It Lives Inside Director Bishal Dutta On Merging Teen Drama With Culturally-Inspired Horror

High school is tough enough for anybody, but when you throw in a complex story of immigration and cultural assimilation and mix in a murderous demonic entity derived from Indian folklore, that’s when things really get wild. The new film, It Lives Inside, tackles this exact scenario. The feature directorial debut of Bishal Dutta, It Lives Inside follows an Indian-American high school girl, Sam (Megan Suri), who has effectively abandoned her Indian heritage in favor of fitting in with the high school crowd. In the process, she leaves behind her former best friend, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan). When Tamira is kidnapped by a Pishacha, a demon from Hindu legend, Sam is the only person who can rise up to the challenge and save her friend before it’s too late.