The Beast Within

I am going to disagree with most of the reviewers in here and say that I found the story to be quite intriguing. Some of it was a little out there but the crux of it ( the town conspiracy ) was quite well done. What wasn't so great was some of the acting and some of the things people do to get themselves in trouble.

The film starts off with Ronny Cox and his wife traveling down some lonely Mississippi road in the dead of night. They spin off the road and the front of his car ends up on some moist land. His tires spin and spin but they will not respond. The car is stuck there. Now instead of A) trying to push the car out or B) both of them walking back to the gas station for a tow, Cox tells his wife that he is going back to that gas station for a tow. He playfully tells her to stay there and to lock the door ( he says it as though nothing bad could have ever happened on the side of the road in Mississippi. Does anyone ever remember MISSISSIPPI BURNING?)

Okay, we have all seen too many horror movies but that is just dumb, horror movie or not. You never leave someone alone, on a deserted road while you are surrounded by the dense bush. Anything could happen. Bigfoot could jump out. Jason could be close by. The thing from THE PREY could pop and get you or more realistically you would just be too afraid to stay by yourself because it is dark. But she does and of course something attacks her and rapes her and then the film jumps ahead 17 years where of course she had the baby. This is another part when we all go " Oh Come ON!!! What are you, stupid?" If some big disgusting swamp thing with calves the size of the Caveman in Scooby Doo episodes raped you, you get an abortion, right away. But again, this is a horror movie and people have to do stupid things to get themselves into the prediciments that they are in. If you can get past some of this sheer idiocy, the rest of the story is quite good. It is not on par with some of the greats but it is a worthy addition to the early 80's horror.

One by one, the slimy town folk are being attacked and devoured by a beast. Now we don't know why these people are being stalked, only that they are suspect looking to say the least. There is obviously some town secret that is being swept under the proverbial rug and these people are the main culprits.

The final thirty minutes is quite good. I can remember being about 13 when me and my friends rented this film for the first time. We accepted the challenge on the front of the box where it dares you to watch the last thirty minutes without chickening out. And when you are 13 and are challenged like that, you eagerly accept. None of us were horrified but we sure thought it was cool. Now that I have more of an appreciation for horror and the effects that go into it, I have to say that the creature effects were astonishing here. Rick Baker would be proud of Thomas Burman. This is on par with Baker's work in AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. The transformation scene is truly a work of art. Perhaps people will say that it is dated because now a days they use computer graphics to make everything look real but let me tell you, give me guys like Rick Baker, Stan Winston and Thomas Burman and I would rather watch them at work than a chip and a computer program that does the same thing. This is fun to watch and I believe more work and innovation goes into the process.

I would give this film a 6 out of 10. The story is intriguing and the plot is carried out quite well. And look at it this way. Take most horror films from today like URBAN LEGEND, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID..... and so on and compare them to this one and others like it from the 70's and early 80's. Most 90's films can't hold the director's Cole's Notes to how to make an affective horror film. The Beast Within is better than 95% of the horror that was released in the 90's. It is getting better now with stellar efforts like FINAL DESTINATION, BLAIR WITH, SIXTH SENSE, STIR OF ECHOES and even STIGMATA. Their roots lie with films like this.

"The Beast Within" was a staple of TNT's MonsterVision many years ago, and its unique (yet often convoluted) premise reveals why: how many movies have featured a bloodthirsty cicada monster? Based on the novel by Edward Levy (adapted by future "Child's Play" director Tom Holland), the plot has happy newlyweds Ronny Cox and Bibi Besch running afoul of terror along a backwoods Mississippi road, where Besch is raped by some vague, subhuman creature; 17 years later, son Paul Clemens is exhibiting some extreme growing pains that include the occasional ghastly murder when his parents return to the scene of the crime looking for answers. While the plot never really comes together as well as it should, "Beast" is a model of B-movie efficiency that utilizes atmosphere, location, and some supremely grotesque special effects to leave the viewer rattled (director Philippe Mora also has an excellent grasp of light and shadow to create mood). In hindsight, the film has the type of contained, small-town-America aesthetic that has become the watermark of Stephen King's prose, and the cast is appropriately comprised of rather typical faces, not marquee stars. In the end, "Beast" is a wonderfully ghastly little flick with a creepy story that's executed just well enough to overcome some poor acting and an occasionally sluggish pace.

