In many senses, horror films work as extended metaphors. Largely, this is because the film is so rarely about the monster itself. It’s not worth getting up in arms because something like, say, Twilight mangles the “lore” of vampire movies. It’s not about the vampires, neither it is about the werewolf.
The Beast Within opens with a rendition of the “two wolves” proverb, and goes downhill from there. Kit Harrington stars as a man who changes into a werewolf once a month, but actually, he stars as a domestic abuser, who routinely castigates his family in a violent manner. The metaphor here is so clumsily handled it’s not worth being coy. It’s about domestic abuse. Got it?
Most of The Beast Within is done as gauchely as possible. This best exemplified by the film’s final shot, a reveal that made me viscerally angry. Given the sheer magnitude of other misfires, I believe that this is an issue of direction more than anything else. The film is numbingly loud; a vibrating hum coats the film and does not relent. Very little happens until a madcap dash in the films third act, the tension of which relies upon two or three of the silliest plot contrivances I’ve seen in my life. If wasn’t annoyed or angered, I was bored. Considering I am acutely aware that I’m the king of boring, that’s saying something.
Was any of it salvageable? Perhaps. There are a number of nice drone shots. That’s also to be expected considering I counted no less than six companies involved in the opening credits. Clearly, the sheer magnitude of corporate involvement suggests that someone believes The Beast Within has an audience. I can’t imagine who, but I guess they must exist somewhere out there.
- Rated: R
- Genre: Horror
- Release Date: 7/23/2024
- Directed by: Alexander J. Farrell
- Starring: Ashleigh Cummings, Caoilinn Springall, James Cosmo, Kit Harington
- Produced by: Jack Christian, Karl Hall, Martin Owen
- Written by: Alexander J. Farrell, Greer Taylor Ellison
- Studio: Filmology Features, Filmology Finance
