Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by
The Beast Within is a 2024 horror Movie Directed by Alexander J. Farrell. The film stars Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, and James Cosmo, with a run-time of 1h 37m and will be released on July 26, 2024.
The Beast Within, a new werewolf horror film starring Kit Harington from Game of Thrones and directed by photographer and documentarian Alexander J. Farrell, making his narrative feature directorial debut, aims to be another movie that defies my theory. And, you know, there’s a werewolf in The Beast Within, but it is not a werewolf movie. It is, therefore, a movie about marital abuse seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old who now notices her mother’s bruises and the lengths a woman will go to keep her family together when it is cyclic and dangerous to have the father around.
The main character is Willow, and Caoilinn Springall, an actress from Stopmotion, excellently performs this role. Willow already has a somewhat tragic life due to some unspecified sickness that presumably is asthma since she carries an oxygen tank and a mask in case she has a hard time breathing. Willow resides in a large but old manor in the middle of the countryside on a farm near the woods. As far as the time setting, there is a certain vagueness, though she listens to music through headphones, which cannot be older than forty years. However, two aspects can be outlined which have a connection with the idea of culture: fashion and isolation The lifestyle that is pictured here seems extremely out-of-date and secluded from any larger community. She goes to a neighbouring town with her mother’s help, Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), to shop for clothes once, but the audience never gets to see her go to school or have fun with friends. Willow is almost always confined in her room, sawing matchsticks into building a replica of her farm.
Right at the beginning of The Beast Within, it is made clear that there is something wrong with the man; Dad (Noah, portrayed by Harington) is pale, looks unwell and is being rushed out of the manor by his wife and her ageing father. As it is, there are times that Noah does turn into a monster and threatens his family, and Mom never hesitates to take him to the remains of a castle-like structure with a Gargantuan gate where he is chained and locked behind the wrought iron barrier. “Nothing changes,” he pleads to her as she starts shackling him to something. As she retorts mechanically, Arian’s routine remains: “Nothing changes. ”Family must be kept intact at any cost. Still, the overly aggressive Noah has to be one of the worst of fathers (or husbands), even with his good behaviour.
Willow’s granddad doesn’t like the direction things are headed, though, and eventually, Willow doesn’t like the direction things are heading either. Conflict in the family remains high and causes the harsh manifestations of the illness in Willow increasingly frequently. Noah gets angry when he discovers a dress that Imogen wears whenever she drives to town. Granddad is eventually forced out of the house, and the family deteriorates to a breaking point during a stormy evening when Noah is supposed to be locked up deep in the woods and returns home, intending to assert his dominance over the family. If you approach The Beast Within expecting a robust and uncomplicated werewolf flick, you’ll be disappointed because the movie doesn’t want to play that game. Of course, we see Harington in his wolf form in Game of Thrones at some point.
However, the practical consequences look fake and ‘costumery,’ while glimpses of him turning into one are brief and out-of-context (one of which happened during a dream scene). And leave all that outside the door of the theatre. Far more problematically, and for several reasons, the film is not very effective as a commentary on domestic abuse. The werewolf theme overlays the underlying message. Sometimes, the movie also considers lycanthropy as a sickness one has to win and/or a family tradition of shifting, not as a man’s uncontrollable anger fits only, but sometimes the film itself shows that it is a curable sickness up to some extent. I do not want to discuss science that I do not understand, but it is worth noting that this is not an approach the movie takes much time to consider.
To be blunt, Calling that particular movie a work of art does not make sense. For whatever it was worth, Farrell and co-writer Greer Ellison had an idea they wanted to get across here and to their credit, they saw it through. However, I don’t think The Beast Within would appeal to most werewolf-movie lovers. While the movie does have some elements of werewolf genres and some more profound themes are being touched, the way they are incorporated in the movie is completely random and incoherent; thus, any deeper message that the movie might be trying to deliver about the domestic violence issue is rather unnoticeable. Worse still, the movie’s end lays out the theme so obviously as to make the entire movie rather farcical even though it was already rather latent.
The Beast Within 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
The Beast Within is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for some violent content and language.
Violence & Gore: The movie deals with themes of spousal abuse. Willow sees bruises on her mother, suggesting that Noah, the father, is physically abusive to his wife and daughter. However, there are scenes when Noah transforms into a werewolf, even though the transformations are not central to the story. Some of these scenes might involve minimal aspects of body horror and changes that could be shocking, albeit only for a few seconds. There are scenes where Noah is tied down and chained in a castle-like structure by his wife. This includes imagery of him being chained behind a wrought iron gate, which may be strong. It is a stormy evening when Noah transforms into a werewolf and returns home to try to take power over his family, making scenes of physical quarrels. There are several scenes in the film where Noah physically dominates and acts aggressively towards his wife and children.
Profanity: The film is an R-rated film and contains strong language, which is evident from the movie. You can also anticipate profanity during scenes of high drama and passion.
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: There might be scenes using alcohol or any other prohibited substance which is common given the high emotional and violent nature of the domestic relations.
Sexual Content: Although the summary does not explicate it, marital abuse may include some forms of non-consensual sexual misconduct, which, though not portrayed, is suggested by the relationship between Noah and Imogen.
