Reviews

Witch & Popcorn

Review of It Lives Inside

Bright Blessings Film Lovers!

I have news! This review is of a film we watched in a movie theater. We made it FINALLY. We tried all last month to hit Barbie and Oppenheimer, but every time we went, the theaters were swamped. Now, with those huge blockbusters winding down, and school is in session, people are not flooding the theaters like they were.

Things have changed at the movies. For one thing, these days, you reserve your seats, which can be a problem if somebody is in your seat, or the people next to you are loud, or goddess forbid, if they smell bad. We walked in, and I asked the clerk what films had few people in the theaters. I don’t dig crowds like I did before COVID- I mean EWWW PEOPLE! I wanted to see a horror- you know me. She told me I Lives Inside had a grand total of six attendees. And that’s why we bought two tickets to see that…and we got to use my husband’s senior discount, of course.

Something else that has changed at movie theaters is the ingredients of movie popcorn have been demystified- and often it includes MSG and lots of artificial ingredients, so we skipped the popcorn. Instead, I bought a box of Raisinets, which I am sure have just as much artificial stuff in them- but hey, no MSG!

Movie theaters sell things grown people like now too. They have food for people who want to stuff their kid’s faces, and their own faces. Pizza and nachos with murderously good nacho sauce are available as well as all the popcorn in 40,000 different sizes you could ask for. They have soda, multiple different flavors of ICEES, and they have something else miraculous…

Alcohol!

They serve alcohol. They had beers, wines, frozen margaritas swirling in the fancy machines, and they had something I have never seen before- frozen rum and Coke! This lush of a witch was in hog heaven. All the grown ups were getting themselves adult beverages and all the goodies their kids wanted. Everybody was well-fed, well “watered”, and very happy. Having all this variety of things to eat and drink made for a festive environment that made going to the movies even more fun than ever before.

The next surprise was the seats in the theater. Each seat was extra large has its very own individual tray, and the seats are easy chairs that recline. The other six people in the theater were all sitting comfortably reclining with their goodies on their very own trays. Gone are the days of fighting over arm rests in movie theaters. My husband and I- being older people- chose seats in the very back row farthest from the door on the end. That meant nobody walked past us, and I stood behind my recliner when I suffered because I ate too many Raisinets. (I’d do it again.)

The theater was spotless, and the garish multicolored carpeting disappeared when the lights dimmed so the film could start. Isn’t horrible décor a big part of the movie theater experience? You should have seen the nightmarish canary yellow the bathroom walls, stalls, sinks, and even the ceilings and floors were done up in. It was a horror scene within itself. Being profoundly hearing impaired, the only thing I missed was subtitles I am used to on the streaming platforms I use at home. What happened next when the movie came on was pure magic, though- with this being a horror flick, the sound in the theater was LOUD and whenever there were especially loud special effects in the movie- the seats shook. Mwa ha ha haaaaa! It was extra scary!!!!!

I could get used to all this good stuff.

The film was one I had not heard of yet, and I was pleasantly surprised that the Hindu faith was represented. Released this year, it is in English, but plenty of Hindi is spoken- which meant I got some subtitles after all! The film got mixed reviews, with some people thinking the acting was not terrific and the character development was flat, but others loved it. I did like it; I’d give it about 7 out of 10 stars and it is worth seeing. Here is a trailer you can watch:

 

The film was all about Sam, the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her mom wants her to continue learning about her cultural identity, and all Sam wants to do is impress all the wrong American kids. She has forsaken her best friend, Tamira, who is also Indian, and she is going out of her way to build a wall between herself and her mother. She’s not a bad kid, but she’s certainly got a lousy attitude.

These kids who she is crazy about are the quintessential mean girls, and her boyfriend is the kind of boy fathers own shotguns because of. The shit hits the fan in the movie when Tamira- who everybody thinks is acting weird- shuddering in the hallways, walking about all unkempt, keeping to herself, and sporing dark circles under her eyes, all while carrying around a foul looking jar she seems fixated on- finally approaches Sam and asks for help. She tells Sam something is living inside the jar, and she tried to feed it, but that she can’t handle it by herself. Sam reacts by calling her a psycho and knocking the jar out of her hand, shattering it. Tamira, has a couple of screaming fits and then disappears.

