Fame and fortune. The star status and unconditional recognition. What is the price to pay for that, especially in a frivolous place as Hollywood can be? Horror-comedy Beast Mode (2020) has an answer for that. An answer that, I’m afraid, we shouldn’t take very seriously.
In the movie, when Breen Nash accidentally kills his only client and meal ticket, he turns to an ancient herbal extract with the hope that it will resurrect both his client and his career. But soon learns this elixir brings out the worst in those who imbibe, turning them into bloodthirsty, shape-shifting beasts and leaving Breen no recourse but to stop the creatures himself before his own inner beast consumes him. On the other side, ‘bad boy’ actor Huckle Saxton lets fame get to his head and turns into a ferocious beast, ripping Hollywood to shreds. Will he sink his teeth into the role of a lifetime or succumb to the dangers of the Hollywood lifestyle?
The movie has been directed by Chris W. Freeman (the man behind the horror movies Sorority Party Massacre (2012), Mirror Image (2017), and Evil Takes Root (2020)) and Spain Willingham (responsible for the comedies First World Problems (2012) and The Pure Party (2009)). They have also been authors of the screenplay, together with Drew Fortune.
The cast for Beast Mode (2020) includes some recognizable faces like C. Thomas Howell (one of the kids from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), who also was Rutger Hauer‘s prey in The Hitcher (1986)), James Hong (the unforgettable Hannibal Chew in Blade Runner (1982) and, overall, the evil Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China (1986)), Leslie Easterbrook (the hottie Sgt. Callahan in the Police Academy saga until she was rediscovered by Rob Zombie as a horror icon after appearing in Halloween (2007) and The Devil’s Rejects (2005)), James Duval (who has played tormented characters in many productions outstanding his roles in The Doom Generation (1995), Go (1999), Donnie Darko (2001), and May (2002)), and Ray Wise (the forever perturbed Leeland Palmer in the Twin Peaks universe). Robert Costanzo, Daz Crawford, Suzanne Quast, Douglas Bennett, and Kristina Ho also star.
Beast Mode (2020) is already available on-demand. Here you can watch its official trailer.
