Film lovers attending this year’s Panic Fest had the opportunity to attend the world premiere of a frightening film called It Feeds. Written and directed by Chad Archibald (The Heretics, I’ll Take Your Dead), the film follows a clairvoyant therapist and her daughter. When a young girl with a sinister entity attached to her comes knocking, they must find a way to stop the entity before it’s too late.

It Feeds is a supernatural horror film that seems to combine elements of The Cell and Smile while still feeling unique. Cynthia is a great therapist, but for certain special clients she takes things a step further. She uses her clairvoyant ability to enter the minds of the client, seeing the bizarre images that exist deep in the subconscious, to help them overcome deep-rooted trauma. Cynthia and her daughter, Jordan, have a routine that seems to work for them, until a teenager named Riley shows up begging for help getting rid of a sinister entity that is feeding off of her. While at first Cynthia refuses to help, she and Jordan find themselves tangled in the mystery and in a fight for survival. The film is terrifying and emotional in turn. Horror fans love a good metaphor, and It Feeds certainly provides that. While audiences don’t learn much about the entity or where it comes from, it attaches to people who have suffered a loss. It feeds on those people, rotting them inside and out until nothing is left. It seems this creature is a metaphor for the trauma associated with loss and how that trauma festers within a person if they don’t work through it. It’s not necessarily an idea that is entirely new, but the balance of horror and drama is very well done, taking the audience to unexpected places.

The cast of It Feeds helps to make this film a success. Ashley Greene (Twilight, Kristy) stars as Cynthia. Greene exudes a calming, nurturing, maternal presence as this character that makes it easy to believe Cynthia can solve any problem. It makes the moment she meets the teenage girl and sees the entity all the more shocking, her apparent fear making it clear just how dangerous the situation is. This is a standout performance for Greene and one audiences won’t soon forget. Ellie O’Brien (My Life With the Walter Boys, Ascension) plays Cynthia’s daughter, Jordan. Jordan is caring and devoted to helping people, even though she doesn’t have her mother’s ability. O’Brien is the heart of the film, willing to put herself in danger against her mom’s wishes if it means she can save someone else. Her individual performance is fantastic and the familial chemistry between her and Greene tugs at the heartstrings. Audiences will also appreciate the performances from Shawn Ashmore (X-Men), Juno Rinaldi (Workin’ Moms), and Shayelin Martin (Magnetosphere).

The plot is compelling, the acting is superb, but what really shines are the visuals of It Feeds. This is most evident as Cynthia enters different minds, each one being entirely unique to the person and their trauma. The production design from mind to mind is striking. It shows places significant to the individual and adds dreamlike details, sometimes leaning into the nightmarish, making sure the audience knows this is no longer the real world. Even Cynthia’s wardrobe in these scenes is specific to the mind she’s inside, looking quite different than what she wears in reality. Then of course there is the creature design for the entity itself. Despite feeling reminiscent of creatures from other films, this entity is absolutely terrifying to behold. The design is striking and the practical effects are incredibly well done. The look of the creature along with the atmosphere the visuals create allow for edge-of-your-seat suspense along with some well placed jump scares.

It Feeds is as frightening as it is riveting, giving a horrifying face to the trauma that festers in the mind. This might be a career best for Archibald. The plot is moving on its own, but adding the horror elements heightens the emotion and raises the stakes. Audiences are sure to fall in love with Greene and O’Brien as mother and daughter as well as the breathtaking visuals throughout the film. Along with the truly scary creature design, every aspect combines to deliver a film people will think about long after the credits roll. If you missed It Feeds at Panic Fest, be sure to seek it out in theaters and on VOD on April 18th.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10