Reel Review: The Beast Within (2024)

Blending raw atmosphere, strong performances, and an effective score, “The Beast Within” explores the darker sides of love and family.

I only knew two things going into my viewing of The Beast Within: it’s a werewolf flick, and I’d be reunited with Jon Snow (Kit Harrington, it’s always a pleasure). That was enough to draw me in.

I mean, I’ve got a large tattoo of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf on my thigh. Suffice it to say I hold a deep appreciation for using wolves as effective metaphors for a multitude of purposes. And Jon Snow? He had his own family lore tied to wolves in Game of Thrones, so it was a fun path for Harrington to continue padding along. This made me both the ideal audience and a careful critic going in.

The Beast Within burns slowly, luring the audience around its fire for a carefully constructed and brooding tale.

The story is about a family helping two members manage chronic and dangerous conditions. Noah (Kit Harrington) is a werewolf, like his father and grandfather before him. Willow (Caoilinn Springall) has a chronic health condition that causes respiratory distress, requiring ongoing oxygen therapy. Noah’s wife, Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), and father-in-law, Waylon (another Game of Thrones alum, James Cosmo), help with all supports and precautionary measures required to support both family members’ needs.

On the surface, the pieces introduced appear to be a healthy, compassionate, and resilient family. However, the score and set design/setting collude and prey on our senses to ensure we appreciate the lack of safety and keep our guard up throughout the film.

The music and sound effects helped me catch the veiled hostility in the environment.

The estate-turned-compound and its halls and rooms reflect a consistently shadowy and dark intensity (details observed and mirrored in Willow’s miniatures). A few breathtaking sweeping drone shots of the remoteness prompt me to search where they were shot (assuming my sources are correct, a nod of respect to Yorkshire, England). I assert these silent contributors fortified the palpable pressure and tension throughout.

In addition to the score and set/setting, three other aspects of the film’s approach were particularly successful and worth acknowledging.

First is the hint of instability, unpredictability, and danger we get around Noah in human form.

Often, werewolves are presented with deliberate polarity: violent when impaired during transformation on those full moon nights, paired against something much softer and approachable during the day. However, there are multiple moments where we’re shown Noah’s bite in the daylight. We see there are multiple areas of his life that he can’t control, not just his werewolf nature. He also struggles with feeling there is something he cannot control related to his relationships with everyone else in this family circle.

That presents differently with each of the other characters. And to some degree, Noah is aware of his insecure and harmful tendencies and alludes to his inability to control or correct them a few times.

“My father was a cruel man. I didn’t want this. This family curse. This illness. I am a coward. And I’m a monster.”

Noah’s complexity feels so real, and it was jarring for me. I have loved someone with alcohol use disorder, and I couldn’t help but see echoes of that painful love in Imogen’s reality and choices. In Willow’s confusion and frustration. In Waylon’s protective leanings. It added to the heartbreak as I watched this family’s fluctuating and anxious dynamic.

It can be truly terrifying to love someone whose illness makes them this unpredictable and unsafe.

This builds to my next point of commendation for this film.

Director Alexander J. Farrell brings humble confidence to the concurrent exploration of the relationships we’re presented with.

We even get a strong extended family connection with Waylon as a grandparent, father, and father-in-law.  Each offers an emotional and powerful log to keep this story’s fire burning bright.

Horror films do not always spend sufficient time developing characters and relationships. The Beast Within gives us multiples to savor, amplifying the beauty, tension, and tragedy—a rare gift.

This gift could only be realized through the substantial contributions of the cast. Each actor deserves recognition, with added acknowledgment of Caoilinn Springall’s mature performance. Willow’s character had both emotional intensity and a chronic illness and disability to navigate, and Springall delivered both capably.

I can appreciate why Farrell chose to bring the camera close to her regularly, to let us appreciate the depth of her effort and vulnerability. When we say a young person has an “old soul,” Springall illustrates this, and it added heft to an already weighty world.

Lastly, the transformation effects deserve ample praise.

Harrington’s werewolf graces the screen rarely. Most of the scares and violence are implied or out of frame. So, those seeking voluminous werewolf sequences may be disappointed.

I found this choice to limit the creature’s visibility and rely on the audience’s imagination effectively. It helped keep the focus where it was intended: on the humanity explored and how the creature impacts their lives and relationships. We learn this can be far more destructive than the damage done by fangs and claws.

The Beast Within is an elevated, even elegant, creature feature that should satisfy those who value horror stories grounded in humanity, where the tension aims to char your heart instead of your gut.