ITSY BITSY (2019)

Studio:      Shout! Studios
Director:    Micah Gallo
Writer:      Micah Gallo, J. Bryan Dick, Jason Alvino
Producer:  Micah Gallo
Stars:     Elizabeth Roberts, Bruce Davison, Denise Crosby, Arman Darbo, Chloe Perrin, Treva Etienne, Matty Cardarople, Eileen Dietz

Review Score:

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Summary:

A struggling single mother takes a job with an antique collector whose connection to a spider god’s curse endangers her children.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Treasure hunter Ahkeeba slaughters a tribe of natives in order to steal the fabled ‘Black Egg of Maa-Kalaratri.’ Ahkeeba presents the relic to ailing artifact collector Walter Clark. Ahkeeba explains that he took revenge against the tribe for killing Walter’s wife Maggie, who raised Ahkeeba like a son. Walter counters that Maggie died from malaria and disappointedly dismisses Ahkeeba due to his murderous action.

Struggling single mother Kara Spencer moves her two children into a back house on Walter’s property to become Walter’s live-in nurse. Kara’s young son Jesse expresses his displeasure over leaving New York. Jesse’s little sister Cambria befriends a stray cat she names Mister Whiskers.

Ahkeeba sneaks into Walter’s office. Ahkeeba smashes the relic to spite the slaughtered tribe’s god. A giant spider emerges to attack Ahkeeba. Ahkeeba frightens Kara when he flees Walter’s house. Ahkeeba later succumbs to venom infection and dies after crashing his van.

Jesse sneaks into Walter’s house. Jesse takes a carved figurine from Walter’s collection before Walter asks the boy to leave.

Kara remains haunted by visions of her son Stevie, who died in a car accident where she was the driver. Kara steals Walter’s oxycontin and begins popping pills to cope with her anxiety.

The spider kills the stray cat in Kara’s attic. The spider also frightens Cambria when it briefly appears in her bedroom.

Kara has a nervous breakdown in a diner after suffering another hallucination of her dead son. Sheriff Jane Dunne introduces herself. Kara confides in Jane about the stress of moving and the failed marriage that resulted from Stevie’s tragic death. Jane recognizes Kara is on drugs.

Jesse returns the stolen figurine to Walter and apologizes. Jesse admits that he hoped to get his mother fired because he is angry about the family’s move. Walter invites Jesse to help him repair the relic that Ahkeeba smashed.

While working together, Walter tells Jesse the legend of Maa-Kalaratri. Walter explains that the ancient spider goddess became vengeful when people stopped worshipping her. Maa-Kalaratri destroyed a village and stole the chief’s child. To appease her, the tribe began sacrificing their babies as blood offerings.

Left alone in the back house, Cambria searches the attic for the stray cat. Cambria falls when the spider jumps on the attic hatch and knocks Cambria off the ladder.

Kara scolds Jesse for failing to watch his sister. This leads to an argument about responsibility in which Jesse blames his mother for being neglectful.

Walter angrily kicks Kara out of his house after learning she stole his medication. Over a monitor, Jesse hears his mother arguing with Walter about her burden raising two children alone.

The spider returns to Walter’s house where it attacks and kills the old man. Jesse storms out of the back house after learning his mother plans to move their family once again. Jesse goes to the main house and discovers Walter’s body.

Sheriff Jane questions Kara about Walter’s death. Kara mentions seeing Ahkeeba acting suspiciously when he was there previously. Jesse tells Jane that an evil spirit inside a spider killed Walter as a sacrifice. Jane doesn’t take Jesse’s claim seriously, but invites him to help her solve the case.

Jesse repeats the legend of Maa-Kalaratri to his mother while insisting a giant spider killed Walter. Kara admonishes Jesse for frightening Cambria with his story. Kara regretfully slaps Jesse when he mentions Stevie in retaliation.

Kara investigates the attic during the night. Kara finds Jesse quietly freeing Cambria from thick spider webs. After the kids get out of the attic, the giant spider bites Kara. Jesse calls Jane for help. The spider also attacks Cambria, but Jesse rescues his sister.

Kara uses an epinephrine shot to recover from the spider’s debilitating venom. The spider attacks Jesse. Kara gets to her feet in time to tear apart the spider and crush its body. Kara sees a vision of Stevie while collapsing from the encounter.

After recovering, Kara and the two children move out. Two movers later come across several smaller spiders that emerged from a nest in the attic.

