The Beast Within (2024)

2 Stars (out of 4)

Were Off

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

It's certainly possible to achieve a fresh take on the old werewolf formula, but Alexander J. Farrell's The Beast Within doesn't quite make it; it's atmospheric, to be sure, but slow-paced and lacking in surprises or scares.

Ten-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) lives on a remote English farm with her mother, Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), father, Noah (Kit Harington), and grandfather, Waylon (James Cosmo). She has a respiratory condition that requires her to breathe with an oxygen tank from time to time.

Every so often, her mother loads her father up in the truck and takes him away for a while, and when they return, he's covered in blood. Willow's questions go unanswered. One day Willow follows her parents and witnesses a ghastly transformation that will change her life forever.

The Beast Within more or less adopts the point of view of the ten-year-old Willow, but watching from an adult perspective, it's pretty easy to see what the other characters are trying to hide from her. And Imogen's naivete ("she'll never find out") is ridiculous. The werewolf stuff is kept to a bare minimum, and what little there is is a little too dark to see.

The time is used to focus on the characters, who seem rather half-formed, especially since everyone is keeping secrets. When Imogen and Willow drive into town, they stop so Imogen can pull out a hidden dress and put it on before they get there; the purpose of this dress (presumably to make her feel pretty?) never comes to fruition, since the women never are never seen interacting with anyone else.

The real discussion point of the movie comes at the very, very end as the filmmakers reveal their actual theme. It seems like it's meant to be a shock, but it feels more like too little, too late. The house where the family lives is ominously decorated, and Willow's matchstick village is quite wonderful; there's a strong use of soundtrack, especially the nail-biting squeal of panicking pigs. But unfortunately The Beast Within doesn't really add up to much.