The Blood Beast Terror

A scientist (Robert Flemyng), working with genetics, creates a creature that is capable of transforming back and forth between a giant Death Head moth and a beautiful woman. The creature masquerades as his daughter when she is in her human incarnation and feeds on the blood of her victims when she is in the moth form.

So, Peter Cushing has allegedly said this was his least favorite role or the film he considered his worst. This is taken from IMDb, and there is no source or exact quote. I can see why he might say that -- this is not the best Cushing role by any means. But it is far from a bad film. Tigon gets a rough break, being treated as the third best British horror studio (behind Hammer and Amicus), but this does not mean their films are awful.

Apparently Basil Rathbone was going to play the part of the scientist. I think the only good that would come from that would be a slight increase in star power. Flemyng handles the role very well, and I am hard-pressed to say Rathbone could have improved upon it in any way.

I've always heard atrocious things about this Hammer imitation, but it wasn't that bad IMO. It may be the only time I've seen Peter Cushing appear that he was walking through a role, though. He just doesn't seem very interested and I've read somewhere that he considered this his "worst horror film". I don't know whether this was his own approach to the material or the spawn of director Vernon Sewell. Maybe it was the part of a police inspector that didn't showcase Cushing to his best ability. I haven't seen THE REPTILE yet, but apparently this film is very derivative of it. I thought that the Deathshead moth creature was reminiscent of THE WASP WOMAN myself, but this wasn't a bad thing; the creature makes some pretty satisfying appearances and killings. The ending is very weak and the whole approach comes off on the superficial side. But one could do much worse for a horror movie. ** out of ****

OK, not one of the better offerings of British horror, that's true. But it does have Peter Cushing who is always fun to watch and I have to give credit for the writers to try to bring a somewhat more original monster to the screen than just another rehash in the Vampire or Frankenstein vein. Well, come to think of it aside from making the monster a moth ,this really is just another rehashed Vampire story with a few elements from the Frankenstein storyline thrown in for good measure.

I cannot help but wonder if the monster was inspired by the legend of the Mothman, the legendary beastie from West Virginia. The resemblance is pretty close. A man sized moth creature with red glowing eyes.

Shame more people have not seen this though, it's not as bad as its reputation. I find it pretty enjoyable.

This "Scientist Fooling With Mother Nature" from Tigron, a Third-Tier British Studio, after Hammer and Amicus, is Infested with Cliches and a Very Low Budget.

But Peter Cushing's Unwavering Dedication and Professionalism, No Matter the Material, a Sharp and Colorful Look, and a Twist of a Creature, all make this Worth a Watch Despite its Shortcomings.

The Movie Rises to a "Creature Feature" with some "Cult-Cred".

It Fits Comfortably Among its "Misfit Movie" Double-Feature (remember those) Drive-In and Grind-House Cousins.

Filling a Pre-Digital, Home-Entertainment World where People, a lot of Young People, went "Out" for a Fun-Night at the Movies.

Truth, these Things are mostly as Entertaining as You Imagine them, and Give In to its Initial Intent as a Time-Passer and Divergence from Our Routine and/or Troubles to have some Fun.

Note...The Creature was undoubtedly inspired by the "Real-Life" Mothman sightings in Pt. Pleasant, WV. In 1966-67.

I really see no different from this film and other horror films starring the great Peter Cushing. Nor do I see a difference in shape-shifting to a (were)wolf or a moth or a bat - it's still horror and this one is done tastefully as I would expect from a Peter Cushing film of this time era.

Beautiful Gothic imagery, a good suspenseful inspector/detective story blended in quite well with the horror we see on screen. I love some of the music in this film as well - works quite well - eerie sounding. The acting is good - it's as if the actors really believe they are the characters and this really is happening - just the way it is suppose to be, very convincing.

Good late night film - I quite enjoyed this one.

8.5/10