It Lives Inside

Sam is an Indian American teenager trying to get through high school in an affluent suburb, and her unease about her family's expectations and her heritage has pushed her away from both her parents and her former best friend. After a clash with that friend, a mysterious jar is broken and an ancient Indian demonic force is released. The entity takes hold of the friend and draws strength from old grievances, leaving Sam to reclaim the culture she had rejected, with help from her family, if she hopes to stop it.

It Lives Inside is a horror mystery directed by Bishal Dutta, who also wrote the screenplay; it is his feature debut. Megan Suri plays Sam, with Neeru Bajwa and Vik Sahay as her parents, Mohana Krishnan as Tamira, Betty Gabriel as a teacher and Gage Marsh in support. Produced by Sean McKittrick and Raymond Mansfield among a crew of 46, the film was made by Canadian and American companies and released in September 2023.

On IMDb the film holds 5.2 out of 10 from around 9,100 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.7 from roughly 300. A critics' rating of 6.1 from 118 reviews places it slightly above those audience scores. Its worldwide box office of about 5 million dollars is modest for a wide genre release, consistent with a first feature that found a limited theatrical audience rather than a broad one.