THE BEAST WITHIN
US, 1982, 98 minutes, Colour.
Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, Dong Gordon, R.G.Armstrong, L.Q.Jones, Luke Askew.
Directed by Philippe Mora.
The Beast Within is a variation on the Living Dead- Vampire thriller. It was written by Tom Holland (Psycho 3, Fright Night). It was directed by Philippe Mora, the Australian director of such documentaries as Brother Can You Spare a Dime and Swastika, as well as such features as Mad Dog Morgan, The Return of Captain Invincible as well as The Howling sequels.
The film is set in a small American town and seems to be an allegory of inbreeding, crime in the small American town and its cover-ups. It has a strong gallery of character actors in the supporting cast, including Logan Ramsay as an editor, Don Gordon as a judge, Luke Askew as the undertaker, L.Q. Jones as the sheriff and R.C. Armstrong as the doctor. Ronnie Cox and Bibi Besch are effective as the parents and Paul Clemens appears as the tormented son.
The film relies on some horror suggestion as well as some special horror effects of the transformation of the son into the monstrous beast.
Some audiences will find these sequences ugly - but the film is not a bad variation on the monster theme and has some comment on the American small town.
1. The impact of the film, horror, monster, the small American town, crimes and cover-ups?
2. The location, the town, the swamps, the interiors? Day and night? The special effects and the transformations? The eerie musical score?
3. The title, the focus on Billy Conlon and his becoming a monster, the family persecuting him? The rape, his possession of Michael and manifesting himself? The analogy of the cicadas shedding their skin and the cicada-like make-up for the monster?
4. The plausibility of the plot, the crime, the cover-up, the small inbred American town? The suggestions of menace and violence? The actual monster ani the possession of the boy?
5. The opening, the couple driving along in the'60s, the flat tyre, the wife, the rape and the transformation? The problem later, their ill son? Their concern, the father and his frantic investigations, his participation in the action in the town, confrontations, grief at his son's condition? The mother and her concern, interrogating people in the town, catching helplessly the final shooting?
6. The character of Michael, seeing him unwell, coming to the town, audience suspicion, the gradual transformation, the killings, his feeding on human flesh and recovering, not wanting to leave the town, confronting the parents, the attraction towards Amanda, the clashes with her father, warning her to leave? his wanting to die, being transformed into the monster, going on the rampage? The killings? The character of Billy Conlon, the revelation of his story, the family cruel to him, his death, feeding on human flesh? Billy Conlon's revenge on the family?
7. The gallery of characters within the town, their relationship, their secrecy on interrogation, the vengeance: the editor, his taking Michael in and giving him the deal, his death? Dexter ane the undertaker, his wanting to bribe the judge, his death? The judge and his cover-up, the terror, going into the cell and being taken through the wall? The sheriff and his investigations, his assistant? The doctor and his concern, advice?
8. Amanda, the attraction towards Michael, the brutality by her father, the story of the father's violence towards her mother and her lover, the suggestions of incest, his brutality towards his daughter, the attacks on Michael? Amanda and Michael going for the walk and finding the bones? Michael's desperate warning for Amanda to leave, her going, the crash, her being saved, the violence?
9. The film's comment on American towns, their inbreeding, the effect on the inhabitants, the presenting of things monstrous? The outsiders and their intrusion? Resentments? The possession of the innocent victim and his destruction?
