Pride Month Movie Review of “Bit” (2020)
Horror Movie Review: Bit (2019)
Reviewed by Special Guest: Pearl Satanachia
Bit is a horror movie about a group of queer feminist vampires. It’s gaining cult status at a remarkable rate for good reasons. In other words, it’s the perfect movie to watch during Pride Month.
Bit is an LGBTQ+ horror movie that also bills itself as a comedy. Initially released in 2019, the movie contains main characters and themes that relate to the LGBTQ+ community. Even better, it’s currently free to watch on Tubi, making it more inclusive and accessible than the average horror movie.
If you’re looking for a movie with an inclusive and diverse cast of characters, Bit is worth watching. The protagonist is a transgender teenager named Laurel who’s played by Nicole Maines (Maines is also a trans rights activist in real life). In the movie, while spending the summer with her brother, she unwittingly falls for a group of four feminist vampires and eventually joins them. Together, they primarily target privileged, problematic, and predatory men as their prey. The group is (initially) led by Duke, a lesbian whom Diana Hopper plays with total bad bitch energy. There’s also Izzy, a Black vampire/music video director who’s played by Zolee Griggs. She has palpable chemistry with Laurel. Then there’s Frog, a Hispanic vampire who’s easily the most high femme of the bunch.
However, my favorite character is Roya, who Friday Chamberlain plays perfectly. Based on her outfit in the beginning of the movie, I think she might be a skinhead. I mean an actual SHARP skinhead who listens to reggae and punk rock, not some fashy Nazi poseur (SHARP means Skinheads Against Racist People). When I see her bald head with that white tank top and those suspenders, I can’t shake the feeling that Roya is a queer or non-binary skinhead. The world needs more queer SHARP vampire representation, and Roya helps fill that void.
Duke estimates that the ratio of privileged, problematic people they kill to innocent victims is 80/20. While not exactly an ethical killing practice, it makes for an interesting vampire movie. On top of all that, this vampire group has a strict “no boys allowed” rule. This rule alone becomes essential to the plot and makes for a cool ending.
Not only is this movie LGBTQ+ inclusive, but it also deviates from the narratives set by previous vampire movies and literature. Bit has its own distinct vampire mythos that exists within its world. In this movie, vampires are immortal until you set them on fire and remove/burn their hearts out of their bodies. It’s a creative variation of driving a stake into a vampire’s heart to kill them. Also, people taste better when you’re attracted to them, another unique twist on vampire horror. I appreciate this for two major reasons: 1. It’s creative and 2. it makes for some very badass killing scenes.
I enjoy watching horror movies and interpreting them through a feminist lens. Unlike Rosemary’s Baby, Bit is more outright and forthcoming about its feminist and LGBTQ+ themes rather than more subtle and veiled. As someone who loves feminist horror, I hope to see more unique, LGBTQ+-friendly horror movies like Bit come out in the future. I think it’s important to embrace inclusivity and diversity in life, and the realm of horror is no exception.
I 10/10 recommend this film to anyone who’s looking for a good horror movie to watch for Pride Month. Watch Bit for free on Tubi now to celebrate diversity and inclusivity in horror.
Pearl Satanachia (she/they) is a queer witch who loves horror, occultism, and gothic culture. She shares her experiences and opinions related to Demonolatry, Theistic Satanism, Chaos Magick, and horror on Tumblr. For more updates, follow her on Instagram.
As part of our Pride Month celebrations, we asked those submitting guest posts to provide a link to a charity of their choice. Pearl chose The Human Rights Campaign and we would ask, if you are able, if you could please consider a donation to support their work.
