February 17, 2025

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

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A Lacklustre Endeavour — The Beast Within (Film Review)

Fantastical creatures have been used in all mediums to portray the horrors of humanity for decades. These allegoric tales present things that are recognisable by audiences but wrap them up in slightly different dressings to make them slightly different to real life. Take the classic tale of Frankenstein: a cautionary tale about science and playing god. Buffy the Vampire Slayer used creatures such as vampires to represent the difficulties of adolescence. Ginger Snaps used wolf transformation as a way of portraying female puberty. The Beast Within is cut from the same cloth; it’s a family drama about domestic abuse, dressed up as a fantasy horror featuring a werewolf.

After a series of strange events lead her to question her family’s isolated life on a fortified compound deep in the English wilds, 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the forest. After witnessing her father Noah (Kit Harrington) undergo a terrible transformation, she too becomes ensnared by the dark ancestral secret that they’ve so desperately tried to conceal.

The Beast Within lacks a lot of substance. Other than the film’s concept, there’s just not enough story to warrant this being a feature film. A lot of the time, the pacing is incredibly slow, with very little consequence happening. Many sequences feel repetitive and fail to add any depth to the characters, or even offer any scares to help engage the audience. For a film that is billed as a horror-thriller, it lacks majorly in both departments. There’s no sense of danger, no shocking sequences, and no suspense.  You don’t even get to see a full-on werewolf transformation, which makes everything feel extremely underwhelming.

A lot of people will want to watch this for Kit Harrington, and unfortunately, he’s used quite minimally in this. His role as the evil presence in the film is never fully realised to its full potential. A lot of the time, he’s stuck playing the brooding figure in the distance and we’re told about how dangerous he is, rather than shown it.

The Beast Within is a lacklustre endeavour that could have been a lot more. The score of the film does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating an eerie atmosphere, building the little tension that the film does have. Kit Harrington is good with the small amount he is given to do, and has great chemistry with Springall. However, there just isn’t enough depth in the story to make an impact.

The Beast Within is available on Digital Platforms 19th August