The Beast Comes at Midnight

I watched this when it came on streaming and enjoyed it quite a bit. A small, independent film out of Florida, it features Eric Roberts and Michael Pare in roles that support an entertaining and likable cast. It's about a werewolf that comes to town, and the nerdy teen who has to figure out how to stop it. Like all good monster movies, they save the reveal of the fully transformed werewolf for the end. The lighting and camerawork were all top notch, evoking just the right mood and tension. This is not a film by a major studio, but I would definitely say give it a try. It looks like was fun to make, and that comes across as an entertaining film to watch.

In a small, rural town, a teenage livestreamer who feels like an outsider stumbles upon a chilling revelation: a werewolf is stalking one of the town's popular kids. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he understands that he cannot face this supernatural threat alone. To combat the lurking danger, he reluctantly seeks the assistance of four well-known peers, each with their own unique strengths and personalities. As they navigate the complexities of their social dynamics, the group must learn to work together, overcoming their differences to confront the menace that threatens their community.

The Beast Comes at Midnight is designed with a family-friendly ethos, deliberately avoiding explicit violence and graphic imagery. Instead, the film employs a more nuanced approach to storytelling, allowing the more harrowing moments to unfold off-screen. This technique invites viewers to engage their imaginations, fostering a sense of suspense without resorting to shock tactics. Such a choice not only enhances the film's accessibility to a broader audience but also underscores significant themes such as friendship, courage, and the vital role of unity when confronting challenges. As the characters unite in their common quest, they come to realize that true strength is derived not solely from individual talents but from the bonds they create with one another.

The cinematography in the film is particularly noteworthy, capturing the essence of the narrative with striking visuals that complement the story's emotional depth. The ensemble cast delivers commendable performances, showcasing a remarkable chemistry that elevates the film's overall impact. The creative team behind this production is making significant contributions to the industry, reviving classic horror elements while infusing them with a contemporary sensibility. This refreshing take on the family-horror genre resonates deeply, and I find this indie film deserving of a solid rating of 7 out of 10 for its engaging storytelling and artistic execution.

I was fortunate enough to see "The Beast Comes at Midnight" when it played at the Tampa Theatre. It was a great evening and I was able to meet Samantha and some of the actors and the director after the show-they were there to answer our questions and describe the making of the film. I love that they were "front and center!" It is a fun show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Samantha O'Donnell is amazing and is certainly on her way to becoming a great Actress. The Beast Comes at Midnight was filmed right here in Florida and certainly fits in with the story line. Don't become a member of the "FOMO Club!" - be sure and check it out on Amazon! 🌕🐺

You don't always get to see Indie horror flicks so well crafted. But from start to finish this film delivers. Everyone from the veteran cast (Pare and Roberts) to the youthful cast really turn in stellar performances. It harkens back for me personally to a lot of great 80's horror movies that I loved. The films colors reminded me of the great Lost Boys, while the teen themes have a solid foundation in The Monster Squad. This is a really fantastic outing, and I for one can not wait to see what this great production team from Florida puts out next! Make sure you check this one out though. It is pretty epic.

Trying to work on a new story, a teen working on a special series of broadcasts on the events in his town stumbles upon a series of mysterious disappearances that seem to be caused by a vicious creature hunting the town, and when he and his friends discover it's a vicious werewolf set out to stop the creature.

This was a likable and enjoyable kid-friendly genre effort. Among the brighter aspects here is the film's incredibly fun storyline that provides the proper context and motivation for what's going on around him and still retains the same kind of low-key atmosphere at its core. With the kids being the main focus and feature in the film the most, the idea of treating them with the treatment it presents to them where the interactions around the town or the building romance angle that comes into play show off a lighthearted approach to things that keep this one fairly well-grounded in this kid-friendly mindset through their interests and comedic touches even though the need for the continuing creature attacks are still present. The ability to wrap these factors together into a workable and rather likable setup as the brotherhood that builds between everyone to stop the creature following this starting point. This comes together quite well into the strong finale where it brings about some great action and confrontations while still keeping the family-friendly tone to it. Realizing what's going on and firmly aware of its purpose, the series of confrontations throughout the town leading it back to the carnival display that was established early on which is all highly enjoyable, this offers quite a lot to like. The strong pace, suspenseful stalking throughout the facility with some tense moments featured here, and a nice bit of bonding that occurs between the group which is carried over nicely into the post-credits sequence, this has some fantastic aspects on display which goes along with the appropriately cheesy and silly practical werewolf effects which are perfectly in tone for the type of film this is. It all comes together here for quite a lot to like about it. There isn't much wrong here as the few flaws don't hold it back all that much. The main feature here is that for all the fine build-up it does into bringing the two of them together as a couple, the idea of jumping into the chase for the werewolf is a bit rushed and doesn't come off that well. While it starts off showing that they can bond over his weird hobbies and interests mainly detailing the strange and odd, the jump to werewolf is a major one and it's brushed aside so quickly that there's not a logical build-up to the incident that makes it feel like a natural part of their time together. It's much the same with the incident at the donut shop where she gets assaulted by the homeless man which is supposedly enough to slightly traumatize her after the fact but is never brought up or mentioned again when they meet moments later. As well, while not a truly genuine flaw this one still deals with the kid-friendly mindset in terms of its gore and bloodshed as none of this is visible even in the aftermath of attack scenes so it can come off like a bit of a cheat in places but is otherwise quite fun overall.

Rated Unrated/PG: Violence and Mild Language.