It’s Whats Inside: The Hottest New Sci-Fi Movie of the Year

Robin Fuller ’27

In the recent lineup of mediocre movies on Netflix, It’s What’s Inside is a unique and fresh take on the sci-fi genre that is bound to twist the minds of those who watch it. While officially released in January earlier this year, It’s What's Inside came to Netflix on October 4th. The film follows a group of old frenemies from college in their mid-to-late 20s, reuniting the day before one of them gets married. Later into the night, an estranged friend shows up unexpectedly and introduces the group to a mysterious and bizarre party game in which they can swap between each other's bodies and have to guess who is in whose body. What starts as an innocent exploration into what life is like in someone else's shoes quickly spirals into an existential nightmare as secrets are revealed, and no one is who they seem.

In its simplest radical form, Its What's Inside is a crazier version of Freaky Friday. It’s also similar to a few other films that have come out recently, like Bodies Bodies Bodies, a stylized thriller with a comedic spin on the otherwise gory film. Both movies manage to keep the tension high even as ridiculous things happen, putting a dark twist on the classic friends-play-a-party-game narrative. 

Two of the most outstanding performances come from Alycia Debman-Carey, who plays an influencer named Nikki, and David W. Thompson as the primary antagonist, Forbes. Debman-Carey, best known for her role as Lexi in the dystopian series The 100, delivers an incredibly emotional and sincere performance, not only as herself but as the other characters who inevitably occupy her body. Thompson, known to most as the first to die in the Fear Street trilogy,  effectively plays Forbes' as a creepy and disturbing sociopath— you can never quite grasp who he really is, nor what his intentions are. 

I will say one of the biggest things the movie suffered from was having too many characters. If you have a hard time remembering names and faces, this movie will get very puzzling very quickly. In total, there were 8 main characters. Most of the time it was difficult to keep track of who was who, especially because they switched between each other's bodies several times. When watching the movie you will probably find yourself making a map of all characters, their names, and what bodies they are in. 

And for a plot with the potential to be an absolute gorefest, Its What's Inside lacks a lot of the traditional horror elements. Despite what the trailer might imply, there is not a lot of blood, kills or physical violence. Instead, the film relies on a more twisted psychological method for its scares. The power dynamics shift, and no one is allowed to make decisions for their own bodies. 

The film’s ending is more of a trick than a treat. Out of all the ways the plot could have come to a close,  this film  takes an unexpected and unsatisfying turn, leaving the viewers with almost no answers. While it’s possible that this cliffhanger-ending could spawn a sequel, the questions posed at the end of the film would feel more interesting if they were left to the viewers’ interpretation.