It Lives Inside 2018

In this gripping horror tale, the story begins in a dimly lit house where chaos erupts—sounds of a struggle echo as a young man collapses dead on the floor, a mysterious jar filled with black dust slipping from his hands. Near this unsettling scene lives Samidha, a teenage girl played by Megan Suri, who prefers to go by “Sam.” She resides with her parents, Poorna and Inesh, but feels disconnected from her Indian roots, much to her mother’s frustration as she reminds her to help prepare food for an upcoming puja celebration.

At school, Sam enjoys her time with her friends, develops a close bond with her teacher, Joyce, played by Betty Gabriel, and harbors a romantic interest in her classmate, Russ. Tensions rise when a girl named Tamira, portrayed by Mohana Krishnan, arrives late looking exhausted and carries a strange, black jar. The two girls used to be best friends but have drifted apart, and now Tamira is secretly feeding a dead animal carcass into the jar to sustain whatever dark entity resides inside.

Tamira eventually pulls Sam into her secret, revealing that the jar is connected to stories they’ve heard as children—tales of a supernatural creature called a Pishach. When Tamira tries to share the jar’s ominous secret, she accidentally breaks it, unleashing a malevolent force. The incident causes Tamira to scream and flee in terror, dropping a mysterious book with the initials “KC.” Sam follows her, returning the book, but Tamira is frightened and starts screaming when she thinks she sees something behind Sam. Suddenly, Tamira is violently seized by unseen forces, and her hair is pulled as she is snatched away before anyone can intervene.

Concerned friends and family launch a search for Tamira, who is revealed to be held captive in an unknown location, suffering as the dark force attacks her and feeds on her arm. Meanwhile, back at a community puja, spiritual prayers are offered for her safety. An older woman mentions the Choudhary family, who seem to be suffering from mysterious misfortunes, including the death of the promising young Karan, who once seemed destined for greatness. Samidha overhears this and feels uneasy, sensing that something sinister is at play.

Determined to uncover the truth, Sam investigates Tamira’s possession of Karan’s book, which contains disturbing ghostly images and cryptic writings, some smudged by water, hinting at dark rituals. One night at a beach party, she confides in her friend Russ about her fears, showing him Karan’s book as proof. Curious, Russ takes her to the Choudhary house, where similar drawings and symbols are found on the walls—depictions of an entity either emerging from or entering a young man. Startled by police sirens, the two escape, but Sam’s nightmares worsen, haunted by visions of the creature.

The next day, tension mounts as Sam’s mother scolds her for abandoning the puja. During a heartfelt conversation at a swing set, Sam claims her friendship with Tamira had fallen apart due to their shared Indian heritage and the incident with Karan. The moment turns romantic when Russ asks to kiss her, but just as she agrees, she hears her name called by a nearby voice. Suddenly, the malevolent entity attacks Russ with chains, biting and thrashing him until he dies, leaving Sam devastated once again. The police arrive, and she is left to grapple with her grief and fear, sensing the dark presence lingering around her.

Her teacher Joyce, noticing her disheveled state, offers to help. After examining the strange drawings and Tamira’s story, Joyce reveals that the creature is a Pishach—a demon that feeds off negative energy by isolating its victims. The black jar was its containment. As the entity begins haunting Joyce at school, and her family suffers injuries, Sam realizes they must confront the demon directly. Together with her mother, Poorna, they attempt a ritual to summon and banish the Pishach by offering food and traditional items. However, their plans go awry: the demon rejects their offerings and strikes Inesh and Poorna, leaving them injured.

Driven by desperation, Sam knows where Tamira is being held and races to rescue her from the creature’s grip at the Choudhary house. She finds Tamira alive but trapped in a nightmare realm, with the Pishach relentlessly attacking them. In a daring act of courage, Sam chooses to become the vessel for the demon, allowing The Mother—a symbolic figure in her life—to inhabit her body and keep the evil at bay.

The story concludes a year later, with Sam enjoying dinner alongside her parents, Tamira, and Joyce—all alive and seemingly safe. Despite her victory, there is a somber note: she now bears the burden of the Pishach living within her, holding a fragile peace. Her face reveals the pain and weight of this sacrifice, knowing that the darkness is still a part of her.

This haunting journey explores themes of friendship, cultural identity, and the struggle between good and evil, all woven into a story of supernatural terror and resilience.