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Imagine a teched-up version of Knives Out, but with . . . wait for it . . . WEREWOLVES!
Welcome to Beast Within, a clever and stylish whodunnit from A Build Character production in association with Little Axe Productions and High Star Entertainment. This mystery thriller hits all the right notes as a cast of characters (read as suspects) are assembled, the mystery surrounding a new gaming app deepened, and claws sharpened.
Let the slitting of throats begin! We dive right into the monster hunting thanks to a quick opening set-up which gives us narration and action before slowing down a bit to bring context to the night of terror we’ve just peeked in on. It's a good strategy, even if it does tip its hat a bit too much.
August (Steven Morana, Whiskey Business, Nothing Personal) hates crowds. But he finds himself at a Gaming App launch party anyway. He tells us that, as the face of the app, it’s his duty and - with a killer lofi soundtrack by hip-hop artist Arya Safakish bumping in the background - this marketing opportunity takes a turn for the worse when a dead body is discovered and then another and then another.
You get the picture. Someone or someTHING is “offing” the guests!
And just like that, after a solid catalog of interesting characters are introduced - including August’s online interest Cheyenne (Holly Deveaux of The Mist and Shadowhunters), we find ourselves caught in the middle of a werewolf-themed whodunnit as necks are ripped open and suspicions cast thanks to the big tech millionaire at the center of this party - Brian (Art Hindle) - and his nefarious shenanigans involving his collection of silver-certified werewolf-killing “tools”.
With nowhere to turn, August becomes our guide through this howling night of suspicion and splatterhouse gore.
Co-directed by Chris Green (Zombie Werewolves Attack!) and Morana and co-written with Rudy Jahchan, Beast Within (previously known as Hunter’s Moon) is a clever and fun-filled look at the tech world of patches as skins as it gets rocked by a werewolf on the loose on the night of celebration.
This blood-soaked thriller, which was the Best Monster winner at Hexploitation Film Festival this year and the Best Special Effects winner at Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival last year, is gore-tastic in its delivery as the Gaming App launch party at the center of this supernatural storm goes belly up on the night of killer full moon. That’s due to the great practical effects of The Butcher Shop FX Studio and the monster design of Carlos Henriques who give this tale of fangs and fur a great texture.
With a solid and cool setting, Beast Within cleverly mixes some old school whodunnit vibes with a very here-and-now premise as the world of coding goes full on Creature Feature and serves up a hair-raising tale of priests and party-goers. We might be confined to a lavish house and its surrounding enviros, but it works to create a unique and striking vibe that is lacking from a lot of other independent releases.
Featuring striking performances from Colm Feore (Thor, Chronicles of Riddick), Ari Millen (Orphan Black), Alysa King (Slasher, The Dwelling), Supinder Wraich (The 410, Guidstones), and Katie Boland (The Bet, We’re All In This Together), this film and its cast make for a killer combination when it comes to entertainment this Halloween.
Beast Within is currently available On Demand by Stonecutter Media. Publicity stunt or the real thing? You decide.
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: Matthew Campagna, Chris Green
Writer: Matthew Campagna, Rudy Jahchan
Cast: Colm Feore, Steven Morana, Holly Deveaux
Genre: Horror
Tagline: There are no players only prey.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Obviously, something terrible has happened"
Theatrical Distributor: Stonecutter Films
Official Site: https://www.beastwithinmovie.com/
Release Date: January 6, 2020
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A new gaming app Werewolves Awaken is being launched at a VIP event hosted by an eccentric billionaire at his country estate. The lead gaming developer, August (Steven Morana) is looking forward to finally meeting his online girlfriend, Cheyenne (Holly Deveaux) at the party. The festivities are interrupted by a priest (Colm Feore) who condemns the party guests as "marked for the beast." Convinced it's a publicity stunt, the party-goers disregard the protest until a dead body is found. August and Chyenne, along with the remaining guests, become players in a deadly version of the game. All are questioning who within the group could be the ferocious killer, as everyone is a suspect.
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