The Beast Within is a 1982 American horror film directed by Philippe Mora from a screenplay by Tom Holland.

Due to the book not having been finished prior to production, the resulting script bears little resemblance to the source material.

The family returns to Mississippi looking for information about the man who assaulted Caroline, in case Michael's illness is genetic.

They learn about the unsolved murder of a mortician named Lionel Curwin, seventeen years prior.

Amanda tells Michael she is the daughter of Horace Platt, an abusive alcoholic who is Lionel Curwin's cousin.

Assuming direct control of Michael, Connors describes using magic to return as a spirit to punish the Curwin family after his death seventeen years earlier.

He returns to the hospital and begs to be killed, fearing that Connors will take over and Michael will be unable to stop him.

At the hospital, Poole, Eli, Caroline, and Schoonmaker witness Michael metamorphoses into a monster as Connors takes control and kills Horace.

He raped Caroline in the woods before being shot by Lionel's relatives, apparently returning to the cellar to die.

The Beast Within was written by Tom Holland, in his first writing credit for a feature film, and directed by Philippe Mora.

As a result, Holland was forced to write most of the film's screenplay from scratch, with the final product differing significantly from the novel.

[5] Director Mora has stated that United Artists cut several scenes from the film which clarified some of the story's plot details.

[3] The film's soundtrack was composed by Les Baxter, who considered it to be one of his finest, in his final feature-length score.

[7] The film was released on DVD in the United States by MGM Home Entertainment as part of their Midnite Movies line in 2001.

[12] Patrick Naugle from DVD Verdict gave the film a mixed review stating, "The Beast Within won't be to every horror buff's taste.

"[13] Charles Tatum from eFilmCritic.com wrote, "It is always sad to see name actors reduced to taking icky gross horror films just to pay a mortgage.

Jones are very good here, and Meshach Taylor looks the same here as he does now, almost twenty years later...hey, that is the creepiest thing about this film.

"[14] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "The Beast Within isn't as bad as its reputation suggests (there's some atmosphere to burn and an impressive gallery of supporting character actors), but it's really only for blossoming cinephiles and horror aficionados looking to finish their essays... Everyone else would be well-advised to mine the sentiment expressed on the film's cover art: Beware.

"[15] Severed Cinema awarded the film 5/8 stars, stating, "Flawed in places by some bad acting and predictable small-town folks, The Beast Within is a tight show with very good production values, and it seriously needs a big release on a good label and not simply double-billed on an MGM DVD".

[17] J.C. Macek III of PopMatters gave the film a mixed 5 out of 10 stars, writing "As it stands, The Beast Within is an above-average monster movie with good actors and a sometimes comprehensible plot.