Verdict
Summary
The Beast Within is an allegory for domestic violence, and as that it’s a complete failure. The movie has very little in the way of transformations, creature effects, and the sort of thing horror fans crave. It’s a slow build drama with some intense moments and suspense that drags into oblivion. There’s no payoff, and the best thing about the movie is the scenery.
Plot:
A family living in isolation in the woods are plagued by a monster … who is one of them.
Review:
A family lives in the woods. Is it ancient times? Is it modern times? It almost could be either / or if it weren’t for the fact that the family has a car parked outside of their cabin. They have a barn too. But this family is haunted by a terrible secret: The father Noah (played by Kit Harrington in a totally thankless role) is some kind of monster – probably a werewolf – and when the moon is full the old patriarch Waylon (James Cosmo) ushers Noah’s wife Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings) and her young daughter Willow (Caoilinn Spingall) into a sort of safe zone where Noah can’t reach them when he turns and becomes the monster they all know him to be. When a mistake allows the monster to get into the house during one of his rampages, the lives and dynamic of the family changes forever. But will Imogen and Willow make it to civilization alive?
Look, I’m all in for trying just about any werewolf movie. I literally just reviewed a stinker called Cocaine Werewolf. But full disclosure: The Beast Within is a complete copout of a movie, with a gotcha! moment at the end that completely undoes what came before. It’s an allegory for domestic violence, and as that it’s a complete failure. The movie has very little in the way of transformations, creature effects, and the sort of thing horror fans crave. It’s a slow build drama with some intense moments and suspense that drags into oblivion. There’s no payoff, and the best thing about the movie is the scenery. There are some truly stunningly gorgeous moments in the movie where we see the region where the film takes place, but the film itself is a slog and it’s unpleasant to boot. From director Alexander J. Farrell.
Well Go USA is releasing The Beast Within onto Blu-ray and DVD, and it comes out on October 22nd. It’s already available on digital. No special features are included other than some bonus trailers.
