The Beast Within (1982)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers:

Tom Holland (writer)
Edward Levy (novel)

Release Date:

12 February 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

He Was On The Verge Of Becoming A Man... Eater!

Plot:

In the beginning of the movie you see a woman getting raped by a man-creature of some sort. The movie...

Plot Keywords:

Rape | Murder | Small Town | Mutant | Transformation

Cast

Ronny Cox	...	Eli MacCleary
Bibi Besch	...	Caroline MacCleary
Paul Clemens	...	Michael MacCleary
Don Gordon	...	Judge Curwin
R.G. Armstrong	...	Doc Schoonmaker
Katherine Moffat	...	Amanda Platt
L.Q. Jones	...	Sheriff Pool
Logan Ramsey	...	Edwin Curwin
John Dennis Johnston	...	Horace Platt
Ron Soble	...	Tom Laws
Luke Askew	...	Dexter Ward
Meshach Taylor	...	Deputy Herbert
Boyce Holleman	...	Doc Odom
Natalie Nolan Howard	...	Court Clerk
Malcolm McMillan	...	Gas Station Attendant

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:R | Denmark:15 (video rating) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Bolton, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Katzka

Trivia:

This was the feature film debut for horror genre regular Tom Holland - who wrote the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene in the kitchen when Michael is telling Amanda to leave, a shotgun keeps appearing and disappearing behind them leaning in front of the window.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Howling III (1987)

Overlooked 80s cult horror.

Philippe Mora does has made lots of very strange movies in his underrated career, some good, some truly awful. This is one of the better ones. If you analyze the plot too much the holes become big enough to drive a truck through, but just ignore the urge to do that, and you'll find you're watching an near-classic of transformation horror.

A newly-wed (Bibi Besch) is raped by a mysterious beast on her wedding night. Seventeen years later her son (Paul Clemens) is dying of an unknown illness. She and her husband (Ronny Cox) return to the scene of their past trauma to try and get some answers. They find some strange townsfolk who appear to be hiding some mysterious secret. Exactly what it is I won't say. It would not only spoil the movie, but I must admit I'm a trifle confused myself at the "explanation" for the weird events depicted on screen! Like I said, think about it too much and you'll ruin it. Just go with the flow...

'The Beat Within' contains plenty of creepiness and some gruesome murders. An added attraction for film buffs is the interesting supporting cast, which includes Peckinpah veterans R.G. Armstrong ('Predator'), L.Q. Jones ('Casino') and Luke Askew ('Easy Rider'), and character actors Don Gordon ('Out Of The Blue') and Mora semi-regular John Dennis Johnston. ('Flesh & Blood')

'The Beast Within' rarely gets mentioned in discussions of 1980s horror movies, but it should. It may not be up there with the best of Cronenberg, Carpenter, Romero, or Raimi, but it's well made, original, strongly acted, and damn good fun!