Always on the lookout for obscure 80's horror, I was excited by the prospect of The Beast Within this weekend as it sounded like it could have been a hidden gem. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed and would say this is a very average film. The special effects were impressive and the film was very competently directed but it was missing that je ne sais quoi that would have elevated it to hidden gem level. I think the IMDb score of 5.4 (at time of writing) is about right.However, I scored it less because I thought it was a bit dull, didn't really contain any interesting or likable characters and some unexplained parts in the story meant it was confusing (I've noticed the lack of explanation issue mentioned in a few reviews so am glad to see I am not alone). I feel that a lot of the rave reviews have inflated their scores for this film because a) they are reacting against the films obscurity and its low rating (I bet the same people would be criticising this film if it were well known and had a high scoring), b) they are impressed by gore effects and, c) (less so) the music.It was OK. A bit bland. I wouldn't watch it again. There aren't many under-appreciated horror films out there but (IMHO) a few of them are: Strange Behaviour (1981), Strange Invaders (1983) and Primal Rage (1988).

Director Philippe Mora has made some distinctively ropey films throughout his massive 49 year career (he's still making movies), but The Beast Within, a film you could easily mistake as a werewolf picture, is certainly one of his best. Loosely based on Edward Levy's novel, Beast is a slow-burner, but nevertheless features some satisfying scenes of gory horror, and one mutation scene that is still pretty impressive today. But there's no werewolves here; the 'beast' of the title is somehow a cicada, something that, due to studio butchering (when will they learn?), remains unexplained and confusing, putting a bit of a downer on what is a perfectly passable 80's horror.The movie begins with happily married couple Eli (80's rent-a-b*****d Ronny Cox) and Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) breaking down near a small town in Mississippi. As Eli wanders off to search for help, Caroline is attacked and raped by a beast lurking in the woods. 17 years later, and Michael MacLeary (Paul Clemens) is the result of that rape, and is in hospital dying from a strange condition that has left the doctor's baffled. Desperate for answers, Eli and Caroline return Nioba, the town in which the incident occurred, only to find secretive townsfolk and a possible cover-up. Michael escapes hospital and, apparently driven by an external influence, murders and cannibalises Edwin Curwin (Logan Ramsey), a man possibly involved in what happened 17 years previously.It will hardly give the likes of John Carpenter, David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi sleepless nights, but Beast is very well-made, with care taken to develop an intriguing plot and a creepy atmosphere. It's all anchored by an impressive performance from Clemens (whatever happened to him?), who spends most of the film looking as if he's about to explode. The change scene is hardly on par with An American Werewolf in London (1981), but it's a very good scene, and when Michael's head swells up to the size of a medicine ball, it becomes inadvertently funny in a what- the-f**k kind of way. When the 'revelations' come, it will leave you scratching your head, but it does not ruin what is a well-directed, character-driven horror that features plenty to appease gore-hounds and casual viewers alike.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

I am giving this a 2 out of ten only because it's fun to watch for the bad effects.This starts out with the a rape then later the boy is like a cicada and goes through the change every 17 yeas, and his parents go back to this odd town to find out his true heritage.It is difficult to watch as most of the time with the bad acting, and the boy for the most part when he "gets angry" to kill this particular family, he just looks upset with bad teeth and super strength.It really is a slow film and only worth watching if you want to see the bad effects. This is really evident in the last 15 minutes of the film. You see the boy in the hospital and he goes through the full change. It goes from a obviously fake model head to make up inflatables on the actors real head which is an improvement. It ends up with a mini puppet thing, which doesn't make sense from the bulging happens.Even for being 1982 the filming is rather dark and low quality.

Although directed by Philippe Mora, the genius (detect any sarcasm?) behind trashfests Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch and Howling III: The Marsupials, early 80s creature-feature The Beast Within is, surprisingly, a rather watchable effort.The plot, based on a novel by Edward Levy, sees newlywed Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) raped whilst on her honeymoon. Seventeen years later, her son Michael—the result of the assault—mysteriously falls ill, and so Caroline, accompanied by her understanding hubby Eli (Ronny Cox), attempts to track down the boy's genetic father to see if he is able to shed any light on the problem.What they discover is terrible beyond their imaginations: Michael's 'real' father was Billy Connors, a man encarcerated against his will and driven crazy by the relatives of the woman with whom he had been having an affair. Completely deranged, but possessing supernatural knowledge passed on to him by the insects with which he would often commune, Billy escapes and, by impregnating Caroline, ensures that he is able to wreak revenge in the future, using Michael as his host.Sure, the story might be a tad preposterous, and the direction rather stilted at times, but with a likable cast and some impressive make-up effects courtesy of Tom Burman (Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine), the good marginally outweighs the bad. Michael's painful metamorphosis into a mutant cicada thingy is generally regarded as the films highlight, and the scene is certainly memorable, making good use of that 80s favourite, the bladder effect; but also watch out for the bit where a dog drops a mouldy severed hand onto the face of pretty southern gal Amanda Platt (Katherine Moffat) as she makes out with Michael (for some reason, that bit made me chuckle), plus the really cheesy decapitation of one of the film's many unscrupulous characters.*that I am aware of.