At their core, werewolf movies have always been character studies. Some are more focused on horror and only pay lip service to any sort of personal development, but the stories have always been about the leads dealing with their curse. The Beast Within is a Fantasia World Premiere that takes things one step further: it pushes the werewolf story to the background while exploring its main character.
The cold open is normal enough. Alone in a dark forest, a woman fears for her life. She is soon dead and covered in blood. The plot also sounds overly familiar. The Beast Within moves at a quick pace. An ill young girl (Caoilinn Springall, Stopmotion) watches with curiosity as her mother (Ashleigh Cummings, The Goldfinch) takes her father (Kit Harrington, Game of Thrones) on mysterious excursions at night. It is not long before she learns his dark secret.
For all its dark figures and nightmarish imagery, The Beast Within is more of a family drama than a creature feature. Harrington is excellent here as the father and husband that you never know quite what to make of. He seems unhinged and what starts as subtle comments soon become profanity filled outbursts. Clearly, he is trying to deal with the monster inside of him, but what exactly is the monster?
As the film progresses, it becomes clear just how important control is to Harrington. Fear and love become entangled and it seems like The Beast Within is an allegory for a toxic relationship. This could come across as heavy handed – the ending is more confusing than meaningful- but the family dynamic is very engaging.
Taking place outside of time, the pacing and fairy tale quality add to The Beast Within. Director Alexander J. Farrell (who also had a hand in the writing) pulls audiences into an almost storybook world while still dealing with real life issues. This is definitely a unique and watchable werewolf movie.
The Beast Within opens theatrically July 26
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