Hi nastypuppy,
I'm surprised you hadn't heard of this horror flick. It came out on the theaters back in 1981 but then disappeared into VHS history. You can still find new DVD copies in mass merchandiser stores.
Full frontal nudity was not prohibited in 1981, just not widely employed. The reason THE BEAST WITHIN could depict full nudity was its acceptance of a R rating and the reliance on a female body stunt double. The actresses Bibi Besch and Kitty Moffat didn't have to undertake embarassing nudity. The body double didn't have to worry about her reputation since her face was well concealed.
I learned from another fan that a female student from a local college was hired to do the nude scenes. On a lark I invited that female body double to come on to this thread and tell us about her probable one and only film experience as a nude double. It explained why in the movie, the nude female victim looks much different than the actresses. Bibi Besch was only 5'4". The female nude body double looks to be 5'10".
By the way, I enjoy looking at the 'little details' for stunt work in action/sci-fi/horror flicks. I should have worked for the entertainment industry in the props and special effects department. It looks like lots of fun. You mentioned the panties being ripped off. Look closer again. In order to achieve that effect, the props or costume department had to make a small scissors cut across the waistband so that the creature stuntman could rip the panties apart easily. Otherwise the stuntman creature would have struggled trying to rip an elastic band. It's the little details. Read my post on the special effects employed for the 1981 horror flick, "The Entity". I got into some much detail, though, that well, some found it 'creepy'. But I love the special effects and props work from an inventive and imaginative standpoint.
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