THE BEAST WITHIN (2024)
After strange events leads her to question her family's life on a fortified compound in the English wilds, a girl follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the forest.
After strange events leads her to question her family's life on a fortified compound in the English wilds, a girl follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the forest.
The werewolf movie of summer 2024, The Beast Within, had its international premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal and is anticipated by both genre aficionados and Kit Harington fans. The brooding actor stars as Noah, a father afflicted by a family curse passed down by his grandfather, in this modern fairytale gone awry. Noah’s wife Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings) is struggling to support him and keep the family safe, while daughter Willow (Caoilinn Springall), who suffers from a breathing disorder, starts recklessly questioning their behaviour. Rounding out the cast, James Cosmo (Highlander) stars as Willow’s protective grandfather Waylon.
The family lives in a secure compound deep in the English countryside, complete with solid wooden doors, many hunting trophies, and creepy hallways covered with peeling wallpaper. Willow knows something is not right. Her parents are often arguing, and she overhears Noah telling Imogen that he’s getting worse. On a little getaway from home, Willow witnesses a smattering of large bruises on her mother’s body as she changes, and when they come back, Noah acts in a strange, overly protective way. Her father periodically leaves overnight, only to come back worse for wear the next morning, often unconscious in the trunk of the family truck. Imogen is very strict with Willow: she’s not to be out after dark on those particular nights when she’s driving Noah away.
The girl’s curiosity wins out one night when she sneaks after her parents and finally discovers her father’s secret. Deep in the woods, in what looked to be a fortified walled courtyard, she witnessed her mother chaining up Noah, who began transforming shortly afterwards. The cat (or rather, wolf) was out of the bag: Noah took the time to explain the family curse to Willow, later making her promise to protect the family at all costs (the clear subtext: protect his secret at all costs). In the end, Willow ended up doing what she needed to do to save both her mother and herself.
There is subtext aplenty, and not all of it is strictly implicit. For some, the twist will not be a surprise at all, since director Alexander J. Farrell leaves overt clues as to what is going on from the beginning; it seems pretty obvious after the fact since it’s right there in the title. During the Q&A held after the premiere screening, Farrell made no secret that The Beast Within is an allegory for a very real monster, domestic violence, as seen through the eyes of a child, and thus romanticised as this fantastic werewolf tale. He also revealed, tragically, that he was inspired by his own experience, of the monster being inside the house, but didn’t expand further.
Known for his moody countenance as the iconic Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (2011-19), Kit Harington is almost too obvious a choice for Noah, and his casting is almost a distraction at times. The irony of the actor being cast as a werewolf after his stint as a bastard of House Stark, whose emblem is a wolf, is lost on no one; Farrell himself seems to make a point of it by having Noah tightly wrapped in a length of fur in his first appearance on screen. As far as performance goes, he seems at times detached, going through the motions of the character rather than embodying him fully. He doesn’t take full advantage of his few scenes to bring nuance to Noah’s character, making it something of a missed opportunity for the actor.
While Harington may be on the poster, it’s Ashleigh Cummings and Caoilinn Springall who are the real stars of the movie. Cummings is all passion and nerves as Imogen, a devoted wife trying to save her family. Those familiar with the cycles of abuse will recognise Imogen’s will to bargain and compromise, as her love for Noah blinds her to the harm that his “curse” is causing to everyone around him. She is equally devoted to Willow, even if that protectiveness comes out harshly as she shields her at first to keep her ignorant for as long as possible. Cummings’ emotional portrayal is sensitive yet strong, and she plays against her costars beautifully, especially with her on-screen daughter.
11-year-old Springall is a revelation as Willow. She had already blown everyone away in Stopmotion (2023) and shows she has what it takes to build a strong career in The Beast Within. Her expressive, wide blue eyes draw you in, and her grounded, subtle performance keeps you hooked, letting the audience see the story mostly through her perspective. The character of Willow, just like Imogen, is a nuanced one, where familial bonds of love are challenged by domestic violence. When asked during the Q&A, Farrell explains that they held very little back from Springall as to what was going on in the story, all with the support of her parents who were present for the whole shoot. The conclusion is the only moment where she falters and doesn’t quite stick the landing. When she stands up to the werewolf to save her mother, she seems distant and emotionless, and while it might have been the intention behind her performance, to highlight how traumatic the experience was, it falls flat for the audience.
Even surrounded by such an all-star cast, whether director Alexander J. Farrell’s offering lives up to the hype is debatable. That’s not to say that he doesn’t succeed in making a proper monster movie or a poignant allegory. Farrell can sustain tension throughout the film, and his werewolf is tangible and effective, thanks to practical effects and minimal VFX, the latter of which was used most glaringly during the minimal transformation sequences. He reveals during the Q&A that the practical werewolf design was intentional, as it is pulled from the perspective, or imagination, of a 10-year-old. Some might feel like the monster borders on silly or goofy by the end, and I would argue that is part of the charm of monster movies.
As far as the allegory goes, I wouldn’t say it’s original or fresh. Using monsters as metaphors for human failings is part and parcel of the genre, whether it’s as explicit as in The Beast Within or more subtle. Nevertheless, Farrell tries to instil some nuance into his tale, giving the fictional family some sweet moments to balance out the tragedy of domestic violence and anchor them to reality. Those situations are never black and white, especially when you’re living through them. Farrell’s sensibility as a documentary filmmaker (he directed three documentaries, including 2023’s Making a Killing) shines in those moments; I only wish he would have added a wider variety of them instead of capitalising on the same few sequences over and over again. Overall, The Beast Within is a passable werewolf flick: not groundbreaking nor terrible, and certainly an interesting first foray into feature-length fiction for Farrell.
UK | 2024 | 97 MINUTES | COLOUR | ENGLISH
director: Alexander J. Farrell.
writers: Greer Ellison & Alexander J. Farrell.
starring: Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, Caoilinn Springall & Ian Giles.