The Beast Within [Fantasia International Film Festival]

by Mike McGranaghan

Ten-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) knows her family is odd. They live in a remote farmhouse. Dad Noah (Kit Harrington) regularly puts on a massive fur coat and is driven away by mom Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings), leaving her alone with grandfather Waylon (James Cosmo). Noah seems different every time he comes home, a fact that greatly disturbs her.

The Beast Within, which screened at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival, depicts what happens when Willow follows her parents on one of these excursions. As the title implies, Noah endures a transformation that she finds terrifying. I won’t go into specifics, but the movie deals with how the girl discovers troubling secrets about her family as a result of what she witnesses. If you were in the position of learning about a skeleton in your family’s closet when you were a child, Willow’s journey – exaggerated though it may be – will possess a relatable element.

This is a very (very) slow-burn kind of picture that wisely doesn’t let us get a good look at the titular beast until the very end. The approach allows us to focus primarily on the characters and themes. Springall, who was so good in Stopmotion, is outstanding here, beautifully conveying Willow’s terror. Going beyond that, the young actress also makes clear that Willow fears what the revelation will mean for her. The film very much goes into the idea of a child recognizing that they’re probably doomed. Horror springs from that suggestion.

Kit Harrington is effective, as well, playing Noah as alternately sweet/loving and angry/hostile. His performance always walks the line, so that we’re unsure in any given scene which version of Noah we’re going to get. Director/co-writer Alexander J. Farrell is clearly using the creature feature concept to deal with the issue of abuse, specifically how an abuser follows up an outburst with an expression of kindness to soften the blow before the next incident occurs. Harrington’s performance fits in perfectly with that goal.

The Beast Within does have a few viscerally exciting moments during the grand finale. Mostly, though, it’s a psychological horror film that offers rewards for viewers who are willing to be patient with the slow-and-steady pace. Rather than going for cheap shocks, the film attempts to say something by inviting you to notice the sad disturbing details of this little girl’s revelation.

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