utgard14 Millionaire Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) invites a group of people to his rural estate. Tom is a big game hunter and is preparing to hunt the biggest game of all. He announces that he believes one of their group is a werewolf. He has had the estate wired with cameras and motion sensors and intends to hunt the werewolf as soon as the full moon rises. However, things don't go as planned for Tom and, one by one, the guests (and suspects) are killed off. The Beast Must Die is an enjoyable horror-mystery film with an intriguing premise. It's a mash-up of The Most Dangerous Game and Ten Little Indians with a healthy dose of werewolf movie thrown in. I also enjoyed the "werewolf break" gimmick, where the audience is given thirty seconds to guess who the werewolf is before their identity is revealed. That's fun and seems like something William Castle might have thought up.Despite my enjoyment of the movie, there are flaws. There's not a lot of action, for one. There's no special effects to brag about. The plot also doesn't hold up under scrutiny. One example would be the very premise of the film. Tom is certain one of the people assembled is a werewolf, yet he doesn't know which one. How can he be certain if he doesn't know who they are? The film never bothers to try a backstory that might explain his reasoning. We're just thrust into it and supposed to enjoy the ride. Then there's the criticism that it wastes a great cast. The cast is solid, to be sure and includes Peter Cushing, Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, and Michael Gambon. But most of them get very little to do, as Lockhart is the star and most of the screen time is devoted to him. To be clear, Calvin Lockhart does a fantastic job and holds the movie together with his screen presence. But it would have been nicer to see these actors, Cushing especially, get more to do. Obviously it's not a perfect movie. But it is an interesting and ultimately entertaining one. Give it a shot and judge for yourself.

SnoopyStyle Tom Newcliffe is a rich hunter who has invited specific people to his big estate. He believes one of them is a werewolf, and has set up a vast network of security system. He intends to find out who it is, and hunt it down.The movie invites audience participation to guess which character is a werewolf. There is a Werewolf Break near the end for the audience to decide.This is definitely a slightly different movie experience. Sure the audience usually makes these deductions anyways, but rarely would a movie demand it so forthrightly. It concentrates the mind, but on the other hand, it highlights it's artificialness.I wish the writing and acting wouldn't be so cheesy. Peter Cushing is probably the most recognizable name. Even he couldn't deliver these over written lines with complete effect. The worst has to be Calvin Lockhart who delivers his lines trying desperately the accentuate the horror. All it does is to sound like a bad count Dracula.

NatashaHalloween The format of the "The Beast Must Die" is intriguing allowing the audience to be the detective. I also enjoyed the stopwatch; to make up our minds on who we thought the werewolf was, making us feel very much a part of the story and allowing for a deeper understanding to each character. I wasn't too impressed with the werewolf ,and was hoping for something more mutated than the image of a dog/wolf. On the other hand I did like the unique change from wolf to human, when the identity is revealed as it added to suspense as the image of the wolf disappeared. I liked the way it followed the murder mystery format, and thought it added a historical and chilling twist to the film. Although at times the dark scenes with the wolf were difficult to make out in it only added to the shadiness of the creature further more the mystery of the plot. I would recommend the beast must die to anyone who loves murder mysteries with twists and turns ,and who also has a taste for the human flesh loving Werewolf's.

JBStanden Totally unique in that the viewer gets a 30second interlude to put forward their ideas on the identity of the werewolf during the 'werewolf break' and all players, we are informed, are strong suspects.Star turns from Michael Gambon, Peter Cushing, Marlene Clark, Tom Chadbon, Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, and of course Calvin Lockhart, the characters accept the kind invitation from wealthy businessman Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) and his glamorous wife Caroline (Marlene Clark) to spend a summer weekend at their sumptuous and beautiful country pile. All seems innocent enough, but on the first day Tom reveals his true motives for bringing them all together - to find out which one of them is the werewolf who has been wreaking havoc in the outside world - and Tom is hellbent on adding a werewolf to his collection of big game for which he has an infamous reputation of hunting down.Tom has invested in the latest technological gadgetry available and has had his house and extensive grounds electronically bugged to help zero him in on his ferocious, four legged target and the silver bullets that have been specially made for him will, he believes weigh the odds down in his favour to help him bullseye the beast.Risking everything including his marriage Tom digs out his trusty game rifle and gives the domestic staff the weekend off. Thankfully, later on he sees sense and breaks out the automatic - also loaded with solid silver projectiles.For a film made in the 1970s it really is worth a look. Other films of this era were still using fake fur fixed to the actors, whereas here they had the idea of sticking additional fur to an ordinary dog to give a renewed representation on how a werewolf might look.Car buffs will enjoy glimpses of classics such as a rare Citroen GS, Mercedes and Landrover LWB safari and then a car chase in which full use of the Landrover's off road capability is used. Tame by today's standards of special effects, but believable intensity from Lockhart in his role and other great performances from Marlene Clark and especially Tom Chadbon more than make up for this.Dust off your flairs and kipper tie and sit yourself down to a truly enjoyable 1970s classic. Oh, and a simple precaution: lock your door!