The Beast Must Die

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The Beast Must Die

PG

1974

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

When big-game hunter Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) invites a group of people to stay at his estate, they expect a relaxing weekend. Instead, they arrive to learn he thinks one of them is a werewolf and that no one can leave until that person is exposed. Among the suspects are a piano player (Michael Gambon) and his girlfriend (Ciaran Madden), an archaeologist (Peter Cushing), a diplomat (Charles Gray) and an artist (Tom Chadbon), all of whom are subjected to a series of werewolf tests.

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

This B-movie werewolf tale from British horror studio Amicus was a blatant attempt to compete with their equally low-budget competitor AIP studios.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 19, 2006

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

There is the novelty of “The Werewolf Break.”

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 27, 2025

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

A real oddity, one of those curiosities which become landmarks in cinematic history.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 15, 2022

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Awkwardly filmed variation on The Ten Little Indians.

Rated: C

Sep 25, 2022

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Kimberly Pierce

Ticklish Business

Ultimately, this one just didnt quite work for me. Enough is going right to keep it from being a good-bad movie, but at the same time, the problems with the construction keep it from being a truly good movie.

Rated: 3/5

May 1, 2022

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Sucks all the fun out of its hokey premise.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 7, 2020

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Logan M

Though ‘The Beast Must Die' may seem silly, and maybe it is, it is also a great mystery-action-thriller, and a very fun time to rewatch on Halloween.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

This is really the best whodunit werewolf horror film ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/22

Full Review

dave s

In The Beast Must Die, a wealthy Brit invites a group of individuals to his sprawling country estate for the weekend, advising them that the goal is to determine which of them is a werewolf. Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds. How does he know for certain that one of them is a werewolf? Could more than one be a werewolf? Is it fair to lock up a group of non-werewolves with a werewolf? And what gives him the right in the first place? On top of the idiocy of the premise, the production values are horrible. There are a bunch of poorly edited scenes of people running about in the woods. The music sounds like it's from a 70s porn film. The script is embarrassing and the performances are wooden. Avoid The Beast Must Die as studiously as you'd avoid a werewolf and you should be fine.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

R P

Basic premise is a well trained and wealthy hunter invites 5 people to his mansion for the weekend. We learn that the hunter believes one of them is a werewolf and he plans on killing it. The cast of characters are the Hunter and his wife, a Professor, a married couple (a pianist and his ex-student), a diplomat, and an artist recently released from prison. (View the rest of the review here : foreverfinalgirl.com/the-beast-must-die-1974/

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/07/21

Full Review

Audience Member

"You have 30 seconds to give your answer" A hokey '70s horror (filmed much too dark) which combines elements of "The Most Dangerous Game" and the Old Dark House trope. A millionaire gathers a handful of strangers to his isolated mansion in order to play a deadly game. The host knows one of the guests is a werewolf and he intends to hunt them nightly until he discovers the truth as to which one. The millionaire is a former ghetto-dwelling Black who takes pride in his social-climbing and his ability to dominate other men. Starring Wilhuff Tarkiny with twist ending; only seek out if Peter Cushing completist or a werewolf movie hound.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Matthew D

A fun-filled whodunit...with a werewolf!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/27/21

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Paul Annett

Director

Calvin Lockhart

Tom Newcliffe

Peter Cushing

Dr. Christopher Lundgren

Charles Gray

Arthur Benningtn

Marlene Clark

Caroline Newcliffe

Anton Diffring

Pavel

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Synopsis

When big-game hunter Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) invites a group of people to stay at his estate, they expect a relaxing weekend. Instead, they arrive to learn he thinks one of them is a werewolf and that no one can leave until that person is exposed. Among the suspects are a piano player (Michael Gambon) and his girlfriend (Ciaran Madden), an archaeologist (Peter Cushing), a diplomat (Charles Gray) and an artist (Tom Chadbon), all of whom are subjected to a series of werewolf tests.

Director: Paul Annett
Production Co: Amicus Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 33m

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