The Beast Within

As they embarked on their post-nuptial road trip through rural Mississippi, Eli McCreary (Ronny Cox) and Caroline McCreary (Bibi Besch) found themselves veering off course, literally and figuratively. The sudden detour into the mud would prove to be a turning point in their lives, as it led to a harrowing encounter with an unknown entity that left an indelible mark on their relationship. The assault, which claimed their dog's life and left Caroline with an unwelcome souvenir, was a traumatic event that would haunt them for years to come.

Seventeen years later, the consequences of that fateful night began to manifest in their son Michael (Paul Clemens), who found himself struggling with an unexplained malady that threatened to consume him. As his parents Eli and Caroline returned to Naiobi, Mississippi - a small town shrouded in secrets and mysteries - they became convinced that the key to unlocking Michael's condition lay hidden in the events of that long-ago night. Their investigation would soon stir up a hornet's nest of suspicion and hostility among the townsfolk, particularly the local magistrate Judge Curwin (Don Gordon) and newspaper editor Edwin Curwin (Logan Ramsey).

As Michael's health began to decline, he found himself plagued by vivid dreams of trying to confine some ancient evil in a cellar. His nocturnal visions would soon take on a life of their own, as he became increasingly drawn to the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of Naiobi. His first port of call was Edwin Curwin's house, where he was mistaken for the local grocery delivery boy and granted entry by the unsuspecting editor. But little did Michael know that his visit would set in motion a chain reaction of events that would lead him down a dark path of bloodlust and carnage.

As the townsfolk began to whisper about the strange occurrences plaguing Naiobi, Amanda Platt (Katherine Moffett) found herself drawn into Michael's orbit. Her concern for his health led her to take him under her wing, but as they grew closer, their romance was tempered by the discovery of a gruesome human hand in the woods. The excavation that followed would reveal a trail of bones and secrets that had been buried deep beneath the town's idyllic facade.

As Michael's hunger for violence continued to grow, he would find himself torn between his feelings for Amanda and his own primal urges. His nocturnal visits to the mortuary, where he claimed the life of Dexter Ward (Luke Askew), a relative of the Curwins and Platts, marked the beginning of a descent into madness that would soon consume him whole.

As Michael (pseudonym) arrives at Amanda's residence, ostensibly to safeguard her from the murderer, he is instead repelled by her father. In the hospital, Schoonemaker engages in a conversation with Eli and Caroline regarding an enigmatic, subcutaneous layer of body tissue that appears in Michael's X-ray images. Later, a visibly agitated Michael confronts Eli and Caroline, revealing his discovery that Eli is not his biological father, but rather Billy Connors. The next day, Tom approaches them to disclose the truth: Michael is innocent of the murders, and the true culprit is Billy Connors. Eli demands answers, prompting Michael to lash out in fury. In a subsequent episode of violence, Michael kills Tom and then proceeds to Amanda's house, where he becomes increasingly aware that his homicidal impulses are resurfacing. He implores Amanda to flee town, before attempting to take his own life by jumping from the window.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Pool and Eli pay a visit to the Collins estate, where they stumble upon a grotesquely deformed skeleton chained in the cellar. Back at the hospital, Michael undergoes a terrifying metamorphosis in front of Schoonemaker, Caroline, Horace, and Judge Curwin. Despite sustaining several gunshot wounds to the chest, Michael emerges from the ordeal with his life, only to subsequently murder Horace before escaping into the night. His human skin is later found discarded outside.

As the chaos unfolds, Judge Curwin demands protection within the county jail. He reveals a shocking truth: Billy Connors was once imprisoned by Lionel Curwin, a fundamentalist Christian driven mad by his own depraved desires. Lionel had chained Billy in his cellar after discovering him and his wife engaging in intimacy. The deranged Lionel then murdered his wife, leaving her remains for Billy to consume.

Michael's descent into madness accelerates as he attacks the county jail, brutalizing Judge Curwin before tracking down Amanda, whose vehicle has careened off the road. He pursues her into the woods, where she had previously been assaulted by an unknown assailant. The encounter culminates in a horrific act of violence as Michael rapes Amanda.

The arrival of Michael's parents, Sheriff Pool, and Schoonemaker serves only to incite further chaos. As Michael attacks Eli, Caroline seizes a shotgun and delivers a fatal blow to Michael's head, instantly killing him. In the aftermath, Schoonemaker stands over Amanda's ravaged body, surrounded by the McCreadys, Sheriff Pool, and an awkward silence that hangs in the air like a palpable force.