BEAST

When he's not watching graphic horror films, reading scary books, or writing reviews concerning the dark side of adult cinema, Pryce likes nothing more than to settle down and watch some explicit sadomasochism. Yes, it's true - I may come across as some sort of freak, but there we are. However, you do have to admit that there is something undeniably scary yet titillating about being ball-gagged, chained to a rack, electrocuted, whipped, flagellated, and finally tormented with cock-and-ball torture. Okay, maybe cock-and-ball torture is slightly pushing it, but if sadomasochism weren't so scary and titillating, there wouldn't be fetish queens and dominatrices such as Britain's Morrigan Hel and America's Mistress Persephone. Maybe it's the femme fatale aspect of sadomasochism that seduces some people - powerful women dispensing long-drawn-out whippings and bodily abuse. On the other hand, maybe it's the symbolic imagery of the dark side that seduces. Who knows what it is, but there is something unmistakably tempting and alluring about the dark side of sexuality.

The BDSM subculture is a relatively new movement that was expunged from the underground during the 1970s. In spite of the popular opinion that was being proliferated around this time, this subculture has refused to go back to the underground, regardless of the social condemnation it has occasionally received. It is therefore blatantly obvious that for as long as people are willing to explore their sexuality through domination and submission, BDSM will be around to either confuse, disgust, repel, turn-on, or fascinate. The BDSM subculture wasn't the only movement that shocked and appalled the conservative bureaucracy over the past thirty years. The gothic subculture followed in the 1980s and the vampire subculture followed that in the 1990s. Regardless of the apparent differences between these three subcultures, it is not uncommon to see individuals within these three movements sharing common aesthetics and possessing an enthusiastic openness to explore the many vices that mainstream society has constantly tried to outlaw. As a result, it is not unusual to see members of the BDSM scene embracing the darker imagery found within the gothic and vampire subcultures, or members of the gothic and vampire subcultures wearing the regalia associated with BDSM as a fashion statement.

Beast, a contemporary hardcore porn film directed by the awesome Michael Raven, is a sadomasochistic masterpiece that incorporates the aesthetics and symbolic imagery associated with the gothic and vampire subculture without alienating the BDSM community. The sadomasochistic/bondage aspect of Beast is shown through the prolonged whipping, face slapping and ball gagging. The gothic aspect of Beast is shown through the black-coloured attire some of the characters wear and the scenery inside the underground sex club. The vampire aspect of Beast is shown through the kinky blood tasting (I'm not talking about actual vampires here but merely people licking blood). Although Beast is a hardcore porn film, this review is based on the softcore version released by Purgatory Films. I shall go into detail about the differences between this and hardcore version later because both should be sought after.

Leaving mild spanking and teacher/student role-playing videos aside, Beast is one of the most explicit sadomasochism pictures ever shot by the mainstream pornography industry. BDSM pictures of this calibre are usually released by unknown distributors on the alternative porn market. Many obscure websites, such as bizarrevideo.com and Lyndon Distributors, were specifically created to sell material of this nature. Beast therefore is quite intriguing in that it happens to be a mainstream porn film featuring the sinister aesthetics of hardcore sadomasochism. The combination of the two is somewhat mesmerizing and electric. The film even won an AVN award in 2002 with Anthony Crane being given the gong for best actor - an award that was justly deserved. I have no idea how much of the plot I should reveal to you in this review because it will completely spoil the unexpected twists and turns that await you on this menacing journey. For that reason, I shall only cover the basics. Grab a good hold of your genitals folks because you are about to descend into a dark world of sexual and sadomasochistic fantasy.

The synopsis of Beast revolves around an extremely reclusive man called…well you guessed it, Beast. Beast (Anthony Crane) is a hard-working pornographer lurking in the shady world of S&M, making his money during the night but drowning in secret sorrows during the day. It appears that Beast's secret sorrows are stemming from his fruitless search for beauty, both inside and out. As soon as the film begins, we see Beast dreaming about being whipped across his back by a dominatrix inside a gothic, candlelit dungeon. The dominatrix, called Beauty (Jessica Drake), continues to torment Beast while he proclaims that beauty is his salvation.

