Director: Philippe Mora
Starring: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, Don Gordon, R.G. Armstrong, Katherine Moffat, L.Q. Jones, Logan Ramsey, John Dennis Johnston
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Extras: Making Of, Director’s Commentary
THE BEAST WITHIN hints towards a werewolf film, with its imagery of a full moon and a credit mentioning “Transformation effects.” However, this is far from a werewolf tale although it does take onboard some of the key elements. In order to make this a much fresher piece there are ideas of possession too and an overall theme of circularity and metamorphosis.
Ronny Cox and Bibi Besch play a just married couple whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, as Eli (Cox) goes for help, Caroline (Besch) is attacked by an unseen creature who rapes her before disappearing into the night. 17 years later and the couple now have a 17 year old son who is a result of said rape and is beginning to show strange signs of illness. As the couple head back to the scene of the crime to investigate the events of that terrible night, their son Michael (Clemens) begins to have visions and show signs of transformation.
The film plays its mystery and bodyshock horror elements very well indeed, as the climax is reserved for some truly disgusting practical effects that can still invoke feelings of nausea while the rest of the film focuses on build-up and tension. Screenwriter Tom Holland also doesn’t skimp on character interactions and relationships, with Michael fighting two sides of himself, switching between a beloved son and teh shadow of his real father. It’s quite the layered performance from Clemens and adds towards the tragedy during the film’s finale. What the film doesn’t do is really explore the relationship between the parents and their son, which may be understandable to an extent, as 17 years are skipped over where I’m sure a lot of dramatic tension took place with accepting the circumstances of the birth and so forth. In some respects this is more interesting to deliberate on than what we’re shown, and having Michael and his parents separated for much of the film draws out a feeling of disconnection.
Beautifully restored by Arrow Video along with a very interesting making of documentary and director’s commentary, THE BEAST WITHIN is an often overlooked horror that at least a mention when discussing genre classics such as AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and THE HOWLING. The final transformation scene, teased in the opening credits, is well worth the wait, providing us with great payoff for time invested. Dark and gritty, we’re not seeing horror like this as of late, and even if we were, it wouldn’t seem this real.
[usr=3]THE BEAST WITHIN is released on Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD on 12th May via Arrow Video.
