British Independent Productions
BITE
Pursued by a dangerous criminal after a failed theft, con artists Nina and Yaz get more than they bargained for when they target a seemingly innocent elderly widow.
Brief Synopsis
Nina is desperate to put her life back on track having narrowly escaped from psychotic gangland criminal Roman, after her alcoholic, drug addicted partner and incompetent con artist, Yaz, gets her involved in yet another disastrous con. Furiously blaming each other, Yaz dumps Nina roadside, in the middle of nowhere, to fend for herself. Soaked and alone she accepts a lift from passing motorist Beryl, a sweet but rather odd widow, who is keen to take on a lodger and offers Nina a bed for the night and the prospect of a new start, but her emotional ties to Yazare hard to break, and with Roman out for revenge and time running out, Yaz persuades Nina to target Beryl in one last job, hoping to score some cash and run. Returning to the confines of Beryl’s home they discover the shocking truth behind this seemingly innocent woman and her family.
BITE is a feature length horror thriller co-written with Tom Critch and directed by James Owen. Filmed at arthrofilm studios in The Midlands, UK, Bite was officially selected for London Frightfest 2022 and represented by Hewes Picture for worldwide sales.
Running Time 99 min
Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Red Dragon 4K
Certification TBC
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News Articles
Kim Newman
The Kim Newman Website 27/08/22
'Bite – a title which has been used a few times recently – is an elaborate take on
that recently-popular crooks-break-into-the-wrong-gaff premise'
'Director James Owen, gives it all a dark, distinctive look and keeps springing surprises'
Small Title
Anton Bitel
Projected Figures 28/08/22
'James Owen’s feature debut finds caninity, cannibalism and karma in a deeply
dysfunctional family- and a dog-eat-dog world'
'… expect a lot of blood and gore on the menu, as Owen’s surgical spin on dysfunctional, destructive relationships demands we take a butchers'
Catherine Benstead
Hear Us Scream 31/08/22
'Bite picks up the pace and goes into full blown insanity in a brilliant and gory way'
'James Owen has directed a film that hits the nail right on the brutality head when it comes to well-designed gore'
'… at its foundation, the film is unique and captivating. Definitely worth a watch when you have the chance!'
Bradley Hadcroft
The People’s Movies 27/08/22
'horror thrills abound in this energetic and inventive gorefest involving insane suburbanite flesh gobblers'
'There are some truly twisted scenes in Bite that raise the brutality bar … the flick has lashings of practical effects … and the bloodwork is top tier. Throw in a seriously fucked up body part piano, culty oneliners, and a stomach-turning fleshy teatime feast, and it is a job well done'
'Bite is exactly the kind of horror that would have cemented a place in video nasty infamy … in the mid-1980s'
'Bite is a mischievous and disgusting horror flick that drips with the sweat of hard work and thrums with the industry of exuberance that dices with good taste enough to set it apart. For fans looking for an uncomplicated injection of debased grotesquery, it should hit the spot in spades'
Ross Maddison
Letterboxd 28/08/22
'An ambitious and compelling debut feature with possibly the best gore effects I’ve
seen from an indie film in a while. Good Stuff!'
Kat Hughes
The Hollywood News 05/09/22
'Bite, written and directed by James Owen... might just be the modern British answer to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'
'A well thought reworking... Bite has enough fresh ingredients to provide a tasty movie meal'
Upcoming On Screen 02/09/22
'... you come out of Bite more than satisfied as there is simply just too much to enjoy in this horror thriller'
'Owen comes out of his film as a filmmaker you will look forward to seeing more of when given a bigger budget as he certainly makes the most of what he had here'
Jenny Kermode
Eye for Film 09/09/22
... it’s easy to see why it went down well at Frightfest. Where it’s good, it’s very good, and holds a lot of promise for Owen’s future'
CAST
Cast
Shian Denovan NINA
Shian Denovan won Best Actress for her leading roles in feature films Cat Sick Blues and Birthday at Nice International Film Festival and Sydney Horror Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at Ontario Film Festival. Other feature film work includes a strong supporting role in BAFTA audience award nominee Sawney. She was nominated for Best Actress by The Stage for her work in theatre and has performed at several of London's fringe theatres to rave reviews. Recent feature film work includes All Roads Lead to Home and The Whip.
