The Beast Inside, directed by Jim Towns and written by Towns and star Saide Katz, follows Anne (Katz), a young woman who has had trouble discerning reality since the death of her mother. She has become such a threat to her husband, Daniel (Anthony W. Preston), and their young son, Sammy (Pressly James Crosby), that she’s been given limited visitation rights. Anne is aware of all of this and is seeking help from Doctor Faulkner (Ron Russell), the psychiatrist Debra (Kim Marie Austin), and a reiki healer named Jasmine (Denise Milfort).
After those three fail to help her, Anne comes to the conclusion she must be possessed by a demon, possibly inherited from her mother. She asks Father Geoffrey (Vernon Wells) for an exorcism. Father Geoffrey has recently left the church in disgrace, so his resources are limited. Anne rents a motel room to perform an exorcism on herself, but that’s easier said than done, given the demon (Victoria De Mare) is not only very real but much more powerful and sneaky than she could have ever expected.
“Anne rents a motel room to perform an exorcism on herself…”
The Beast Inside struggles in regards to the acting. The pacing in many scenes seems too quick; the dialogue is delivered too clearly and too pronounced and lacks the desperation the situation requires. It’s like every actor was conversing with hard-of-hearing people. One of the best roles, John Pasquale as Tom, the hotel manager, shows a natural sleaze in what would have been a thankless walk-on role otherwise. Wells certainly looks the part and has a few intense moments. Laurene Landon, as Anne’s mom, is exceptionally emotional and good.
Like all possession films, this will be compared to The Exorcist. Larger budgets notwithstanding, Towns’s film has its merits as a character study of Anne going through life changes with added demonic influence. The picture adds the twist of self-administered exorcism, which makes one wonder if it would work given that the person is not sanctified and does not have permission to use holy weapons. While this angle isn’t explored too much, it is at least a bit of a fun thought exercise that is brought up.
What The Beast Inside does best is illuminate Anne’s mental health struggles against the backdrop of demonic possession. What it does not do is understand if it is a horror film or a character drama. There aren’t many scares as the horror elements often feel like window dressing for the drama Anne finds herself in. Taken altogether, this is an interesting and off-beat hybrid film, though leaning heavier into one genre or the other could have strengthened several parts.
"…interesting and off-beat..."
