The Beast of Walton Street – Movie Review (3/5)

THE BEAST OF WALTON STREET is a new werewolf horror movie. An indie production made with heart, talent, and passion. A 90s-inspired vibe with excellent practical effects. Read our full The Beast of Walton St. movie review here!

THE BEAST OF WALTON STREET is a new horror movie with a werewolf story. This is a lot more low-key than many other werewolf stories as it takes place in the present and focuses on homeless main characters.

All while having a delicious 90s-inspired vibe that I enjoyed. Not least thanks to the practical effects. That’s how you make the most of a low budget when doing an indie movie. It’s not long but does feel a little too long which is the one drawback.

Continue reading our The Beast of Walton St. movie review below.

A werewolf in Ohio

In The Beast of Walton Street, we see the werewolf story play out in an Ohio town. The main characters are part of the increasing homeless population of this Ohio town. This is shown from the opening scene which gives you a good idea of what to expect.

We’re getting a movie focused on telling a story via interesting characters and practical effects that get the job done.

In this Ohio city, homeless people are ravaged by brutal deaths this winter, and city officials can’t really be bothered to investigate. That’s why Constance Wilmenson (Athena Murzda) and Sketch Williams (Mia Jones) decide to step up.

They make a pact to defend their turf (and the many cats they feed) and fight back against the perpetrator. And this just happens to be a werewolf who has set up base on Walton St.

Werewolf movie with an air of something kitsch

Whenever a new werewolf movie comes out, it’s usually with one of two styles. Either it’s a period piece with a classic werewolf story that plays out in a rural countryside, or it’s a more contemporary kitsch vibe.

The Beast of Walton Street is definitely along the more kitsch path. And that’s a very good thing. Not least because it plays out in the present and deals with current issues such as increased homelessness in big cities.

Also, the main characters are LGBTQ+ which is something we’ve already seen in several werewolf movies. If not as a main story then as a minor element of in subtext.

Ginger Snaps is one of the movies that served as inspiration for The Beast of Walton St. and I can definitely see that. Another is American Werewolf in London which may be more of a stretch, but that’s mostly due to budget restrictions.

I can feel the vibe of both movies in this one.

Watch The Beast of Walton St. when you can

This new indie werewolf movie is based on the award-winning web series directed by Dusty Austen (Hell House II) and photographed by Aaron Pagniano (She Dies Tomorrow, We Bought A Monkey’s Paw).

Alongside the two stars Athena Murzda (also co-writer and producer) and Mia Jones (Urban Cannibal Massacre), we also have Aimee-Lynn Chadwick (Behind You) in a key role. I loved the LGBTQ representation in this movie as a non-issue. They’re just queer and that’s that. Exactly as in real life.

As a horror fan, I enjoyed the practical effects, the impressive high-quality production, and the well-written characters. I just have one issue with it; It feels too long. With a runtime of just under an hour and a half, that shouldn’t be the case.

It feels like an excellent short film that isn’t quite ready to be a feature film yet. The Beast of Walton St. has solid bones that simply need a little more meat on them. For this reason, we’re giving it 2½ out of 5 but pull it up to a full 3 for all the positives.

The Beast of Walton Street Special Edition Blu-ray is out on November 20, 2024. You can pre-order it through Scream Team Releasing from November 10, 2024.

Details

Director: Dusty Austen
Writers: Athena Murzda & Dusty Austen
Cast: Athena Murzda, Mia Jones, Aimee-Lynn Chadwick