January 17, 2008
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Puberty is risky business.Phillippe Mora -- who directed the grossly underrated Dennis Hopper flick Mad Dog Morgan -- appears to have a great affinity for those cheap, second-tier American rubber monster movies crafted during the genre's heyday in the mid-50's. His enjoyably blood-soaked 1982 effort The Beast Within often appears to be the product of this bygone era, albeit one with enough gratuitous gore and pointless nudity to satisfy those looking for a bit of the salty stuff to keep their morbid cravings under lock and key. Unfortunately for those looking for a high-quality sci-fi experience, Mora's juicy cinematic opus has more in common with, say, Southern Gothic literature than anything found lurking and drooling within the monster movie spectrum. Additionally, the story isn't exactly top-notch, most of the acting is impossibly wooden, and the special effects crumble under intense scrutiny. However, there's something unusually satisfying about The Beast Within, even after you've come to terms with the film's gargantuan leaps in logic and common sense. It definitely works, but I'm not entirely sure why. As long as you don't ask too much from this silly little adventure, everyone should find at least one positive thing to sing about once the credits have rolled. Maybe. If you're lucky.
Recipe For Success: One Cheesy Sci-Fi Premise + Ronny Cox + Nonconsensual Beastiality
Listen To Ronny Cox: When the man tells you to stay in the car, you'd better stay in the freaking car.
Don't blame him if you get raped while wandering around the woods.
Posted by
The Film Fiend
1 Spasms:
I too have a soft spot for this one...I remember watching it at home in the early days of VHS (yeah, I fart dust) and being completely grossed out and horrified by two things: the admittedly dated-now transformation sequence, and the close up of the guy's feet kneading the raw hamburger in his death throes. That's an indelible image.
Still the greatest cicada-based monster legend of all time, for my money. :) Who knew they were such dirty little bugs?
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