Fan Expo 2015 – Elma Begovic on why Bite will make you sick
The theme of personal transformation is ever present in the wide world of horror film, often calling upon the pop culture lore of vampires, werewolves and zombies to communicate easily digestible fiction. But one of the least attempted transformative roles is that of the human-to-insect, most famously explored in David Cronenberg’s The Fly back in 1986. 29 years later, Bite looks to explore the same sub-genre, which brings with it both huge opportunity and huge challenges.
“The idea behind Bite is that it’s kind of like the modern-day Fly”, says newcomer and lead actress Elma Begovic. Elma plays Casey, a young bride-to-be who gets bitten by an unusual insect while on a bachelorette getaway with her closest friends in a tropical paradise. Upon returning home, Casey slowly begins to undergo the transformation from woman to insect, committing an increasing series of atrocities as her humanity dissipates.
Elma Begovic as Casey in Bite
Elma herself is relatively new to working on genre pieces, though including Bite she currently has two under her belt. Besides being the protagonist, Bite features a robust female cast, which she admits is part of what drew her to the role. “It was the opportunity to be the lead in a strong, female-driven movie.” she said, reiterating later that one of the film’s strength is its “kick-ass female cast.”
Beyond that, she welcomed the challenge of the physical and mental transformation itself. “The whole movie is kind of this struggle between Casey trying to maintain, you know, the human aspect and components of herself while giving into this bug-like thing. So I loved the idea that there was this struggle to play with, and as an actor it gave you range to kind of jump into.” That said, she also credits a great deal of her transformation to the make-up and effects team, who kept her in the make-up chair for around six hours per day to create Casey’s full insectoid form. “Visually, they were the ones that were in charge of really navigating [Casey’s transformation].”
Bite had its successful world premiere only a few short weeks ago, with numerous international festival screenings lined up in the coming months. And judging by some of the reactions from the sold-out crowds, fans of horror are sure to get their fill of gross-out moments. “It premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival and it did send people vomiting and puking into ambulances – that wasn’t our intention!” laughed Begovic. Director Chad Archibald reiterated this during Bite’s panel presentation at Fan Expo Canada, stating that the crew and cast witnessed audience members stumbling away from their seats during the film’s more appalling moments, which in turn got them a ton of exposure from movie sites and horror blogs alike.
Of course, given the premise of Bite, Begovic promises that the film keeps a light tone. “It’s a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so there are opportunities to have a little chuckle here and there, amongst all the goo and grossness.” Begovic herself had her own gross-out moment on set however – after choosing to eat a real cockroach. “There’s a scene where Casey eats a cockroach, and I just decided to do it for real. Being a vegetarian, it was a little bit conflicting on my morals but I did it anyway!” Begovic said it wasn’t just about authenticity, but also getting some cred with the crew she was working with. “I was cool for five minutes on set, and it was worth it!”
Bite will continue its festival run for the remainder of 2015, but Archibald and Black Fawn Distribution mentioned that a DVD release is currently being investigated, and it will likely be available sometime in the Spring of 2016. Be sure to check out the film’s FB page for more information regarding upcoming screenings.
