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:

The names "Curwin" and "Dexter Ward" are characters from the horror novel "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Goofs:

Continuity: Even after Amanda puts her bra on twice before leaving the house, when she is raped later on in the movie, she no bra on at all.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Howling III (1987)

A Beastly B Movie

"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.