Blu-ray Review: THE BEAST WITHIN

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Oct 20 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) lives deep within the English countryside in a fortified farmhouse with her mother Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), father Noah (Kit Harington), and grandfather Waylon (James Cosmo). Willow sometimes has difficulty breathing and carries around an oxygen tank. She spends most of her time alone in her room, with her door inexplicably blocked shut, building a model of her house and the surrounding farm using matchsticks.

Willow suspects that her mother is hiding something from her. She often hears muffled arguments between her parents, and many evenings she watches out her window as her mother packs up the Jeep with a fresh pig and her father draped in a large fur coat, only to have her mother return alone an hour later, usually looking worse for wear, and her father not returning the next morning, also looking a bit harried. When Willow realizes her parents aren’t going to tell her what’s really going on, she decides to sneak along on one of these nightly trips, but is horrified by what she witnesses. Willow discovers that the family has a secret that has been passed down for generations—under the full moon, her father transforms into a deadly and dangerous creature. And now that she knows the truth, she’s not sure how to act around him, despite the fact that he always seems so loving and caring to her. Willow also hears her mother talking about how the situation is getting more and more dangerous each time her father transforms, that it’s likely only a matter of time before the creature finds its way back home, and that they must be prepared if/when that happens.

The Beast Within is an interesting and different take on the werewolf movie. The film is less of a horror movie, and more of a drama, exploring how this family deals with the fact that they have this monster looming, and how it affects them and their relationships. The filmmakers concentrate more on setting up this atmosphere and exploring the phycological effects on the characters, rather than a lot of gory werewolf attacks. That said, the final act of the film, when we finally do get to explore the more visceral side of this theme, is quite exciting and intense. However, after seeing that, I think I would have preferred a little more of that excitement throughout the film, as the first two thirds can be a bit slow.

While there is this constant and ever present threat of the actual physical creature, the film also makes some suggestive undertones that there may be some kind of an abusive relationship going on here. Noah seems to be loving and caring towards Willow, but for some reason she always has her bedroom door blockaded. There’s never really any indication that Imogen and her husband don’t have a loving relationship, but she always seems to come back from her trips to “feed the beast” looking harried and worn down. There’s also a point where Willow notices some bruises all over her mother’s body—but are those just from farm work? And we also see that for some reason Imogen is hiding little things, such as a sun dress, from her husband. Is there more to this story than what it appears?

The cast is very minimal, with just a handful of actors in the entire movie, but all of them give quite strong performances. My only negatives are the relatively slow pace of the start of the movie versus the really exciting finish. And that there are several things that are never quite explained, such as the nature of why Willow needs oxygen. It’s not something she always requires—it just seems to be there at certain times when it conveniently helps the story. The viewer is also left with a slightly ambiguous ending.

Well Go USA has released The Beast Within on Blu-ray & DVD disc. We were sent the Blu-ray version for review, which looks and sounds quite good. The picture is generally clean, with natural-looking colors, such as those of the beautiful green surrounding of this farm in the middle of nowhere. The level of detail is strong, especially in the distressed walls of this old house. The film can be a bit darker at times, but the picture remains clear and easy to make out what’s happening. Dialogue is clear throughout, and the surround sound is well-utilized to give a natural, immersive ambiance, and showcase the film’s haunting score.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release does not include any bonus material, just the usual trailer and previews. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, and while our review copy did not include a slipcover, it may still come with one.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:37:18)

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
Subtitles: English, French

Extras:

Trailer (2:11)
Previews
- Before Dawn (2:07)
- Ride (2:19)
- Sting (2:20)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Worth a Look

The Beast Within is a different take on the werewolf movie, going for more of a psychological drama rather than a bloody, gory monster movie. However, when it finally does tip its toes into that well, it does a great job. It features a small but excellent cast. Well Go’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great but does not include any bonus material. The film can bit a bit slow at times, but worth checking out for a new take on a werewolf movie, with a really exciting final act.