Beast awakens the next morning and goes over to look at himself in the mirror, but instead of gazing at his own rugged reflection, he is shocked to see the face a completely different man staring back at him. This different man (Evan Stone) is a handsome stud and appears to be everything that Beast isn't in regards to good looks. In a fit of rage and overpowering jealousy, Beast punches the mirror and breaks down crying. From what we can gather so far, Beast is searching for a 'beauty' in the form of a female companion (Jessica Drake) and in the form of himself (a better-looking Beast in which he secretly yearns to be). Therefore, we would be correct in assuming that he punched the mirror because of his extreme jealousy of the more beautiful male image imitating him from inside the mirror.

During the night, Beast visits underground fetish clubs staging deprave scenes of sadomasochism. Once inside a particular club, Beast is tormented by one of his pals for his annoying quietness. It would appear that the dominatrix haunting Beast's dreams is beginning to possess his every thought, affecting the relationships between him and his friends and pulling him away from everyday reality. Beast is then left alone to brood over his sorrows as his friend escorts an attractive-looking woman (April) to one of the back rooms. Once inside the back room, the attractive woman is taken to muscular stud (Lee Stone) sitting on a couch and receives the banging of her life. Meanwhile, Beast ignores the seductive gaze of a latex-clad nun and leaves the club.

On other nights, Beast shoots his own domination/submission porn films specialising in dominant women spitting saliva into men's faces. At other times, Beast photographs voluptuous fetish models tied to chairs with ball-gags stuffed into their mouths. One of his fellow photographers, a brutal Englishman who likes taunting the bound models, accuses Beast of being "so fucking catholic" because of his masochism.

In the mean time, Beast's dreams of submitting to Jessica Drake are becoming increasingly bloody and menacing. Perhaps out of growing curiosity or realisation that his fantasy life is spiralling out of control, Beast picks up the telephone and calls an underground domination/submission agency. He visits the agency the next day and selects from a picture catalogue the dominatrix he wishes to submit to. But when Beast accidentally bumps into Mistress Beauty along the gloomy corridors of the sadomasochism dungeon, Beast perceives a peculiar resemblance between the mistress and the dominatrix haunting his dreams. Beast then embarks down a perilous path of total submission, surrendering himself to the painful torments of Mistress Beauty and willing to do anything for her in the process.

Beast is a very intelligent adult film when you take into account the profound character development and the way in which the characters interact with the shady world of S&M. Many of the characters fall victim to a dark world of unrestrained sexual depravity where fantasy clashes with reality. Beast himself becomes a victim to this sinister world, completely discarding his former misgivings and seeking a painful indulgence that threatens chaos on all sides.

Believe me when I say that Beast will be unlike any other adult film you have seen in your life. Director Michael Raven and writer David Aaron Clark rejected the clichéd repetitiveness of the modern hardcore porn industry and replaced it with intelligent character development and sinister scenes of rough sex. Their astute knowledge into the world of BDSM and their brazen intent of not shying away from the dark side of this subculture is what makes Beast an absolute winner. Not bad considering Beast was filmed in 2001 during the explosion of tedious gonzo films. Beast even has psychology backing it up.

Many studies have been carried out into establishing the root-causes of sadomasochism, with many contradictory conclusions being the result. Some studies, especially the ones conducted by radical feminist groups, presume that sadomasochism is nothing but a tool used by men to keep women restrained under the worldwide patriarchy. On the other hand, Wilhem Stekel - one of the greatest psychiatrists of the twentieth century who published an enormous 800-page work analysing the origins of sadomasochism - postulated that it would be wrong to assume that sadomasochism is a heightening of the sexual impulse, whereby men are dominant and women are submissive. Some studies infer that sadomasochism is a practice in which adults can control their childhood trauma through being punished. By turning a traumatic situation into something sexually pleasurable, adults can feel they have overcome an aspect of trauma while feeling a sense of power in the process. From this perspective, we can conclude that BDSM is a therapeutic practice for some individuals (I'm sure you are aware of the stories of holocaust survivors seeking the services of a dominatrix after being freed from the concentration camps). Sadomasochism can also appeal to individuals who seek punishment for not being skilled at attracting members of the opposite sex. The punishment they receive becomes something which they feel they deserve. In all these theories, the individuals feel a sense of power, a sense of pleasure, in overcoming their own resistance for the delectation of another person - in this case the sadist. Now we can understand why Beast sought the services of a dominatrix. He was lonely, didn't attract members of the opposite sex, and possibly felt the need to be punished by a powerful woman for his lack of prowess or good looks. It was this aspect of Beast that really impressed me. Although Beast may be a contemporary porn film filmed in an era when plot in porn is considered a complete waste of time, it actually attempts to convey a convincing story with strong psychological facts backing it up. Of course, it will be extremely wrong of me to tarnish every individual in the sadomasochism community as victims looking to overcome some sort of trauma or obstacle. Besides, some individuals are only apart of the sadomasochist scene because they want to try something different, something taboo. I'm just merely delving into the reasons why Beast felt the urge to descend into the dark side of sadomasochism. Temptation can be a bitch, but you will not find me complaining.

