La bestia oculta

The Beast Within (2024) is a low budget British horror film from Alexander J. Farrell. It is being distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment. The film has a small, but solid cast, led by Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington. The movie is set in a remote place, and the year is unclear because of the pristine natural of the film, and how it was shot. All of those elements are good compliments to this homage to classic horror films, with a twist. The essence of the appeal of horror films is that that are allegories that are founded in real life fears and horrors. This movie does a good job of being engaging, and thought provoking. There is more here than a simple werewolf's tale, and that is a positive. The strength of the film is the perspective from which it is told; that of Harrington's Character's daughter. Caolinn Springall does a good job carrying this burden. She is the heart of the film, and elevates it. Worth the watch.

The beast inside is a film a lot of people are certainly going to pass up and miss - I personally blame the marketing approach. This film, if going in with the correct mindset will genuinely, at the very least, give you something to think about. If you head into this film expecting a creature feature, or a straight up horror film, you may get disappointed. This is a somber, dark emotional subject matter tackled in a successful way. This film knew what message it wanted to convey and ran with it.

Although there's a good chunk of things that can be labeled as flaws, some pacing issues, some scenes dragging on too long, etc - this film wraps things up masterfully, especially the final stretch of the film. Some really good preformances and electrifying interactions as well - when you think about the nitpicks or issues with the film, it's shadowed by the real intentions of this beast.

This isn't a scary film, it's a film that's tackling metaphors, symbolism; this film gives a good addition to the werewolf subgenre by offering a little bit of a new twist with emotional intention. On a horror standpoint, if you're seeking blood, action, etc. Like that, however? You may be disappointed. Head into this with the right mindset, mentally prepare for a darker message than usual and you may just have a good time. Now awful, surely not the worst of the year.

Who would have thought 20 seconds at the very end of a film could so thoroughly ruin it? If you watch this movie and shut it off about 20 seconds before it actually ends, it's pretty good. Definitely deserving of much better than a 4 star rating... Throughout the film I kept thinking "How is this rated so low?". Then, I got to that final 20 seconds...if only I'd turned it off then. I'd have given it a solid 6.5.

It's not a high thrill action packed edge of your seat type monster movie, but it's a good story - and often I prefer that anyway. It was a decent horror movie, shown largely through the child's perspective - before that final 20 seconds. The symbolism is a bit heavy handed, but it did bother me - until that last 20 seconds.

Unfortunately, that final scene just slaps the audience over the head with the veiled meaning they'd been hunting at through the rest of the movie. That final 20 seconds really wasn't even necessary. The meaning is clear before they smack you upside the head with it. But I guess the writer REALLY wanted to make sure we got it, while also removing the best part of the movie along with it, so in with the final scene...

Even with that last bit, I still think the movie is at least 5 *s, so that's what I'm giving it. But do yourself a favour and turn it off half a minute sooner so you can enjoy it the way I wish I'd been able to.

Was this the greatest movie I've seen? No. With that said there was never a part I did not enjoy. Everyone thinks they are movie critics and expect every movie to be a classic. This movie was different from so many other movies. It had great acting, a decent story line and a twist at the end. They did all this with out having to spend massive amounts of money. This is a movie that will give you a thriller/mystery/fantasy all in one. The ending with leave you to interpret that in your own. If people relax and just watch movies with no expectation they will realize that they will start enjoying a lot more movies.

The Beast Within is one of those films that you finish and immediately wish you hadn't started. Despite having two lead actors who found success in Game of Thrones, this movie is a complete letdown. The plot drags on endlessly, the characters are paper-thin, and the dialogue is clumsy and uninspired. You keep waiting for something to happen, but it never does.

It feels like the filmmakers thought they had a clever concept, but it just doesn't work. The supposed horror elements are poor at best, and the story is almost none existent and incredibly frustrating. There's some tension, no real scares, and no reason to care about anything that's happening on screen short of being frustrated by the poor choices the main characters constantly make.

Honestly, it's hard to believe this movie got made, and I can't help but think it only did because of the actors' recent fame. Do yourself a favour and skip this one. It's not worth the time or effort.