The Being

The Being is a 1983 American horror and science fiction film set in Pottsville, a small town in Idaho where improper handling of toxic or radioactive waste has created a deadly mutant. Residents begin disappearing and turning up dead, and the creature responsible can shift its form, allowing it to move through spaces it should not reach. A police detective investigating the deaths comes to suspect the local waste site, but the mayor refuses to take his concerns seriously and assigns a government scientist to work alongside him. The scientist publicly insists the site is harmless, even as the body count climbs.

The film was directed by Jackie Kong, who also wrote the screenplay, marking her first feature behind the camera before Blood Diner. Bill Osco produced and appears as Detective Mortimer Lutz. The cast includes Martin Landau as scientist Garson Jones, Marianne Gordon as Laurie, José Ferrer as Mayor Gordon Lane, Dorothy Malone as Marge Smith, and Ruth Buzzi as Virginia Lane.

The Being runs 81 minutes and was released in November 1983. On IMDb it holds a rating of 4.4 from roughly 2,300 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 4.9 from a much smaller pool of about 50 votes.