The Beast Must Die **********

 

I was glad my daughter watched "The Beast Must Die" (1974) with me this afternoon. It was on Shudder and I was game to watch a fun Amicus horror film when the British horror era was seemingly wearing out. Calvin Lockhart does place his wife in jeopardy by bringing an actual human being accursed with werewolvery to hunt on his compound (complete with this absurdly grandiose castle in rural UK), secured with underground (and above ground, even in trees) warning signals and cameras. Lockhart brings in Peter Cushing as an archaeologist and werewolf authority and immediately makes his "invited" visitors (who are ultimately held against their will, realizing they are enclosed by electrified fencing and Lockhart's persistent undermining) very uncomfortable. Lockhart gets with his security specialist, Anton Diffring, in this impressive operations center with tons of monitors and equipment that proves to be insignificant when the German Shepherd coated with extra fur just runs free and leaps at victims. The werewolf is just not frightening. The budget wasn't there, I get it. But the German Shepherd is nothing more than an extra furry dog. Calvin as the dedicated werewolf hunter just makes his guests' stay a nightmare. I love this for its cast, which includes Charley Gray (a Bond villain), Michael Gambon (of all people, way before his Hollywood stardom), and Marlene Clark (as Calvin's wife, very irritated with her husband's dangerous activities and behavior). There is a silver bullet "taste test" and silver candlestick "hand grab test", with Cushing working a German accent while Tom Chadbon (as the hippy Paul Foote) steals the film as a very flamboyant ex-student who tasted some human flesh on a dare. Poor Gambon looks guilty right from the start, clearly hiding something and elusively remaining in his head. Ciaran Madden as Gambon's lover is Clark's good friend and Calvin is always accusatory towards her. Lockhart just studiously looks for a sign that one of them is a werewolf, unnerving every person at his mansion. Cushing is the only one, really, that isn't just targeted by Calvin with intense suspicion. I wish the werewolf of the film was as good as the cast. Still, all in all, I can easily watch this without fail. I do regret watching it so early in the year, as January and February are months of the year I typically waste on content that aren't as important to me. "The Beast Must Die" will always feel like an October mainstay. It just slots right into that first week of October. I like that Lockhart's ego and narcissism is actually his undoing. If he doesn't place his wife in danger by bringing a werewolf to his home, she (or their pet dog) wouldn't have suffered her fate, much less him. Seeing Cushing with the rifle on the cover of the Dark Sky DVD release really got me giddy back upon its release, but this is Lockhart's movie. With all his security and weapons, Lockhart and Diffring still couldn't easily dispatch their quarry.

***I  bring up my daughter because I want her to remember our time watching these older horror films that probably will fade to black***