Kino Lorber
Grim and gross, the uncompromising The Beast Within is a quasi-werewolf story but featuring a cicada instead of a wolf.
The lycanthropy arises from some combination of reincarnation and soul-transference. With such outlandish ideas, and with a gruesome monster-rape at the opening, The Beast Within would appear to be an exploitation film. But what makes it successful is that everyone involved – especially the actors – seems to be taking it very seriously.
It’s ultimately illogical, but because I was able to suspend disbelief during the final third, I found the whole thing an emotionally wrenching experience. It’s remarkable how the actors engage our sympathies so quickly, with minimal dialogue, no exposition scenes, no happy flashbacks. Paul Clemens, playing the hapless teen, scarcely gets two lines before we find ourselves rooting for him.
A strong and slightly unusual setting – the deep South in winter – and a cast filled with seasoned character actors help considerably.
While Clemens (who unfortunately did little else) is the standout, L.Q. Jones (Brotherhood of Satan) looks great as the grizzled sheriff, Ronny Cox (The Car) plays the concerned but cautious father, and Bibi Besch (The Pack) plays the mother resolved first to help and finally to confront her son.
The main theme is hidden secrets. The original beast had been hidden in a cellar by an extended family conspiring to keep it secret. Later, the well-meaning parents hide the fact that their son had been conceived during a rape.
The small town, as we learn, has other ills that have been suppressed, uncured. All this avoidance of truth contributes to the eventual carnage. The most obvious comparisons are 1981’s werewolf films, especially The Howling which also used air-bladder skin transformation effects.
Extras include multiple commentaries, making of doc, featurette, radio spots and trailer.
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