It would be pretty understandable to initially assume “It Feeds,” a new horror movie added to Hulu this week, was a sequel to “It Follows,” the modern classic chiller released in 2014. The two movies even share a common narrative trait: Both focus on a sinister entity working its way back down a list of victims once the current “host” has been dealt with.
Unfortunately, “It Feeds” is not a follow-up to one of my favorite horror movies of the 2010s (though, as an aside, “It Follows 2” is in development). Instead, “It Feeds” is a different beast. And while it lacks the substance and texture of the so-called “elevated horror” subgenre, it still offers plenty of scares for horror-obsessives and a twisted sense of tension.
It’s been a slower week for new movies on the best streaming services this week — though the surprise release of “Superman” on PVOD has certainly boosted the field — but “It Feeds” is a low-budget, but effective, horror that is worth your time if you’re craving a spooky summer watch.
What is ‘It Feeds’ about?
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Cynthia (Ashley Greene) is a clairvoyant psychic and mother to a young daughter, Jordan (Ellie O’Brien). Cynthia’s abilities allow her to enter the mindspace of her patients, exploring their past memories, healing their traumas, and even learning their darkest secrets and intentions.
When a young girl named Riley (Shayelin Martin) bursts into her home begging for help, Cynthia is shocked to learn that a sinister entity has latched itself onto the girl. Cynthia wants no part in the matter, believing the entity is too strong to be stopped, and Riley’s father (Shawn Ashmore) is also convinced that a psychic cannot save his daughter’s soul.
However, Jordan opts to investigate further, but in doing so, puts herself in the path of the entity, which is slowly feeding on Riley, forcing Cynthia to step in to save two innocent lives.
‘It Feeds’ is a solid chiller, but nothing more
“It Feeds” may not reach the standard of the most acclaimed recent efforts in the horror genre — it’s not going to give “Weapons” or “Sinners” any competition to be named best horror of 2025 — but it’s got a similar vibe to popular 2010s horror like “Insidious” and “The Conjuring.”
It’s a movie where you’re never far from a jumpscare, and the core cast spent the 100-minute runtime being constantly shaken up by the sudden appearance of a twisted apparition, usually with gnarled fingers that claw at them. If you were being cynical, you could call it “run of the mill,” but as a horror fan, I enjoyed the comforting simplicity of it.
Much like in “It Follows,” the evil entity at the movie’s core has the additional wrinkle of being passed between victims, adding a sense of paranoia, and results in one character going to extreme (and stomach-turning) lengths to pass the “curse” to somebody else. This is boilerplate stuff that we saw more than a decade ago, but it’s still effective here.
Which is sort of “It Feeds” to a tee. It doesn’t break out from the genre conventions that have been well established in other (often better) movies, but it fits all the familiar pieces together into a very watchable final product. It’s helped by a fitting leading performance from star Ashley Greene, who looks thoroughly frightened at all the right moments, and I’m always down to see Shawn Ashmore pop up. The much younger members of the cast also do a great job.
“It Feeds” isn’t the type of horror movie that will stay with you for days and weeks after watching, which is somewhat ironic considering its central entity latches itself to victims, but that’s far from a dealbreaker. If you’re looking for a quick spooky fix this summer, “It Feeds” certainly serves its purpose. And like all horror movies should, it keeps the sense of dread up throughout, coming to a close that teases that the evil hasn’t quite been fully defeated.
But if you’re truly not convinced by “It Feels,” or you’d just rather save your hunger for horror for the final installment in “The Conjuring” franchise (which hits theatres next month), here’s a roundup of all the top new movies that have arrived on streaming this week.
Watch “It Feeds” on Hulu now
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