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.

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.

But ultimately, it just doesn't say anything new or do much of anything. Even as a metaphor for clearly the metaphor it is...for...,it's still just a big so what. It took an hour and a half to say that? The title and the epigram at the start of the movie were enough to deduce exactly what the "beastly" theme would be. Then it's 80 minutes of a child and/or piglet screeching, a sour-faced mother, a cliched grandfather and Jon Snow mugging about.

I am not even sure the Chekhovian apparatus was used effectively either. It was obvious from the beginning that girl child's affliction would come to play into the resolution but that could have blown up in their faces.

The movie made an attempt. But it is just slow, long and boring with little depth or bite.

Unwatchably dull though beautifully shot ... The child is good ... James Cosmo is always good ... The woman was really annoying ... Harrington only works well with a good director ... The landscapes were wonderful ... But this should have been a werewolf film and kept to the idea of what it was ... Instead we get a director with ideas of trying to be clever ... What should have been the underlying idea of broken family and possible alcoholism ( ??? ) are instead to upfront instead of subconcious and drag this down into total tedium instead of running with excitement and having dark fun with it ... This totally comes down to direction and possibly editing, though its smooth enough... Not worth your time.

I can't relate to nor root for idiots and their stupid decisions. I have no energy left. This movie is a frustrating watch. The characters' illogical choices make it impossible to sympathize with them, and the plot never fully delivers the tension it promises. What could have been a gripping thriller is undermined by poor pacing and weak storytelling as well as a poor premise. Any potential it had is squandered by its inability to engage or surprise, leaving me exhausted, annoyed and disappointed. It doesn't make any sense and I wonder why Kit Harington chose this. He played well, but couldn't save anything.