Reviews
- 30 April 2026 at 5:48 am

6 Based on 1 Votes
10

0
9

0
8

0
7

0
6

1
5

0
4

0
3

0
2

0
1

0
⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 6/10 THE SUMMARY Sam, an Indian-American teenager, is desperate to fit in at her high school and starts distancing herself from her traditional roots. But when a terrifying demonic spirit—a Pishacha—latches onto her former best friend, Sam must embrace her heritage to defeat it. It’s a high-quality supernatural horror that uses the "monster in a jar" trope to explore the sincere anxiety of cultural identity. As the entity grows stronger by feeding on negative emotions, the film shifts from a grounded high school drama into a legendary battle against an ancient, invisible hunger. THE PROS This earns its 6/10 because the lead performance by Megan Suri is a total winner. She captures the sincere struggle of a second-generation immigrant with an honest depth that makes the horror feel more personal. The creature design, when we finally see it, is absolute quality—avoiding the usual CGI mess for something that feels legendary and tactile. It hits the 6 mark because the atmosphere is a total banger, using sound and shadow to create a high-quality sense of dread without relying on constant jump scares. It’s an honest shout for fans of "elevated" horror that uses myths to tell a deeper, high-quality human story. THE CONS It lands a 6/10 because the middle section is a bit of a slow-roller, following some fairly standard horror beats that feel a touch quality-deficient compared to the unique cultural setup. The pacing can feel a bit sluggish as it builds to the finale, and some of the supporting characters are an honest frustration, serving more as plot devices than sincere people. It misses a higher mark because it doesn't quite reach "epic status" in its scares; while the tension is high-quality, it often feels like it's playing it a bit safe with the genre's rules. THE VERDICT A 6/10. A high-quality and sincere horror film that is a winner for its unique cultural perspective and legendary creature design. While it’s not a total banger from start to finish, it’s a solid, honest shout for anyone looking for something more than a generic slasher. A quality watch that proves the best monsters are the ones we carry inside. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • Cultural Roots: The director, Bishal Dutta, drew from his own high-quality childhood memories of his grandfather’s ghost stories to create the Pishacha. He wanted the demon to feel legendary and honest to Indian folklore rather than a standard Western ghost.• Practical Horror: To keep the scares high-quality and sincere, the production used practical effects for the creature as much as possible. This ensured the actors' terror felt more legendary on set because they had a physical presence to react to.• Short to Feature: The film is a high-quality expansion of a concept the director had been working on for years. It’s a total win for indie horror, proving that a sincere and unique idea can stand out in a legendary, crowded market. THE VIBE Like the feeling of someone standing right behind you in a dark hallway. It smells of turmeric, old wood, and the metallic tang of a glass jar shattering.

Videos

IT LIVES INSIDE - Official Trailer #1

Cast

Mohana Krishnan

Beatrice Kitsos

Siddhartha Minhas

Saisha Ram Muni

Related Movies To

It Lives Inside

Verity

Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity Crawford. After Lowen uncovers what appears to be Verity's chilling autobiographical notes, she wrestles with the disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity’s husband Jeremy, and finds it hard to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.

Run time: 0m Tagline: There is no light where we're going. Release: 2026-09-30

Director: Michael Showalter

Stars: Alex Cooper Anne Hathaway Brady Wagner Dakota Johnson Irina Dvorovenko Ismael Cruz Cordova Josh Hartnett K.K. Moggie Michael Abbott Jr.

Oldboy

10 / 10

1 Review

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.

Run time: 120m Tagline: 15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance. Release: 2003-11-21

Director: Park Chan-wook

Stars: Choi Min-sik Ji Dae-han Kang Hye-jung Kim Byeong-ok Lee Seung-shin Oh Dal-su Oh Tae-kyung Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Yeon-seok Yoon Jin-seo

Remarkably Bright Creatures

A lonely elderly widow named Tova forms an unlikely friendship with a curmudgeonly cephalopod octopus named Marcellus, but unbeknownst to her, Marcellus is on a mission to solve a mystery that will heal the widow’s heart and lead her to a life-changing discovery.

