Beast Must Die, The

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In this little horror film, a wealthy sportsman (Calvin Lockhart) invites a house full of guests to a big-game hunt that he's devised. He's sure that one of the guests is a werewolf, and he intends to stalk it, find it, and kill it. As a film viewer, you are alerted at the outset that a mystery awaits and that clues will be unveiled that can point to the identity of the werewolf. In fact, near the conclusion, the film has inserted a 30-second interlude during which you must decide, once and for all, who the hunted beast is. This film is based upon a story by James Blish titled There Shall Be No Darkness. ~ Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: All
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Audio: DDM2.0
• Features:
  • Commentary by director Paul Annett
  • Theatrical trailers
  • Still gallery
  • Cast and crew biographies
  • Liner notes
  • Paul Annett's tribute to Peter Cushing
  • "Directing 'The Beast!'" featurette

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Michael Gambon - Jan Jamokowksi
       Andrew Lodge - Pilot
       Tom Chadbon - Paul Foote
       Sam Mansaray - Butler
       Anton Diffring - Pavel
       Calvin Lockhart - Tom Newcliffe
       Eric Carte - 2nd Hunter
       Carl Bohun - 1st Hunter
       Peter Cushing - Dr. Christopher Lundgren
       Charles Gray - Bennington
       Ciaran Madden - Davina Gilmore
       Marlene Clark - Caroline Newcliffe

• Director:

  Paul Annett

• Producer:

  John Dark, Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky

• Screenwriter:

  Michael Winder

• Cinematographer:

  Jack Hildyard

• Composer (Music Score):

  Douglas Gamley

• Editor:

  Peter Tanner

• Art Director:

  John Stoll

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Ken Ritchie

• First Assistant Director:

  Richard Jenkins

• Short Story Author:

  James Blish

REVIEW:

• The non-anthology output of Amicus Productions tended to be hit-and-miss, but The Beast Must Die is an interesting if lightweight horror-mystery hybrid from the studio. The script derives its inspiration from The Most Dangerous Game, Ten Little Indians, and any number of werewolf films to create its own offbeat hybrid of thrills and chills. It is sometimes a bit too reliant on talk over action, but the amusing, often dishy dialogue helps (the story also boasts an endearingly kitschy "werewolf break" gimmick that is right out of the William Castle playbook). Director Paul Annett's work isn't quite stylish enough to capitalize on the film's offbeat mix of genres, but he unfurls the storyline at a steady clip and makes great use of a stellar cast. Said cast is probably the film's biggest hook; Calvin Lockhart delivers an engagingly hammy performance as the film's master hunter, while Peter Cushing lends a subtle but charismatic presence as the story's resident scientist, and Tom Chadbon steals a few scenes as the wiliest of the guests. Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, and Marlene Clark are given less to do, but all do solid work and their presence is likely to up the interest level for B-movie fans. In short, The Beast Must Die is modest but entertaining stuff. It might be a little too old-fashioned for younger viewers, but veteran horror fans are likely to be amused. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi