Fantasia Festival 2024 – The Beast Within ★★★

Released: 19th August 2024 (Digital)

Director: Alexander J. Farrell

Starring: Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, Caoillinn Springall

Adopting some of his Jon Snow persona by wearing heavy set fur coats within The Beast Within. Kit Harington’s character Noah is shrouded in mystery. The Beast Within is told from a child’s perspective as Noah’s 10 year old daughter Willow struggles to grapple with this secrecy as she observes silently and tries to listen in on hushed whispers, from adult conversations, whilst living in an imposing, majestic fortified castle nestled within mystical woods. These woods create the atmosphere and backdrop for The Beast Within alongside the grand castle in an eerie British tale which cannot fulfil its initial promise of horrific terror within the woods, with a quote about there being two wolves inside us all, and unfortunately limps along to its finish.

That is not to say that the cast are not intriguing to watch. But the film’s focus on creating creepy premises with the usual unexplained noises within an old house, may feel hackneyed. The difference, on this occasion, lies in the film’s decision to focus on young Willow’s perspective of the event at hand. There are long takes as her situation is presented, with minimal dialogue as she observes but cannot understand the actions of the adults within her life in this remote setting.

Her parents inexplicably come and go, taking squealing animals from their estate with them at moments. Yet, the emphasis remains on her father and his mysterious activities surrounding his disappearance on occasions. The Beast Within focuses on these elements as Willow’s childhood experience attempts to rationalise the small scenes appearing to her. However, she has an ailment and relies on an oxygen tank and it is those moments that provide more effective terror than any other perceived horrors.

Indeed, the 11 year old Caoilinn Springall is superb as the confused, solitary Willow who takes comfort in reading her book alongside the fortified walls of the castle. Her settings appear to be akin to a prison, often locking herself in her bedroom away from the contradictory activities of her parents. Yet, her ailment creates a limitation on her freedom too although, there are moments in the film that highlight that sense of freedom that she experiences, on the odd occasion, where she can run freely within the vast grounds.

The castle is a main character in itself as there are several romantic, sweeping takes within its dark interiors with pockets of natural light streaming and the beautiful panoramic shots of the juxtaposition of the lush green fields are intoxicating to watch. However, such moments of beauty cannot fully redeem The Beast Within as for the majority of its short 86 minute runtime there is nothing of substance that occurs.

Where The Beast Within succeeds is within its depiction of the stories that we tell to ourselves and each other which may differ widely to the reality. As such, there are many questions posed which are unsatisfactorily answered but this also dovetails into the concept of unreliable narration whilst the underlying mystery is pieced together by Willow. Ashleigh Cummings as Imogen portrays Willow’s mother with a subtle, haunting performance but is not given enough material to work with and her talent therefore feels wasted within the film. Kit Harington smoulders and snarls but again with minimal dialogue his talent also feels underused.

The Beast Within only decides which type of film it wishes to be within its final act, which may be too late for patient viewers to invest in this muddled film. It is undeniable that The Beast Within is lacking in plot. However, its positives may rest finally seeing the actors rise to the challenge within the denouement yet, the film’s overall silliness might outweigh those few captivating moments. But, the best advice for watching The Beast Within may simply be to lower your expectations and instead marvel at the beauty of its inspired, Gothic influenced shots of Harewood Woods and the restored Harewood Castle.