Itch! review

By Amy Watkins

Viral outbreaks are nothing new in the horror world, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. But director Bari Kang offers something quite unique to the subgenre with Itch, an apocalyptic horror that pulses with the duality of human resilience and fragility.

Itch follows Jay (Kang), a widowed shop owner grappling with the intricacies of single fatherhood and alcohol addiction. But when a viral outbreak known as “the Itch” turns people into self-mutilating horrors, Jat finds himself barricaded in his store with his daughter Olivia (Olivia Kang) and a group of unreliable individuals – including an ex-employee turned robber, his injured employee, and a panicked customer. As tensions rise and the virus closes in, the group’s survival depends on trust, resolve, and the fragile alliances holding them together.

On the surface, Itch is your classic apocalyptic film – viral outbreak, a confined and clashing group of survivors, and, naturally, plenty of gore. However, beneath the blood and chaos, the film delves into deeper themes if racism, poverty, and grief, using the apocalyptic setting to explore the harsh realities of human nature. With this, Itch offers more than just a thrill ride; it becomes a thought-provoking commentary on survival and inequality.

By the time it reaches its explosive finale, Itch masterfully tugs at our heartstrings. An echo of the emotional devastation of The Mist, Kang delivers a gut-wrenching conclusion that leaves no heart untouched. With its heartbreaking resolution, Itch proves that sometimes the greatest horror lies not in the virus itself, but in the choices we’re forced to make in the face of unimaginable loss.

Rather than leaning entirely on horror, the film anchors itself in the raw, emotional connections that drive the story forward. While it doesn’t rewrite the rules of the zombie genre, it excels by making you deeply invested in its characters—especially Jay and Olivia—and their desperate fight for survival. That emotional weight is what lingers long after the credits roll.