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Review:

How many horror movies start with a struggling single mother relocating from the big city to a small town with a cranky kid who persistently pouts about moving? Micah Gallo’s arachno-thriller “Itsy Bitsy” adds its name to that lengthy list, but does so with a creative spin that actually spurs several prongs of the premise instead of arbitrarily recycling a clichéd setup.

Kara just took a job as a live-in nurse to ailing artifact collector Walter Clark. Harrumphing young son Jesse scowls about the arrangement every chance he gets. Little sister Cambria on the other hand, accepts the situation with her characteristically merry charm. This is a much-needed change for Kara. Since the collapse of her marriage following the tragic death of a third child, Kara has anxiously awaited an opportunity for a reset.

Walter could use a fresh face around his house too. His wife and former traveling companion Maggie recently died. Coupled with his debilitating illness, Walter’s treasure hunting days are now far behind him.

They’re not behind his old associate Ahkeeba however. Walter’s wife raised Ahkeeba like a son and, believing her death demands vengeance, he decides to take action against a tribe of idol-worshipping villagers. To show how defiant he is, Ahkeeba steals the cult’s sacred relic, The Black Egg of Maa-Kalaratri, and presents it to Walter as a tribute to Maggie.

Walter is well aware of Maa-Kalaratri’s legend. For centuries, villagers are said to have slaughtered their babies as blood offerings to the vengeful spider-god. Walter doesn’t put much stock in Maa-Kalaratri’s supposed curse until the broken relic releases a large sentient spider. Kara now faces additional challenges as a troubled mother when the creature’s appetite for sacrificial flesh threatens to consume her other two children.

What I appreciate most about “Itsy Bitsy” is that it doesn’t play any part of its plot for laughs. Oversized insect movies, particularly those of the spider variety like “Eight Legged Freaks” or “Big Ass Spider,” usually go for tones of cheeky cheesiness that pair well with “Sharknado” on a Syfy double feature. “Itsy Bitsy” doesn’t include any campy silliness, or any comedy at all really. It opts instead for straight suspense and surprising stakes that put multiple wee ones in real danger.

On the glass half empty side, “Itsy Bitsy’s” seriousness takes the film to places that are too dour for the frights to be “fun.” An inability to reconcile with her toddler son’s death topples heavy dominos for Kara. Guilt creates recurring visions of a car accident with her at the wheel, which inspires desires to steal pain-numbing pills from her employer, in turn putting Kara on an edge where she blows up at Walter and slaps her son in heated frustration. Jesse mostly mopes too, and Walter’s curmudgeonly crustiness overpowers the fleeting flash of grand-fatherliness shown when he pours exposition into Jesse’s ear. There’s a lot of weighty material here about grief, addiction, unresolved anger, and fractured family ties for a movie anchored around a killer spider.

Cambria at least balances her brother’s consistently crossed arms with childlike cheerfulness. Young actress Chloe Perrin brings a high cuteness factor to her character, always exhibiting optimism and a smile whether she’s befriending a stray cat or sweetly memorializing a sibling she never knew. Cambria is written like a typical movie kid at that age, but she provides a ray of light in an otherwise dark story.

“Itsy Bitsy’s” screenplay could have used one more draft, maybe three, before rolling camera. The narrative doesn’t tighten emotional underpinnings involving Kara’s redemption or relationships with her children like it should. Jesse takes on too many actions to save his sister that should be assigned to Kara since her arc means to be the main mover of the thematic needle. The climax also slows to a crawl when Kara becomes incapacitated and recovers with the speed of Rip Van Winkle waking from a century-long slumber.

The pieces for a formulaic yet perfectly fine little dramatic thriller are all there. “Itsy Bitsy” just plays them a touch casually without careful consideration for how each beat affects another. More time baking in the creative oven might have added fuller flavor. In its current form, “Itsy Bitsy” contentedly feels “good enough” to go to market with what it has.

Bruce Davison expectedly turns in another reliable supporting role. Denise Crosby is also okay, although her sheriff ends up having next to no impact on anything consequential. Characters are underwritten across the board, yet performances provide as much personality as possible, even though the cast is tasked with playing perpetually frowning people.

Basically, “Itsy Bitsy” isn’t going to win any awards or become anyone’s favorite film. It’s too grim to grab the gusto it needs to stand out without edging into over-the-top outrageousness. But it is professionally produced, features a few intriguing pops, and makes for a decent diversion during a weekend’s entertainment. I suppose “decent” isn’t a desirable adjective that will appear in a back-of-box pull quote. Nevertheless, it fittingly describes “Itsy Bitsy.”

NOTE: There is a post-credits scene.

Review Score: 55

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