This is just before a sacred gathering, called a puja, that Sam’s mother hosts, and of course, the expectation is that Sam behaves accordingly- but she sure doesn’t want to. Her mom finally confronts her telling her she knows Sam did something and demands to know what happened to Tamira. Sam starts to see things and a book Tamira dropped disturbs hr. Sam enlists the help of her boyfriend- the one I would not want my daughter to date- and he is interested in dragging her to some wild party in the wilderness, and then smooching. Lo, and behold, when he and Sam show up to investigate a house that is vacant due to a murder/suicide, the thing Tamira was trying to trap kills the boyfriend. Oh well…

But it terrifies Sam, who now believes Tamira was telling the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. She scours the notebook, and sets out to find Tamira, who was kidnapped by the beast and is being tortured. Sam’s teacher, Joyce helps her do some research, and flat out finds out it is a kind of evil spirit Hinduism warns about. Sam knows exactly who to enlist for help defeating the being- and while I won’t spoil the ending for you, let me just say, Sam learns a lot about embracing her culture and who is truly on her side.

What are the magical lessons learned from this film?

First off never ever ever forget who he fuck you are and don’t , under any circumstances, change to suit people who you think it would be nice to impress. The “in crowd” sometimes consists of complete losers whose superficial lives count for literally nothing because they are all too busy being selfish. The shitty kids could see that Sam was special, and instead of celebrating that, they fed off her energy, and sought to separate her from Tamira, her best friend, her family, and her culture.

Never lose sight of who truly loves you. The people in your life might not be who society thinks are the most glamorous, but they are your people. Be thankful for them, respect them, and don’t let anybody come between you.

When somebody who you have known and loved all your life comes to you for help, even if they tell you something that seems completely ridiculous, do all you can to help them.

Never reject the wisdom and ways of your ancestors. They have special practices that were developed that way for a reason and be thankful somebody takes the time to teach these practices to you. Someday, you will be the elder who passes all this ancient wisdom down. Keeping traditions alive unites us as people, young and old, and it keeps our relationships with the dead strong.

Perhaps the most powerful lesson this film shares is to never underestimate the power we wield when we unite with other people. As pagans and witches, we know this. There is power in the solitary witch of course, but the cone of power w raise is stronger when we share our magic. Sam, Tamira, Joyce, and Sam’s parents come together and do what seemed impossible, and what Tamira was struggling to do on her own.

So, if you want to see all the magic of this scary movie, head out and see it. I will say, I recommend the movie theater experience for this- because seeing all the horror on the big screen, and hearing the bangs, roars, and screams extra loud really enhanced the experience.

Blessed Be and Happy Viewing!

**

About the Author:

Saoirse is a practicing witch, and initiated Wiccan of an Eclectic Tradition.

A recovered Catholic, she was raised to believe in heaven and hell, that there is only one god, and only one way to believe. As she approached her late 20’s, little things started to show her this was all wrong. She was most inspired by the saying “God is too big to fit into one religion” and after a heated exchange with the then associate pastor of the last Xtian church she attended, she finally realized she was in no way Xtian, and decided to move on to see where she could find her spiritual home.

Her homecoming to her Path was after many years of being called to The Old Ways and the Goddess, and happened in Phoenix, Arizona. She really did rise from her own ashes!

Upon returning to Ohio, she thought Chaos Magic was the answer, and soon discovered it was actually Wicca. She was blessed with a marvelous mentor, Lord Shadow, and started a Magical Discussion Group at local Metaphysical Shop Fly By Night. The group was later dubbed A Gathering of Paths. For a few years, this group met, discussed, did rituals, fellowship, and volunteering together, and even marched as a Pagan group with members of other groups at the local gay Pride Parade for eight years.

All the while, she continued studying with her mentor, Lord Shadow, and she became a Third Degree High priestess in 2022. She belongs to the Black Dragon Clan.