The Beast Within

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The Beast Within ★★ 1982 (R)

Young woman has the misfortune of being raped by an unseen creature in a Mississippi swamp. Seventeen years later, her son conceived from that hellish union begins to act quite strange, developing a penchant for shedding his skin before turning into an insect-like critter with a cannibalistic appetite. First film to use the air “bladder” type of prosthetic makeup popularized in later, and generally better, horror films. Contains some choice cuts in photo editing: the juxtaposition of hamburger and human “dead meat” is witty. Based on Edward Levy's 1981 novel. 98m/ C VHS, DVD . Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, L.Q. Jones, Paul Clemens, Don Gordon, Katherine Moffat, John Dennis Johnston, R.G. Armstrong, Logan Ramsey, Ron Soble, Meshach Taylor; D: Philippe Mora; W: Tom Holland; C: Jack L. Richards; M: Les Baxter.

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