The Beast Within Blu-ray

The Beast Within

 (1982)

The Beast Within Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
A teenager is experiencing growing pains of a most shocking kind in this exciting, tense and all-too-real story of a human-into-monster transformation. 18-year-old Michael MacLeary — the progeny of an unholy union between his mother and a swamp beast — is on the verge of becoming a man. And as the inherited evil in his blood gnaws at his soul, Michael must return to the swamp to uncover the terrifying identity of his father — before his nasty natural tendencies force him to feed on the locals! Ronny Cox (ROBOCOP), Bibi Besch (TREMORS), Paul Clemens (COMMUNION), L.Q. JONES (THE WILD BUNCH) and R.G. Armstrong (RACE WITH THE DEVIL) star in this terrifying thriller.

For more about The Beast Within and the The Beast Within Blu-ray release, see the The Beast Within Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on December 17, 2013 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.

Director: Philippe Mora
Writers: Edward Levy, Tom Holland
Starring: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Don Gordon, Paul Clemens, R.G. Armstrong, Katherine Moffat
Producers: Harvey Bernhard, Gabriel Katzka, Jack B. Bernstein, Ron Fury

» See full cast & crew

The Beast Within Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, December 17, 2013

Rosemary's Baby famously left it up to the audience to imagine what would happen to the spawn of Satan (though author Ira Levin did revisit that idea years later in his sequel to the original novel). The Beast Within may not deal with the union of a human woman with something as "exotic" as the Devil, but the idea is still the same: what might happen to the offspring of an unholy mating between a monster and a young female? The film starts with a horrifying rape (a rather graphic one for a 1982 film) where we're able to see—if only in bits and pieces—that whatever is attacking Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) is clearly not human. The film then segues forward seventeen years where Caroline's son Michael (Paul Clemens) has begun exhibiting a number of strange and inexplicable symptoms, so Caroline and her husband Eli (Ronny Cox) set out to figure out what happened all those years ago, since they're unaware that Caroline's attacker was anything other than a run of the mill madman.



The Beast Within is an interesting mélange that combines elements of Southern Gothic horror, a traditional monster movie, and more introspective psychological elements. Michael's predicament spills out in two parallel paths, one physical and one mental, as he seemingly becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit, but who also undergoes a rather slimy and disgusting physical transformation in the final half hour or so of the film. Tom Holland wrote the screenplay, and he none too subtly morphs the awkwardness of puberty into something decidedly more sinister. The plot is resolutely ridiculous, but the film has a few real chills to offer along the way.

The Beast Within Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

The Beast Within is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is another really nice looking cult item from Shout!, one whose elements are in really great condition, with virtually no damage of any note to mention. Colors are accurate looking and nicely saturated, and fine detail is quite commendable (a little too commendable some may be saying during the transformation scenes toward the end of the film). Contrast and black levels are very strong and consistent. The film isn't razor sharp by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a solid looking transfer that accurately recreates the look of the original film in a very organic way.

The Beast Within Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

The Beast Within's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is nicely robust, with very good fidelity offering dialogue, effects and the great Les Baxter's score (one of his last) cleanly and clearly, with no damage or other issues to report.

The Beast Within Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

• Theatrical Trailer (1080i; 1:28)


• Radio Spots (1:02)


• Audio Commentary with Director Philippe Mora and Actor Paul Clemens


• Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Tom Holland

The Beast Within Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Have you ever wanted to kill your teenager? The Beast Within takes that familiar parental trope and shifts it into a manic horror outing that is both silly and scary in about equal measure. Horror fans will probably find enough here to merit a purchase, and Shout! once again offers a solid technical package along with some appealing supplements.

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Scream Factory, the horror-thriller offshoot of independent film distributor Shout Factory, has announced that it plans to add two titles to its Blu-ray catalog: Philippe Mora's The Beast Within (1982) and David Schmoeller's Crawlspace (1986). The two releases ...