Fantasia 2024: Kit Harington confronts his inner wolf in gothic fairy tale The Beast Within

Courtesy Fantasia Fest

This is part of our coverage of new films at Fantasia Fest 2024. To catch new ones as they arrive, check this thread. 

Werewolf films always seem great on paper. Emphasis on seem. This isn’t to say there aren’t fantastic examples of how it can go right. American Werewolf In London, Ginger Snaps, The Howling, The Company of Wolves, Good Manners, and The Curse of The Werewolf are all top-tier.

Past that though, here are dozens and dozens of missed opportunities or cheap schlock films hoping that a wolf mask is enough to woo horror fans. Somehow, between concept and execution, something gets lost. Whether it’s shoddy effects, a lackluster love story, or overwrought mythology, there are a dozen ways for lycanthrope-centric movies to leave you disappointed.

In this tradition, Alexander J. Farrell’s The Beast Within appears upfront to have the goods: An idyllic setting, moody score, and practical effects. It doesn’t end up being in that upper echelon of films, but it does show how exactly brilliant performances and atmosphere can make a film worth recommending.

Precocious 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) lives a simple life in the English countryside. A respiratory illness means she always needs an oxygen tank nearby, but that doesn’t keep her from a satisfying life, making matchstick miniatures of the few places and people she sees daily in her family’s gated compound. This includes her doting, busy mother, Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), and her grandfather, Waylon (James Cosmo).

Willow’s dad, Noah (Kit Harington), is also around, but he’s not always a reliably safe presence. Most of the time, he’s a devoted father, taking his kid out on a drive or playing make-believe in the woods. But once a month, as the full moon approaches, a change occurs. He grows distant and more frail—as if something were eating him from the inside. Clad in a giant wolf skin cloak, Noah leaves with Imogen in the middle of the night for reasons Willow doesn’t know.

Of course, we already have a good idea of what’s going on (it’s right in the title, after all). One night, when Willow’s curiosity gets the better of her, she sneaks out to follow her parents. What she sees unmasks her beloved dad’s dark secret and changes her relationship with her family forever.

The Beast Within aptly blends gothic and folk horror, with Farrell providing a steady directorial hand. His background as a documentary filmmaker adds a detached but empathetic tone that shifts from mysterious to serene to horrific, always tinged with a sense of foreboding. This allows for long stretches that feel like a reflection of the characters’ actual lives rather than being hastily stitched together.

This is less of an “action-packed” thriller and more of a “monster-as-allegory” tale. Taking classic tropes and wrapping around the notions of abuse and generational trauma. Noah knows there’s something wrong with him. He says he doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in terms of his affliction. He’s just failing desperately any way he tries. Just as all seems well, “The Beast” rears its head in all corners of the family’s lives, tearing normal moments asunder with little notice.

Courtesy Fantasia Fest

This vision is helped thanks to a strong cast. Springall excels at playing the part of a girl forced to grow up too fast. Comparatively, Cummings is saddled with a difficult role and comes out swinging. Imogen is a complicated woman, torn between salvaging her daughter’s innocence and finding the best way to care for her husband. It’s an emotionally wrought performance that would be the highlight if it weren’t for the monster in plain sight.

After his success on Game of Thrones, Harington was thrown into the spotlight, but so far hasn’t had a worthy opportunity to prove himself beyond Jon Snow. Here, his stony visage and kind smile allow him to play the duality of a caring father and abusive prick, causing tension to rise to a fever pitch where a simple embrace can feel like a vise grip.

For all these strengths, however, The Beast Within falters when it doesn’t trust its audience enough. Particularly when it comes to the movie’s ending. There’s a perfectly good spot for Farrell to cut things off, but instead attempts a last-second “reveal of sorts,” making for a ham-fisted finale. Fortunately, though the landing is disappointing, it doesn’t take away from the good that comes before. It ends up being a measured and stunningly crafted take on a monster movie, even if the message within isn’t terribly original.