The Beast Within (1982) - Kino Cult #22

Kids today will never truly understand how we would buy a whole album for one song or listen all day to the radio to hit REC on our tape recorder. In movies, “that one scene” would justify buying the physical copy or waiting for the rental box to be returned. Hearing rumors about “that one scene” would keep you in suspense for weeks or even years. Whether it was a nipple or a bloody decapitation, these moments would often define a movie’s legacy. For The Beast Within, it’s a horny cicada monster violently emerging from a teenager’s body that kept it in the horror conversation for decades. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?

Newlyweds Eli (Ronny Cox, RoboCop) and Caroline (Bibi Besch, Tremors) are stranded on the back roads of rural Nioba, Mississippi.  When Eli goes for help, a monstrous creature rapes Caroline. We fast forward 17 years to meet their son Michael (Paul Clemens, They're Playing with Fire), who was conceived from the assault. He’s now hospitalized with a sudden and mysterious illness. Eli and Caroline return to Nioba, hoping to find answers. As they uncover some details, the locals are alerted to their presence and become mobilized to silence them. Michael escapes from the hospital and travels to the town to murder.  Soon, we learn of the monstrous entity living within Michael, possessing him to kill the devious Curwin family members in revenge. 

The Beast Within hits all the right notes for a bizarre monster movie. The film begins with a jarring rape scene which immediately gives reasoning for Michael’s condition. While nothing is directly stated, the story meanders a bit, allowing the dark secrets of NIoba to be revealed as Eli and Caroline dig around. Once Michael’s violent rampage begins and the body count rises, the film keeps us at a distance. Kill scenes are gruesome with excellent effects work. Details are revealed slowly as the townsfolk deal with their consequences. Suddenly, the story ramps up, giving us not only the complete backstory of the entity but also providing its reveal through outstanding makeup effects. Michael’s body bloats and then breaks open to reveal a hideous monster in gross detail. 

Performances are solid throughout the film, with the cast committing to the premise. Ronny Cox and Bibi Besch have great chemistry together hamming up the intensity.  Bibi plays the concerned mother well, giving believability to the role even when faced with her monstrous offspring. Ronny Cox is just chewing scenery left and right. I loved seeing him bark his lines out to whoever is with him. Paul Clemens handles the Jekyll and Hyde routine well, giving his alter-ego a well-established persona. The ability to carry innocent teen Michael on the outside while giving us the compelling suspicion of evil beneath is quite remarkable for a young actor. 

Where The Beast Within succeeds is balancing out a confusing story with gruesome body transformation effects. You’ll soon forget the missing bits of the plot when Michael starts shedding his skin. Even the marketing material repeatedly advertised how insane  “..the final 30 minutes…” of this flick would be for audiences. It’s true, by the way! Coupled with moody atmospheres and monster mythology, it works as mindless entertainment. Unfortunately, The Beast Within was forgotten when American Werewolf in London and The Thing hit theaters. Thanks to VHS, horror hounds rediscovered and championed the film for decades. 

Screenwriter Tom Holland went for broke crafting a bizarre story using elements of werewolf mythology, cicada lifecycles, and Southern Gothic horror as a metaphor for the psychosexual desire to reproduce. I love his scripts for Child’s Play and Fright Night like most, but here there is a raw energy that is so entertaining. Ultimately, The Beast Within is a thrilling monster movie that twists and turns until the final moments. Impressive makeup effects and moody photography make this 80’s horror flick an outstanding watch. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The Beast Within arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Kino Lorber and their sub-label Kino Cult. Loading the Region A BD-50 disc presents the Kino Cult logo before landing on the static Main Menu screen with typical navigation options. This is Spine #22 in the Kino Cult Series. 

The Beast Within arrives on Blu-ray from Kino with a solid 2.35:1 1080p transfer. The source material is in excellent condition, with minor instances of dirt present. The grain field is stable throughout the feature. Details within shadow are present, whether it's the cellar in Michael’s dream or the moonlight cascading over Caroline’s naked body. This is a gothic-style aesthetic, so the colors are muted. That said, I’d keep the lights off while watching the film to catch all the details in the frame. Textures visible on facial features give performers an added depth and engagement. Those with the Scream Factory release will find this transfer is nearly identical. 

The Beast Within receives a DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio mix with English subtitles. Dialogue is clear and clean without hiss or distortion. Effects and dialogue are nicely balanced throughout the audio mix. Music from Les Baxter (Baron of Blood) provides an unrelenting tension that cuts through the mix, keeping you constantly on edge. 

Kino Lorber fills the disc with plenty of extras for fans of this monster flick. I recommend starting with the extensive Making-of featurette before working through the informative commentary tracks. Except for the TV Spot, these special features have been ported over from the Scream Factory and Arrow Video releases. 

• Audio Commentary by director Philippe Mora with historian Colum Waddell
• Audio Commentary by director Philippe Mora with actor Paul Clemens
• Audio Commentary by screenwriter Tom Holland
• I was a Teenage Cicada: The Making of The Beast Within (HD 45:43) Interviews with Tom Holland, Paul Clemens, Katherine Moffat, and John Dennis Johnston recount their experiences working on the film. Archival photos and clips from the film provide context for their fascinating tales. 
• Storyboarding the Beast (HD 13:30) The original storyboard images are narrated by Director Philippe Mora. 
• Theatrical Trailer (HD 1:42)  
• TV Spot (HD 0:34)
• Radio Spots (1:03)

No one has The Beast Within topping their “best horror of the 80s” list, but it certainly deserves more recognition. Combining the gruesome special effects work with Tom Holland’s utterly bizarre script, you get an entertaining creature feature that is well worth your time. Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray provides an excellent A/V package paired with loads of special features for fans of this bizarre cult film. For cult collectors, this one is Recommended.