One of the better, and most overlooked, monster films of the 80's is this fun and effectively creepy B horror film.

On a dark and stormy Mississippi night, a woman is attacked and raped by a mysterious monster. Now, seventeen years later, her ill teenage son is starting to display some murderous behavior that keeps getting worse...

The Beast Within (based on the Edward Levy novel of the same title) is too often bashed by critics. Many complain that the storyline is convoluted, but frankly if everything were explained it would lose its sense of chilling mystery. There is much to be enjoyed in this off-beat creature flick. The story is nicely creative with a hint of old school horror and a good dose of building tension - all of which is dotted with some startlingly good murder scenes. The gruesome makeup effects aren't bad, this film has one wild transformation scene. Direction wise Philippe Mora does well in giving the film a great southern Gothic vibe as well as an oppressing atmosphere of dread.

The cast holds their own too. Ronny Cox (of Deliverance fame) and Bibi Besch do solid performances as the understandably troubled parents of our title character. Paul Clemens is also good, and strangely alluring, as the teen with the savage side. Supporting performances from Don Gordon, R.G. Armstrong, Katherine Moffat, and L.Q. Jones are good too.

The Beast Within is one under praised horror film. So what if there's a few plot holes, so what if it doesn't follow the book it's based on to the letter - it's a truly memorable horror ride that never has a dull moment. Check it out creature feature fans.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Woo-hoo! This freaky puppy needs to go on a leash! The Beast Within is highly entertaining 80's pulp that regretfully got ignored over the years, along with so many other B-movie goodies from that decade like "Dead & Buried", "Basket Case" or "From Beyond". I hope that too many people won't be biased about the gory, cheap looks of this film, because it actually has got more to offer than you'd think! The Beast Within fits perfectly in the "the little town with a secret"-sub genre that I personally adore. The screenplay (written by Tom Holland of "Fright Night" and "Child's Play") handles about a newlywed couple facing a nightmare when the wife is raped by a hideous creature on a remote Mississippi road. The "miracle of life" takes place and 17 years later, the progeny of this unpleasant meeting begins to undergo a bizarre metamorphosis. The adolescent Michael is aggressive, weak and goes prowling overnight. The victims of these nightly hunts all share a common secret that slowly unravels itself and leads all the way back to the night of the rape. The plot contains quite some holes (big ones!) and logicalness is totally out of the question! Hopefully, you'll be able to look passed these flaws and see how director Mora attempts to add tension and atmosphere to his film. The obvious aspect to love naturally is the blood and gore! The Beast Within features an infamous and nearly classic transformation and this scene alone makes the film worthy. A catchy (country) soundtrack and fairly good acting complete my overall positive opinion on this overlooked cult gem. Ronny Cox is quite convincing as the "official" father but it surely is the young actor Paul Clemens himself who impresses. His ultra-mad grimaces while attacking the hillbillies form the best parts of the film.

If you like low to medium budget horrors with plenty of gore, you will not be disappointed in this and Paul Clemens does very well in the lead. Nobody else seems to try too hard, they seem more interested in outdoing each other in wearing the most outlandish wigs. Very watchable despite its shortcomings although it almost comes to a halt on several occasions. The set up is fine, if a little predictable, but the wild and terrible story could have been better told. At first this seems like a Jekyll and Hyde variant, then a vampire tale before it gets back to what it really was at the start, a gruesome tale of rape and impregnation by some swamp like creature. Nice idea and lots of nastiness but not very convincing and too many people wandering in and out to little effect. Have to say though, one amazing and absolutely disgusting transformation sequence at the end.