The Beast must Die

Note: This is the first among several Amicus studio films that I will be reviewing over the next couple of weeks.

Synopsis: A world famous hunter invites a group of people over to his estate for what they believe is a weekend holiday. He actually has another plan in mind. He believes that one of them is actually a werewolf, and he intends to hunt that most dangerous prey. As the weekend begins to pass the houseguests and staff begin to die. Who will die next, and more importantly who is the werewolf? You will just have to watch to find out!

The Good: This is a great cast for a horror film. You have the always-excellent Peter Cushing in the role of werewolf expert Dr. Lundgren. Also in the cast are standouts Michael Gambon and Tom Chadbon. I found the story line to be an extremely interesting twist on a bored hunter tracking human beings ala the short story “The Most Dangerous Game”. The film is shot with a certain seventies sensibility which works very nicely with the overall experience. Whether it is the soundtrack, clothes, or set dressing, everything seems perfect. Watch for the werewolf break that gives the viewer a chance to guess who the werewolf is. Sounds cheesy, but it is fun.

The Bad: I really don’t like how they handled the werewolf creature in this movie. They use a large black dog to stand in for the werewolf. It is pretty clear, even without the commentary, that the dog really is quite gentle. The “action” scenes involving the dog are at time laughable. Also we aren’t given any transformation sequences, which was disappointing.

The Score: 2.5 out of 4

I actually like this movie a great deal despite it’s faults. If you are a fan of werewolf films you may be a bit disappointed in the Beast must Die, but it is still a fun movie.

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