South by Soutwest 2023 Film Festival – We all have an inner-critic. In the case of writer/director Anna Zlokovic‘s feature Appendage, that critic comes in the form of a foul-mouthed fiend that grows inside of a fashion designer. Creatives will understand well the artistic struggles depicted in this film, while also having a few laughs. Zlokovic’s vision is a nice blend of body horror and comedy that hits plenty of sweet spots.

Appendage, based off of the short that made the festival rounds last year before being featured in Hulu’s “Bite Size Halloween,” stars Hadley Robinson as Hannah, a fashion designer under immense pressure to produce something that will please a hotshot fashion guru (Desmin Borges). The only problem is that Hannah has an appendage growing. It eventually transforms into a nasty little creature that hurls one insult after another, meant to cut down its host and eventually overtake the body.

Though Zlokovic recast just about everyone from the short, the changes work. While I love Rachel Sennott, Robinson gives a strong performance, playing a character plagued by self-doubt and anxiety, to the point her fingernails are swollen and red from constantly biting them. Meanwhile, Borges hams it up playing such an absurd character, and the creature is great. Its insults are harsh and over-the-top. Further, Zlokovic really fleshed out the world here, providing an entire reason for the creature’s existence. The explanation makes sense and gives a little more weight to this creature feature. Hannah even meets people with their own little monsters that they struggle to restrain. It’s within this group that she meets Claudia (Emily Hampshire). Initially ecstatic to make a friend who knows what she’s going through, Hannah is led down a dark, dark path by Claudia. Seeing Hampshire transition from the comedic gold of “Schitt’s Creak” to a horror movie is interesting unto itself. Hampshire plays quite an alluring villain, willing to feed Hannah’s addictions.

Zlokovic explores some heavy themes besides artistic struggle. The creature becomes a metaphor for addiction, to the point Hannah has to constantly jab it with needles. However, the monster becomes all-consuming, trapping Hannah in the basement, looking pale and sweaty, as if she OD’d. The duality between monster and host certainly represents the artist and the inner critic, but also the sober version of Hannah and the addict. The second half of the film becomes a war between the two. This handling of the topic of addiction is quite the evolution from the short.

Appendage is a unique vision, a horror comedy with a memorably mouthy monster and a nuanced treatment of addiction. Despite all the laughs, Zlokovic’s feature is more than a bit of body horror. This film is a bold expansion of the short with something to say. If you think your inner critic is bad, just wait until you meet this little fiend.

After premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival, the film will stream on Hulu later this year.

7 Out of 10