Bite is the story of Casey (played by Elma Begovic). Casey has some trepidation about her upcoming nuptials, as well as an over-bearing soon to be mother-in-law. Casey has recently traveled to Costa Rica for her bachelorette party where she was (seemingly unimportantly) bitten by a bug. The supposedly innocuous bite begins to transform Casey’s body into an insectoid form. As previously stated, the action of the film is one of fright, shock, and at times amusement. Viewers get the sense that Black Fawn Films understand how to not take themselves too seriously and play by the rules of the modern horror genre. This approach was what initially led to Alex’s involvement in the film. MacPherson recalls, “I was really lucky to see The Drownsman, Black Fawn’s film before Bite, at a film festival in Toronto. I was very impressed with the film. They understood how to make things play on many different levels, which I appreciated as a fan as well as an actor. I met the cast and crew at an after party following the film. I announced to a group of my friends, at the after party, that I would be in their next film. When I went home I followed them on Facebook, and within a month they posted a casting for their next film, Bite. The rest is history!”
Although he auditioned for only one role, in addition to being cast as the police officer (with a major role near the film’s climax) Alex ended up doing several voices throughout the film. Christopher Giroux, one of Bite’s producers, brought MacPherson in as a result of being impressed with his previous work. Giroux recalls, “I informed the Director, Chad Archibald and Casting Director, Ashley Hallihan, that Alex was coming in to audition. After Alex's audition, the Director turned to me and said "Well you didn't tell he was that good! Alex has the look that we wanted but more importantly, the acting chops and understanding of what we were going for so he could ‘get it’ right away. Alex's dedication to his craft continues to mesmerize myself and the other producers at Black Fawn Films.” Bite has been extremely well received by both the public and critics; an achievement indicative of the performance of Alex and the entire cast as well as the whole production team. Bite’s awards include multiple wins at; Monster Fest 2015, the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival 2015, and the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival. MacPherson is happy about his part in the film as well as its popularity stating, “I’m really excited to be part of a project that has done so well! I think Bite’s success lies in the perfect execution of a great vision from the film’s creators, paired with really strong casting. The story itself really steals people away. I think the fact that Casey is a good woman who makes her transformation into an insect-like bug is a special one. You think she’d become a villain, but it doesn’t feel that way. I mean, she’s killing people! Close friends of hers! But when you watch it you feel like you’re watching a caged mother gorilla protecting her young. It’s a unique take on the girl-turns-into-monster story. There is definitely a comedic element to Bite. It knows what it is. There are a few lines that bring light to the fact that it is a genre classic. I think that adds to its appeal. While some people might complain that some horror films have similar devices, they would instead admire Bite for the few self-aware lines that is contains.”
As a fan of the horror genre, MacPherson points out that there are a lot of fringe benefits to the experience of working on a Black Fawn Films production like Bite. In addition to noting the highly professional nature of the production, he confirms that…if you like being scared; this was the type of set to enjoy yourself. Alex states, “I’ll never forget seeing Elma [Begovic, “Casey” in Bite] in her monster make up for the first time. I was sitting in holding with the other actors, just a normal living room setting, and in walks Elma looking like a real-life monster. It’s one thing to see her on screen and look impressive, but in person she literally took my breath away for a minute. It was pretty freaky. In the film, my character leads a team of other officers and hazmat crew into Casey’s apartment, which has now been turned into an insect-like den. The set was amazing! There was slime, webbing, and eggs everywhere. The production team didn’t let me see the set for the first time until my actual scene, so my onscreen reaction is mixed with my honest REAL reaction.”
Alex MacPherson has recently completed a film in which he wrote and starred in titled Palmer’s Pumpkins and is set to begin work on the trilogy When Earth Sleeps.