The Beast Within

Blending fairy-tale atmosphere and childhood innocence with a much darker domestic dynamic can be a rewarding concept, but The Beast Within never quite leverages its storytelling meaningfully. The debut narrative feature of documentarian Alexander J. Farrell, the not-so-secret werewolf film does its best to craft a poignant tale about the secret tensions tucked neatly away for the convenience of guiltless eyes. Unfortunately, the script lets down the otherwise impressive aesthetic panache.

While The Beast Within stars Game of Thrones’s Kit Harington at the top of the bill as Noah, the “beastly” patriarch of the Avery clan, young Willow (Caoilinn Springall) drives the supernatural story. We experience uneasy nights through her eyes, watching her mother, Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), take Noah and some poor farm animal into the woods and return the following day in visible pain. Meanwhile, Noah looks depleted and bloody. Through Willow’s ears, we hear whispered arguments between the couples and anxious dialogues between Imogen and her father, Waylon (James Cosmo), who is fiercely protective of the women.

All stills are courtesy of Well GO USA.

Willow’s nondescript respiratory condition adds to the family’s ongoing struggles, forcing her to huff oxygen regularly. Imogen, Noah, and Waylon also maintain their isolated farmstead—life is hard. Hard enough for Willow to retreat into makeshift toy models of her family and environment, the latter of which is something straight out of a Brothers Grimm tale. Willow attempts to follow her parents one night, and realizing the truth causes an even greater rift in their fragile existence.

Experiencing this sordid affair through the eyes of a young girl provides a compelling perspective because many of us can understand feeling afraid of a parent or uncomfortable with an awkward domestic situation. However, to the movie’s detriment, Farrell and co-writer Greer Ellison fail to incentivize the audience to care about this tumultuous family as much as we should. There is little emotional attachment to Imogen or Willow and their relationship with Noah since most of their observations or interactions with the man are frigid, and most heartwarming moments occur briefly through montages of past events.

All stills are courtesy of Well GO USA.

In a sense, Farrell and Ellison want us to feel for the women because of the hardships packaged with Noah’s lycanthropic curse and whatever else may be bubbling underneath the surface. On the other hand, they deceptively request pity for Noah for having no choice over his unfortunate circumstances. Even if there is more going on here, this surface-level motivation for the audience is prominent and tiresome, and attempts to build a deeper rapport between characters to justify genuine empathy for Imogen and Willow are ultimately lacking. The film’s ending also betrays much of the setup and other elements and is easily the worst aspect of The Beast Within.

Despite its apparent issues with storytelling and pacing, The Beast Within looks and feels attractive, especially if you admire gothic horror and Hammer. The setting is exceptional, featuring a sprawling English countryside, run-down castle ruins, and the Averys’ home, a lavish yet cluttered and poorly maintained rural farmhouse. Through the lens of expert cinematographer Daniel Katz, every stone and tree is striking to look at and usually enveloped in a dreamy, misty air.

All stills are courtesy of Well GO USA.

Harington and Cummings, the latter of whom stands out, provide the film’s best performances, though the entire cast does an admirable job. Unfortunately, The Beast Within falters in the most pivotal part of filmmaking. It offers a story far too concerned with cheekily masking a message and creating angst when it should generate real suspense and real reasons for us to invest in these characters. While there is plenty to appreciate with The Beast Within, werewolf movie fans should temper their expectations dramatically due to the lack of effective creature features, and others may simply find the overall execution middling.

The Beast Within is now playing in select theaters.

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