The Beast Must Die (1974) ** (out of 4) Calvin Lockhart plays a big game hunter who hosts a group of people to his country estate. The object of this "party" is to try and catch a werewolf. Werewolf expert Dr. Lundgren (Peter Cushing) is on hand as the two men try to determine which of the guests is the killer.THE BEAST MUST DIE is a British horror film that's pretty much a take off on the Ten Little Indians theme, although here there are werewolves at play. For the life of me I can't really understand the appeal this film has to make it still have a large group of fans out there. I'm going to guess that the majority of the fun from this film are those who remember watching it as a child and being drawn into the opening where it is announced that you, the viewer, would be required to be a detective in the film. Then, at the very end of the picture, the movie stops for a werewolf break and you have to guess who you think the werewolf is.The film is a mildly entertaining one but there's just no way of denying that there are some pretty boring stretches and some really dumb moments. If you're wanting to see a werewolf and view any attacks then you'll certainly be disappointed because the majority of the running time is just watching the characters talk and do various experiments to see if any of them are a werewolf. These experiments are rather dumb because they never catch anyone yet you know one has to be the killer. Other dumb moments happen towards the end when the hunter could easily have killed the wolf but for some reason his wife stops him. You also have to wonder why this guy is such a bad shot.The film has some interesting moments that keep it mildly entertaining but there's no question that this here is a major missed opportunity. Lockhart was actually quite good in the lead role and Cushing adds nice support as he always does. The werewolf is actually just a large dog and there's never a two-legged monster running around. In all honesty, take away the werewolf break and there's really not much here worth remembering.

This movie seems like a decent made for TV flick but apparently it wasn't made for TV.Which makes it a below average regular movie.The first thing I noticed is that it's impossible to figure out what country they are in.The cars have the steering wheels on the right side and a few people seem to have British accents so maybe it's England?But they are deep in a forest and the lead guy(who has an accent I can't figure out) keeps saying it's miles to "the village" so then I think it's not England.Oh well.Anyway, it's a very slow moving story and you know from the start that you are supposed to figure out who the werewolf is.All this movie succeeded at was making me even more confused about werewolves.I was going to give it two stars but the narrator from The Rocky Horror Picture Show is in it so I gave it an extra star.

Some films need a strong performance to lift them above the mediocrity of their concept and execution. And this films saving grace is in its lead, Mr Lockheart, who gives a great swaggering and charismatic performance pitched at just the right operatic intensity to match the essential absurdity of the premises. Very much a product of its time and place, when traditional horrors were attempting to recast themselves in more modern clothes with elements of then modern culture, car chase scenes, hi-tech and a dash of blaxploitation.Definitely a late night fun movie to enjoy purely on its own merits. Marred mostly by terrible 'Day for Night' effects (a curse of British productions throughout that period) and the cheapest, saddest werewolf ever put on film (it looks like a cuddly family pet) it's otherwise a fun and well acted romp of Hammy Hammer proportions.Just to clear up what seems a plot absurdity; how does Tom know one of his guests is a werewolf?Simply, this film takes place in a world where they exist (the characters seem to accept the basic premise with neither protest nor disbelief) so Tom simply uses both his intelligence and hunters instinct (something repeated and emphasised several times) to round up the most likely candidates knowing that by casting a wide net he will bag his target.Well, that and the script says so.

Millionaire sportsman Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) invites a small group of people to his mansion and estate, intending to bag himself the ultimate game. He *knows* that one of them is a werewolf, but doesn't know which one. The filmmakers also involve the audience in the mystery, utilizing an endearing gimmick known as the "werewolf break" that gives them 30 seconds to reach their own conclusion. This bit of audience participation is amusing, but the film's got more going for it than that. It's really an atmospheric production, utilizing the environment and house to great effect, with capable direction by Paul Annett and a solid ensemble. Lockharts' performance is far from subtle, but his grandiose delivery is often priceless, and of course there's the presence of the ever wonderful Peter Cushing. Cushing plays Professor Lundgren, a werewolf expert, and he gives the role his customary dignity and authority. Sexy ladies Marlene Clark and Ciaran Madden play Toms' wife Caroline and Davina, respectively, plus Anton Diffring plays Toms' surveillance expert, Charles Gray is the weary Bennington, Tom Chadbon plays Paul Foote, and a younger Michael Gambon can be seen in one of his earliest film roles as musician Jan. The interesting thing is that Robert Quarry was originally supposed to play Tom, but the plans were changed to capitalize on the blaxploitation explosion of the time, hence Lockharts' casting and Douglas Gamleys' lively, funky score complete with wacka-wacka guitars and booming horns. Some horror fans might be disappointed that the low budget doesn't allow for much in terms of special effects. There is a little bit of gore, sure, but the werewolf is simply played by a German Shepherd that never looks particularly menacing. Still, this is reasonably engaging stuff that moves along well, doesn't go on longer than it needs to, comes up with some entertaining twists, and has some great photography along the way. It also has the appeal of being a werewolf movie with a decidedly modern spin. This would be the only werewolf movie produced by the company Amicus, who were the chief competitor for Hammer Studios in the 60s and 70s. Aficionados of the genre should have a good enough time with it. Seven out of 10.