‘It Feeds’ Knows What We Crave from Horror
The beast at the core of “It Feeds” will look familiar to horror fans.
Inky. Skeletal. Long, talon-like fingers. It comes on the screen with a jolt and leaves even faster.
We’ve seen this dozens of times before.
The difference lurking within “It Feeds” makes this genre outing worth a look. It starts with a screwball secondary character, the likes of which we haven’t seen before. Add a mid-film twist, and “It Feeds” is more nourishing than expected.
Horror veteran Ashley Greene stars as Cynthia Winstone, a widowed mom with the power to peer into people’s minds. Call her a therapist with a trick up her dainty sleeve.
That skill lets Cynthia process harrowing sights, like malevolent spirits that sometimes cling to her patients.
Her daughter Jordan (Ellie O’Brien) acts as Mom’s assistant, guiding wayward clients through the unusual therapy. A troubled teen named Riley (Shayelin Martin) comes to their home one day, complaining of a cruel beast that’s feeding on her.
Literally.
The teen’s father Randall (Shawn Ashmore) will have none of that crazy talk, and he whisks her away from the Winstone’s home.
Riley’s appearance inspires Jordan to do a little digging. Now, the Winstone family is in for the fight of its life.
First Trailer and Poster for IT FEEDS, Starring Ashley Greenehttps://t.co/1BaAHVmvMh#ItFeeds #trailers #horror #film #movies #AshleyGreene #ShawnAshmore pic.twitter.com/fToXrCdW1M
— The Movie Waffler
(@themoviewaffler) March 7, 2025
Greene knows how to handle the themes found in “It Feeds.” She’s alternately grim and maternal, convincing on both counts. She’s also relentless when trying to rope local law enforcement to her side.
This is a genre affair, so the jump scares start early and grow increasingly raw. This movie won’t let you stay still in your seat. Not gonna happen.
Writer/director Chad Archibald makes the most of the creature F/X, and he’s equally assured with his cast. Kudos to Juno Rinaldi who adds some comic relief as Agatha, a neighbor who decides to finally take charge of her life – at the worst possible time.
She’s silly but the kind of character rarely seen in this genre. That’s refreshing.
So is young O’Brien, tasked with anchoring key scenes and never seemingly overwhelmed by the task. She’s neither a morose teen nor a girlboss, just a young woman thrown to the B-movie wolves.
Production values are solid all around, and Archibald makes his movie feel like a studio effort – without the gaudy price tag.
“It Feeds” feels like a horror movie of its moment, but we’ll look back on it knowing it flashed some of this era’s better qualities.
HiT or Miss: “It Feeds” doesn’t reinvent the horror wheel. It just knows what scares us and gets straight to the point.
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