THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR is an entertaining Gothic chiller in the Hammer fashion, albeit lacking the production values Hammer films are often fondly remembered for. Peter Cushing carries off the role of the film's hero--a detective on the case of a series of unorthodox and bloody murders that start off in London and move out in the countryside--with his usual charisma and professionalism, and he's ably supported by a number of solid co-stars, including Robert Flemyng (well-cast as a scientist with a dangerous secret)as well as the lovely and talented Wanda Ventham and Vanessa Howard. The script drifts into the doldrums now and then,and the comic relief isn't always well-conceived, but a rich atmosphere and a measure of unpredictability carry the film through. The eponymous "Blood Beast" is scary enough if you can make the necessary suspension of disbelief often called for in science fiction and horror films. The climax is fitting, if perhaps a bit perfunctory. A better overall production than its given credit for, and certainly superior to many horror films to have been released since.
Review of The Blood Beast Terror
