On August 19, 2022, a new man versus nature film will grace the big screen: Beast. Starring Idris Elba, the actor will find himself going head-to-head with a lion on a murderous path. This movie is directed by Baltasar Kormákur and distributed by Universal Pictures. Kormákur is known for his survival movies, having directed Adrift and Everest. Along with Elba, the film stars Leah Jeffries (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Sharlto Copley (District 9), and Iyana Halley (This is Us).

Idris Elba is a fan-favorite actor across all genres and has starred in both the Marvel and DC universes. In this film, he plays a biologist who faces nature itself. Elba is not the first actor to face nature (or lions) in film. This new movie is an example of humans’ fascination with going up against something or someone that is more deadly and stronger. These topics are explored in a horror subgenre called natural or eco-horror films.

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An Overview of Natural Horror Films

     Warner Bros. Pictures

The definition of a natural horror film is simply a subgenre of horror that features natural forces that poses a threat to the human characters. Usually, these natural forces are plants or animals. There is no limit to what can be the opposing force of humans. This subgenre can intermix with other genres, such as survival.

The stories of mankind versus animals have been written long before film. In fact, a book inspired the movie that is considered the first natural horror film. Moby Dick. It is a classic story that centers around the idea of man versus whale. The adaptation of the movie was titled Sea Beast, a silent film that was released in 1926. It was directed by Millard Webb, and from there, the genre grew and shaped itself into many paths.

Various famed directors have tried their hand at the eco-horror subgenre. Alfred Hitchcock gave the world a fright with his 1963 film The Birds. Steven Spielberg created chaos and lifelong fears of sharks and beaches with his 1975 film Jaws. In recent years there has been Alexandre Aja’s 2019 Crawl about alligators getting stuck with humans in a Florida basement after a hurricane.

The Impact of Natural Horror Films

     Universal Pictures

All the films listed above have had an impact on society of some kind. Jaws is the most notable, as there have been numerous studies done on the effect that these films have had. A study done by researcher and professor at the University of South Australia, Brianna Le Busque, stated:

Studies also suggest that shark populations have dropped since the release of Jaws and the films that follow. It is not just the big, scary creatures that can get put in a negative light, however. We have seen humans take on frogs (Frogs, 1972), bats (Bats, 1999), ants (Ants!, 1977), beavers (Zombeavers, 2014), shrews (Killer Shrews, 1959), slugs (Slugs: The Movie, 1988), and even man’s best friend (Cujo, 1983).

Enter the Beast

The 2022 survival nature horror movie Beast is shaping up to be a heart-stopping event. The official plot, as released by Universal Pictures, is as follows:

Idris Elba’s costar, Iyana Halley, talked about the film’s suspense and, of course, “the LION” in an interview with Haute Living:

The film was shot in South Africa in three locations: Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Cape Town. This movie will surely be able to bring to life the fear and complex world of poaching and wildlife.

Audiences can check out this new film on August 19, 2022, in theaters across the country.