The Beast Must Die

This low-budget horror film had an innovative concept, mixing rather successfully a traditional Agatha Christie-type murder mystery with a "gory" werewolf flick; the result does hold your attention but is marred by wooden acting (except for the excellent Peter Cushing) and a few overextended chase scenes. As another reviewer noted, no real clues are given to us to help us figure out the identity of the werewolf, so it's strictly a matter a guessing, but there is some fun in the game... (**1/2)

A millionaire brings an assortment of characters to his heavily secured home and plenty of acreage around it. He then tells each that they were brought for a reason...that one of them is a werewolf. The rest of the story goes through the paces of finding out who the beast is and what must be done with it. I did not have the version with the game on it...my copy was called Black Werewolf(a poor job in renaming the film and it added awful title cards as well). This is the 70s film all around. The outfits, the hairstyles, and that awful-yet-appropriate soundtrack are all signs of the times. The movie is cheesy and yet fun to watch. Calvin Lockhart, as the lead, is like George Jefferson on steroids. The supporting cast is filled with stalwarts from the British stage and screen, amongst them Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, and the ever-affable Peter Cushing as the dispenser of knowledge dealing with lycanthropy. A pleasant diversion to watch!

Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) is a man of wealth who has enjoyed hunting just about every animal possible. He has invited a group of friends to his house for a hunting party. But this is no ordinary hunt. Newcliffe has it in his head that one of his friends is a werewolf. He's not sure which friend he will be hunting, but over the three night full moon cycle, he's sure the werewolf will show himself. Unfortunately for Newcliffe and the rest of his party, a werewolf proves to be the most cunning and dangerous game he's faced.

I'll never list The Beast Must Die among my favorite films, but it's certainly enjoyable enough. The concept is original. I can't remember seeing anything similar. Much of the film is presented not so much as a horror movie, but as a mystery. These elements of The Beast Must Die worked for me. I found myself playing along as I tried to decipher the clues to the werewolf's identity. And in the end I was able to pat myself on the back for at least being half right. The Beast Must Die even gives the viewer a chance to stop and thing things over before the identity of the werewolf. William Castle would be proud of the Werewolf Break. Sure, it's gimmicky, but it's a fun, interesting touch.

There are a few things I would have liked to see done differently. I've never been much of a fan of werewolves that are more wolf than man. The werewolf in The Beast Must Die has no human characteristics. It's a wolf (okay, it's really a dog, but you get the idea). Also, I wasn't overly impressed with the lead actor Calvin Lockhart. He's just a little too over-the-top and outrageous to be effective.

Others commenting here seem to have been distracted by the "game" aspect of the movie, which was, of course, a gimmick added after the movie was finished.

Although the story really required a larger budget, this well-cast, intelligent horror thriller is well worth watching. The story is reasonably suspenseful, the direction good enough most of the time, and it is unusual in depicting the central villain as someone who LOVES being a werewolf. It's based on a good novel, which was given reasonably respectful treatment.

An odd little horror flick-slash-whodunit that is part "Ten Little Indians," part "The Most Dangerous Game," part haunted house thriller, and all low-budget (but supremely entertaining) fun. An eccentric millionaire harboring a fascination for werewolves invites guests to his countryside mansion, where he intends to prove that one of them is, indeed, a werewolf. There are plot holes galore, but the excellent British cast, the William Castle-esque "werewolf break" (during which the audience is asked to guess wolfie's identity), the unexpected triple-whammy (and deeply ironic) ending, and the use of the "Jeopardy" theme (!) make up for it. The "clues" aren't nearly as plentiful or as clear as advertised, and the soundtrack is straight out of a 70s-era action flick, but no matter. A little-known gem that is most definitely worth seeing.