Run time: 0m Release: 2026-05-08

Director: Olivia Newman

Stars: Alfred Molina Beth Grant Colm Meaney Donald Sales Joan Chen Kathy Baker Laura Harris Lewis Pullman Sally Field Sofia Black-D'Elia

Jennifer’s Body

Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader takes evil to a whole new level after she's possessed by a sinister demon. Now it's up to her best friend to stop Jennifer's reign of terror before it's too late.

Run time: 107m Tagline: She's evil... and not just high school evil. Release: 2009-09-18

Director: Karyn Kusama

Stars: Adam Brody Amanda Seyfried Chris Pratt Colin Askey Johnny Simmons Juan Riedinger Juno Rinaldi Megan Fox Ryan Levine Sal Cortez

The Sheep Detectives

8 / 10

1 Review

George is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Run time: 109m Tagline: A new breed of mystery. Release: 2026-05-02

Director: Kyle Balda

Stars: Conleth Hill Emma Thompson Hong Chau Hugh Jackman Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Mandeep Dhillon Molly Gordon Nicholas Braun Nicholas Galitzine Tosin Cole

Collections

It Lives Inside

This movie is not part of any collection.

Reviews for

It Lives Inside

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 30 April 2026 at 6:48 AM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 6/10
THE SUMMARY
Sam, an Indian-American teenager, is desperate to fit in at her high school and starts distancing herself from her traditional roots. But when a terrifying demonic spirit—a Pishacha—latches onto her former best friend, Sam must embrace her heritage to defeat it. It’s a high-quality supernatural horror that uses the “monster in a jar” trope to explore the sincere anxiety of cultural identity. As the entity grows stronger by feeding on negative emotions, the film shifts from a grounded high school drama into a legendary battle against an ancient, invisible hunger.
THE PROS
This earns its 6/10 because the lead performance by Megan Suri is a total winner. She captures the sincere struggle of a second-generation immigrant with an honest depth that makes the horror feel more personal. The creature design, when we finally see it, is absolute quality—avoiding the usual CGI mess for something that feels legendary and tactile. It hits the 6 mark because the atmosphere is a total banger, using sound and shadow to create a high-quality sense of dread without relying on constant jump scares. It’s an honest shout for fans of “elevated” horror that uses myths to tell a deeper, high-quality human story.
THE CONS
It lands a 6/10 because the middle section is a bit of a slow-roller, following some fairly standard horror beats that feel a touch quality-deficient compared to the unique cultural setup. The pacing can feel a bit sluggish as it builds to the finale, and some of the supporting characters are an honest frustration, serving more as plot devices than sincere people. It misses a higher mark because it doesn’t quite reach “epic status” in its scares; while the tension is high-quality, it often feels like it’s playing it a bit safe with the genre’s rules.
THE VERDICT
A 6/10. A high-quality and sincere horror film that is a winner for its unique cultural perspective and legendary creature design. While it’s not a total banger from start to finish, it’s a solid, honest shout for anyone looking for something more than a generic slasher. A quality watch that proves the best monsters are the ones we carry inside.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• Cultural Roots: The director, Bishal Dutta, drew from his own high-quality childhood memories of his grandfather’s ghost stories to create the Pishacha. He wanted the demon to feel legendary and honest to Indian folklore rather than a standard Western ghost.
• Practical Horror: To keep the scares high-quality and sincere, the production used practical effects for the creature as much as possible. This ensured the actors’ terror felt more legendary on set because they had a physical presence to react to.
• Short to Feature: The film is a high-quality expansion of a concept the director had been working on for years. It’s a total win for indie horror, proving that a sincere and unique idea can stand out in a legendary, crowded market.
THE VIBE
Like the feeling of someone standing right behind you in a dark hallway. It smells of turmeric, old wood, and the metallic tang of a glass jar shattering.

Leave a Review Cancel reply