The Beast Within

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The Beast Within

R,

1982,

1h 38m,

Horror

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17%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

34%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

17%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

34%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Driving near a small Mississippi town in 1964, newlyweds Eli (Ronny Cox) and Caroline (Bibi Besch) experience car trouble. When Eli goes off to look for help, Caroline gets raped and is made pregnant by a horrible creature. Years later the child, now teenager Michael (Paul Clemens), finds himself undergoing an inexplicable physical change that compels him to return to that area in Mississippi. Soon dead bodies start piling up while his desperate parents struggle to understand what's happening.

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Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

Apr 27, 2018

The beast within "The Beast Within" is a busy, riotous and confusing scenario that makes it seem as if the film is taking too long to make its point.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 7, 2025

2/4

Forget the usual Transylvania or London settings: This horror flick has the distinction of being set in scary Mississippi.

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Jason Shawhan

Nashville Scene

Sep 10, 2021

One of the most disturbing films made in Mississippi, The Beast Within is a dark fable with all the drama of Tennessee Williams and all the grand guignol cruelties one could hope for.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 31, 2020

5/10

An unconvincing love story, an unexplained connection to cicadas, and an overwrought musical score can't quite dull the impressiveness of the makeup effects at the climax.

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Larry Vitacco

Philadelphia Gay News

May 26, 2020

1/4

The Beast Within is a real loser and not worth mentioning except to say don't waste your money.

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Heather Wixson

Daily Dead

Jan 8, 2016

3/5

Because Mora doesn't go the usual route for The Beast Within, the film ends up being a bit of an oddball creature feature that often stumbles a bit tonally and suffers from some pacing issues around the midway point.

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Kylo W

Jan 3, 2019

beware of the BEAST!!

Theodore S

Aug 17, 2009

This was a revisit to a flick I'd only seen a handful of years ago, but man, is this one a strange film. The odd thing was that I'd somehow blocked out the idea that instead of being some sort of werewolf or other creature, there's a distinctly bug-like element to the beast in question. We are privy to a couple being attacked and the wife molested by...whatever...only to have her teenage son begin to exhibit strange medical issues a years later, which sends them looking for information about exactly *what it was* that raped her all those years ago. Strange stuff and worth a look if you're int he mood for a monster flick.

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Philippe Mora

Director

Ronny Cox

Eli MacCleary

Bibi Besch

Caroline MacCleary

Paul Clemens

Michael MacCleary

Don Gordon

Judge Curwin

R. G. Armstrong

Doc Schoonmaker

The Beast Within: Official Clip - The Beast Emerges

2:36

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - A Taste for Blood

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - A Murderer Running Loose

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - The Judge Confesses

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - Kill Me!

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - Fresh Meat

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - I Warned You

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - So Much Blood

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - I Came Back

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The Beast Within: Official Clip - The Dog Finds a Hand

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Synopsis

Driving near a small Mississippi town in 1964, newlyweds Eli (Ronny Cox) and Caroline (Bibi Besch) experience car trouble. When Eli goes off to look for help, Caroline gets raped and is made pregnant by a horrible creature. Years later the child, now teenager Michael (Paul Clemens), finds himself undergoing an inexplicable physical change that compels him to return to that area in Mississippi. Soon dead bodies start piling up while his desperate parents struggle to understand what's happening.

Director: Philippe Mora
Producer: Harvey Bernhard, Gabriel Katzka
Screenwriter: Tom Holland
Production Co: Katzka
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1982, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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