Nansi Nsue YAZ
Nansi Nsue is an Afro-Spanish actor who began her acting career in Northern Ireland, at eighteen, in the Universal Studios feature Your Highness. She then enrolled in The Method Acting Studio and hasn't stopped working since. She played the assassin Hana Novak in ABC's series Whiskey Cavalier, the tornado Luisa Rosa in the BBC’s The Mallorca Files. She has also worked on Spanish film Pan De limón Con Semillas De Amapola and Spanish TV series Madres Amor y vida, and most recently on This is Going to Hurt, Kosta Paradiso and Riches.
Nansi also made her theatre debut recently as Yerma in Yerma at the Spanish Cervantes theatre in London which received critically acclaimed reviews in both Spain and the United Kingdom.
Annabelle Lanyon BERYL
Anna has worked extensively in film, television, theatre and radio. She worked with Tom Cruise in the cult film Legend, directed by Ridley Scott and distributed by Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox. She was nominated for best supporting actress in the short film Match at the Plymouth Film festival 2016. Recently she performed a twelve page monologue by Dario Defo and Franca Rame, The Mother for The Camden Fringe, which received five star reviews, and has worked on a new play Delete for the Clear Line Festival which deals with the addiction and abuse, a subject close to her heart. Recent film roles include Blood and Bones and Our Little Haven.
Anthony Ilott EDDIE
After training at the Guildford School of Acting Anthony starting his career in theatre but got the bug for film after playing the lead role in Wrong Turn 6:Last Resort, distributed by 20th Century Fox. Since then Anthony has written and directed a sitcom pilot, played PJ in The Tombs: Rise or the damned (due for release in October 2018) and filmed commercials for Carphone Warehouse. His theatre work includes The Ladykillers and Stone Cold Murder produced by Paul Taylor Mills and Bill Kenwright. Anthony has also had roles in horror feature film The Trees That Bled and TV series Sex, Drugs & Veggie Spring Rolls.
Stuart Sessions GERALD
Stuart started acting playing Paulina in Winter’s Tale age 14. After decade long detours as an army officer and overseas aid and development worker, he returned to acting in 2002. Theatre has included Vincentio in Measure for Measure and Arthur Kipps (cover) in Woman in Black in the Fortune Theatre. He recently completed three weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe doing a spoken word piece interweaving three incidents from his past: how his life was saved by a Khmer Rouge fighter in Cambodia, his near murder by a Liberian child soldier and his rescue and adoption of a Nepali child. Recent feature film roles include The Catch and In Extremis. Sadly Stuart passed away in 2021.
Noah James NIALL
Noah James is a multi-award-winning and nominated actor-writer, including the BAFTA Rocliffe comedy prize, UK & Miami Web Fest Best Comedy Prizes, and an Off West End Best Actor nomination. Noah's recent work includes season 1 and 2 of the Britbox reboot of the iconic British sketch show Spitting Image. His sketches with comedy partner Jordan Maxwell have amassed well over a million views online and shared by Viral Thread, Funny or Die, and BCG. He currently has several projects in development.
Jack Loy ROMAN
Jack toured with the West End show The Bodyguard for fifteen months prior to the pandemic. His television credits include Coronation Street, Chewing Gum, Doctors and season 2 of The Capture. His film credits include lead roles in Amazon Prime’s Beautiful In The Morning and Q8 Unleashed, as well as a supporting role in gangster movie King Of Crime.
Jon Campling GHOST
Jon is recognizable worldwide as King Regis from the epic Final Fantasy franchise. He also played the lead in the dark, indie feature Dead End and created an iconic train-stopping cameo in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
A professional Actor since 1992 Jon has also been involved in many projects in both theatre and television and has a huge passion for his art. With three film festival awards to his credit, an eye for detail and a unique, yet versatile look, Jon is a great addition to the BITE cast and makes the brilliant character of Ghost larger than life.
Jimmy Vee MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Scottish born Jimmy Vee has been ranked in the top 1000 actors on the international movie database (IMDb) and is known for his role in the Star Wars franchise (Star Wars:The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Pan (2015) and Doctor Who (2005). He is credited in many other films including the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Jimmy plays the wonderful character Master of Ceremonies in BITE.
Joe Egan BRICK
Joe Egan has over 50 film and television credits, including Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Guilt Trip and Gloves Off. His IMDb star rating has put him in the top 6000.
An ex professional Boxer, Joe plays the character of hard man Brick in BITE.