tomgillespie2002 Director Philippe Mora has made some distinctively ropey films throughout his massive 49 year career (he's still making movies), but The Beast Within, a film you could easily mistake as a werewolf picture, is certainly one of his best. Loosely based on Edward Levy's novel, Beast is a slow-burner, but nevertheless features some satisfying scenes of gory horror, and one mutation scene that is still pretty impressive today. But there's no werewolves here; the 'beast' of the title is somehow a cicada, something that, due to studio butchering (when will they learn?), remains unexplained and confusing, putting a bit of a downer on what is a perfectly passable 80's horror.The movie begins with happily married couple Eli (80's rent-a-b*****d Ronny Cox) and Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) breaking down near a small town in Mississippi. As Eli wanders off to search for help, Caroline is attacked and raped by a beast lurking in the woods. 17 years later, and Michael MacLeary (Paul Clemens) is the result of that rape, and is in hospital dying from a strange condition that has left the doctor's baffled. Desperate for answers, Eli and Caroline return Nioba, the town in which the incident occurred, only to find secretive townsfolk and a possible cover-up. Michael escapes hospital and, apparently driven by an external influence, murders and cannibalises Edwin Curwin (Logan Ramsey), a man possibly involved in what happened 17 years previously.It will hardly give the likes of John Carpenter, David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi sleepless nights, but Beast is very well-made, with care taken to develop an intriguing plot and a creepy atmosphere. It's all anchored by an impressive performance from Clemens (whatever happened to him?), who spends most of the film looking as if he's about to explode. The change scene is hardly on par with An American Werewolf in London (1981), but it's a very good scene, and when Michael's head swells up to the size of a medicine ball, it becomes inadvertently funny in a what- the-f**k kind of way. When the 'revelations' come, it will leave you scratching your head, but it does not ruin what is a well-directed, character-driven horror that features plenty to appease gore-hounds and casual viewers alike.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

thesar-2 Well, this is rare…I am writing this review exactly to the date, 29 years since The Beast Within was released.Okay, now that my excitement's over, not really, but moving on…I'll give a little history of this movie and my childhood, even though I never saw it until yesterday, February 11, 2011:Picture it: Phoenix. 1980s. I loved those horror flicks yet was unable to view them…thanks, Mom & Dad. The closest I could come was at Fry's Food & Drugs – Kroger's to you Easterners – and their video selection. Mom shopped and all I wanted to do was hang out in the VHS/customer service area. Specifically, the horror spot near the cashiers. Literally, I would spend 45 minutes to an hour simply reading the descriptions plus view the pictures. It was enough for me to get my second-hand fix.One in particular, was The Beast Within…which looked like a GREAT werewolf film. I always wanted to see it and I must of read the cover/back a dozen times…I'm guessing this is what it was like for teen-virgins of my generation and what they went through while viewing the outdated Playboys under their dad's bed. There's something deeper there, especially since I didn't partake in such activities.I digress…for some reason, I haven't thought of this film in a very long time and I noticed it was on Netflix instant. Perhaps, it was because I just rewatched The Howling to review. Either way…Bam! I had to see it.MAYBE…my parents were onto something.This movie sucked. From the unintentionally hilarious opening to the screwed up finale. This uneven mess was all over the place and it didn't help when they finally revealed the actual: BEAST WITHIN.In fact, when they did show it…any sensible person would laugh their ass off, though any sensible person probably wouldn't have even bothered with such trash in the first place.Let's see if I can sum up this mistake of a film: Newlyweds Eli (Cox) and Caroline (Besch) take the typical horror wrong turn in the woods (17 years ago, sorry, Plot Point) and while Eli goes after a tow truck after the inevitable crash, Caroline gets attacked by a man-beast. Attacked by means of..rape?Yeah, it's the typical "werewolf" or "man-turned-beast" story – the creature did kill their dog first, after all – but when he got to the victim in the deep-dark-woods, it actually surprised me that the first thing it would do was: eat out verses eating her. Sorry, bad.Anyhoo…fast forward – you really just should on your DVD player, hoping this will never turn to Blu-ray – 17 years and the (also) inevitable offspring, Michael (Clemens) is exhibiting "changes" and not in the typical young male way. Somehow – and this is where I began my journey of being lost in this movie – the mom/dad/son trio made their way back to the scene of the original crime and Michael's going after a particular family, but as a rabid "beast." Actually more like a salivating drug addict.Either way, the small town's concerned and haven't the slightest clue on the obvious culprit. Duh. Anyways, getting past that, there's a love story and a back-story so boring it's not worth repeating. And when the finale reveals the town's secret, you're either lost or impervious to caring. Personally, I was "REALLY?" but then it fell right in with the rest of the movie: it didn't make any sense.I take a woman being attacked, namely raped, very seriously in real life. Like many sane humans, it would be hard for me to not want to seek justice against the disturbed perp. But, sadly, this only made me laugh.This is a must-NOT-see 80s horror flick. It suffers from many faults, namely the jagged script, the amusing "1986-FLY" like transformation – sorry, that was a spoiler, but I'm only trying to help you, and the aimless ideas. And as for the "werewolf" I was so hoping to see as a child, thankfully, I finally got my hands on The Howling.

BA_Harrison Although directed by Philippe Mora, the genius (detect any sarcasm?) behind trashfests Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch and Howling III: The Marsupials, early 80s creature-feature The Beast Within is, surprisingly, a rather watchable effort.The plot, based on a novel by Edward Levy, sees newlywed Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) raped whilst on her honeymoon. Seventeen years later, her son Michael—the result of the assault—mysteriously falls ill, and so Caroline, accompanied by her understanding hubby Eli (Ronny Cox), attempts to track down the boy's genetic father to see if he is able to shed any light on the problem.What they discover is terrible beyond their imaginations: Michael's 'real' father was Billy Connors, a man encarcerated against his will and driven crazy by the relatives of the woman with whom he had been having an affair. Completely deranged, but possessing supernatural knowledge passed on to him by the insects with which he would often commune, Billy escapes and, by impregnating Caroline, ensures that he is able to wreak revenge in the future, using Michael as his host.Sure, the story might be a tad preposterous, and the direction rather stilted at times, but with a likable cast and some impressive make-up effects courtesy of Tom Burman (Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine), the good marginally outweighs the bad. Michael's painful metamorphosis into a mutant cicada thingy is generally regarded as the films highlight, and the scene is certainly memorable, making good use of that 80s favourite, the bladder effect; but also watch out for the bit where a dog drops a mouldy severed hand onto the face of pretty southern gal Amanda Platt (Katherine Moffat) as she makes out with Michael (for some reason, that bit made me chuckle), plus the really cheesy decapitation of one of the film's many unscrupulous characters.*that I am aware of.

AngryChair 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 ****