THE BEAST WITHIN

The Beast Within has an interesting narrative approach to the creature feature that tackles more difficult themes than regularly seen in this horror subgenre, but sadly the structuring of the story buries the weight of the film’s reveals and results in a rather disappointing horror film.

Well Go USA Entertainment has released some great, smaller budget horror films over the last year with titles like Sting, Unwelcome, and The Tank, all of which have placed an emphasis on practical special effects to bring to life the film’s creatures. Their latest film, The Beast Within, turns the focus to the werewolf, a staple of the horror genre, and with Kit Harrington in the lead role, it’s sure to catch viewer’s attention. And while there is promise with the direction that writers Greer Taylor Ellison and Alexander J. Farrell take the story, trying to elevate the story above the basic werewolf tropes audiences are accustomed to seeing in the horror genre, the three act structure that is laid out unfortunately prevents the themes from being fully explored, mishandles the shocking reveals and ultimately diminishes what is meant to be a terrifying final act.

It's not uncommon for the horror genre to play with themes of secrets, abuse and love, as these notions can help to create some truly unnerving ideas, but all three are not normally the basis for a creature feature. And what Ellison and Farrell do with these themes is even more interesting, trying to portray these ideas in a more creative and metaphorical manner within the confines of the creature feature subgenre. Through the werewolf monster, the themes are personified to give life to the character’s trauma and complex relationships, elevating the story beyond a basic creature feature bloodbath and instead laying the groundwork for a more emotional triggering exploration of the story’s themes. Told from the perspective of the lead character Willow, a young girl witnessing the horrors of the world firsthand without any context, discovering the danger within her own world and the false safety of her family structure, there is not doubt that the groundwork is laid for a compelling horror film.

However, while the ideas are present, the execution of it fumbles. There is not enough of an emotional hook to invest audiences in the story of this young girl and her father by keeping her father out of sight for the entire first and revealing too soon that he is a werewolf. It delays the father daughter relationship that sets up the emotional trauma of the story until the second act, leaving the first having a lot of exposition without the important context of the story. Had the two objectives of these acts intertwined throughout the film’s first hour, it would have set a stronger groundwork for the final act, where the horror set piece takes over. The set piece itself is well executed, allowing the actors to shriek and hide in absolute terror with the beast after them, but it suffers due to a lack of seeing the beast. While some horror films can allow a monster to be hidden for the majority of the film, such as Jaws where the monster is not revealed until late in the film, there has to be that centrepiece for the monster as the film hits its climax… and that’s just missing here. It’s not until the film’s final minutes where we see the monster, long after the set piece has begun, pressuring the audience to rely on sound design and the characters hiding from an offscreen entity to feel the terror. Farrell’s direction of the set piece is good, but when a werewolf film does not give the werewolf a impressive set piece to be on full display during, not even the solid special effects to bring to life the werewolf are solid are enough to wet the audience’s appetite for the requisite creature feature madness.

Even with the structuring missteps of the film’s narrative, the performances help bolster the film. Kit Harrington is great in the central role of Noah, the father who turns into a werewolf, bringing an intensity and brutality to the film that brings to life its themes of violence, horror and abuse. Caoillinn Springall is impressive as Noah’s daughter Willow, capturing the childlike innocence and confusion as her character experiences these events and is forced to face the dark secrets her mother has tried to protect her from her entire life, becoming the ideal conduit for viewers to experience this story through. And rounding out the cast is Ashleigh Cummings and James Cosmo, both who are excellent in bringing to life their character’s emotional arc and deliver some truly great terrified moments in the film’s final act.

Horror has been having an incredibly strong year so far, and fans of the genre have been truly spoiled so far. Even with an intriguing premise and thematic exploration that promises great returns, The Beast Within struggles to become the horrifying and thematically rich horror experience it strives to be due to the manner in which the story unravels. Though the cast led by Kit Harrington and Caoillinn Springall all turn in commendable performances, it’s not enough to turn the tide for The Beast Within which does not prominently feature the creature madness viewers will want from it and buries the emotional impact of its themes due to the manner in which the story unfolds.