Director Michael Raven struck gold with this extreme masterpiece, but it was the sheer excellence of the acting that erected Beast to award-winning status. The performance of Jessica Drake as the dominatrix was brutal and elegantly performed. She may not be the biggest name in the adult film industry, but her acting ability in plot-driven adult films is worthy of some accolade. Anthony Crane as Beast must rank as one of the greatest performances in the history of the adult cinema. His character in Beast was a stark contrast to some of his other sadomasochism/fetish pictures. In Beast, he played the part of a masochist lost in his own world of sexual fantasy and tormented by bloody nightmares. In Captured, a Bizarre Video production from 2001, he was an unapologetic sadist dominating a kidnapped woman inside a BDSM studio. He also enjoys tying up women and abusing their breasts, as proven in Big Tit Bondage 6 (2004). You will even see him participating in Enema Bandit Returns (1995). I'll leave it up to you to discover what this last one is about.

As I said before, this review of Beast is based on the softcore version released by Purgatory Films. There is a hardcore version available, but it can only be purchased from licensed sex shops or imported from the United States. When comparing this softcore version to the hardcore version I saw a few years ago, I see subtle differences towards the very end of the sex scenes. In the hardcore version, we get to see explicit cum shots exploding over women's chests and even into their mouths. Some of the women then spit the cum into the male performer's faces to re-assert their dominance. In this softcore version, it appears that the men actually ejaculated inside the women while having sex with them. Although I am sure most readers will feel the need to get hold of the hardcore version and leave this softcore release aside, I do believe that both should be sought after with equal intensity. This way you will perhaps appreciate the story and cinematography a little more. Beast happens to be more than just a hardcore porn film; it is also a plot-driven porn film composed of artful images and proficient cinematography. The cinematic aspect of Beast is exposed more in the softcore version than the hardcore version. You still get the bondage and authenticity in the softcore version, but not the hardcore pussy-pounding sex. The sex, however, is more erotic and sensual in the softcore version, whereas the sex in the hardcore version is vicious and sometimes sadistic. Therefore, both should be sought after and added to your collection ASAP. You will not regret it.

Beast is presented in a Fullscreen 1:33:1 aspect ratio with very clear picture quality, but you must remember that the texture is somewhat dark and menacing. The audio was also very clear with a decent hard rock soundtrack accompanying our one-handed workout. This isn't the hardcore heavy metal with all the guttural screaming that you'll find in many other porn/adult features. It is lighter, softer metal that actually has audible lyrics.

On the extras side of things, we are treated some interesting features that I'm will sure will satisfy most viewers. First up we have three trailers of porn films dating back to the mid-1990s (Latex, Shock and A Clockwork Orgy). We then have four biographies of the female performers (Jessica Drake, Wendy Divine, Alexa Rae, and Ava Vincent) and a still gallery of sixteen photographs. However, the most interesting feature has to be Madame Sex and the X Show (2000). This little film, directed by Sarah Bisset, is a comedic tale about a group of female performers trying to entertain a group of jeering men by sexually exciting them. This is an interesting short with amazing cinematography and decent acting. The final extra is a Triple Silence music video by a New York band called The Nuns. Triple Silence is Redemption's music label specialising in bands that have a vampyric, satanic and sexual look about them. The Nuns themselves are very vampyric with their music video decorated with latex-clad vampires exposing their bloody teeth. Delicious stuff! Rounding off the DVD is small segment of Salvation/Redemption contact information with a list of websites for you to visit. According to the back of the DVD cover, there is an essay on S&M cinema somewhere on this disc, but I have failed to find it. This could be a mistake made during the production of the DVD.

Overall, this is a cracking DVD release by Purgatory Films, especially if you happen to be interested in the sadomasochism lifestyle. If not, be warned. Michael Raven will whip you across the back with this baby, and you just might find yourself enjoying it. I give this release a carnal ten out of ten!

Stay sick!

Reviewed by Pryce