Gear up for the Wolf Man with the craziest werewolf movie you’ve never seen

with Lee Whannellis The wolf man about to make its way into theaters, werewolves hope to become the next monster after Nosferatu ended the year on such vampiric heights. Get in the mood by watching one of the weirdest werewolf movies that says something about a genre that has some deeply weird records: 1974 The beast must die.

Based on a 1950 story. with the equally catchy title “There Will Be No Darkness”, The beast must die there’s an Agatha Christie-type scenario in which a group of people are invited to an isolated country estate under false pretenses and realize they’re in for a grisly escape complete with a body count. Calvin Lockhart stars as Tom, a lavish millionaire whose obsession with hunting has inspired him to pursue the ultimate game: a werewolf.

Whether or not werewolves actually exist is only slightly questioned in the context of the film; Tom is so obsessed with the idea that he has invested tons of money in an elaborate system to capture werewolves. The grounds around his mansion are equipped with a high-tech (for 1974) surveillance system, which we see demonstrated in an opening sequence where he tests its capabilities – and the audience is led to believe that Tom is some kind of fugitive who is being tracked by a man barking orders from the control room to security forces with weapons.

But even before Tom terrifies his guests by fleeing the forest with a small army in pursuit, we know The beast must die no ordinary country caper. That’s because the movie opens with a very specific exposition: “This movie is a detective story in which you are the detective.”

Okay, great. Participatory element, intriguing. But then: “The question is not ‘who is the killer?’ but ‘who is the werewolf?’ what now? “After all the clues are shown, you’ll get a chance to give your answer… watch for the werewolf interruption.”

With the prospect of “werewolf smashing” now seeping into the viewer’s mind, The beast must die proceeds much like an Agatha Christie tale, albeit with a catchy, vaguely disco-tinged soundtrack. Tom explains in great detail to Pavel (Anton Diefring) – the skeptical but good-natured security expert hired by Tom to oversee all this fancy equipment – ​​his motivation behind this strange gathering in a speech that includes the phrases “I chase what I want”, “ I was born a hunter” and “this will help me hunt the biggest game of all.”

His “guests” for this adventure, which not coincidentally takes place around the full moon, include an array of disgraced eccentrics (an artist who admits to flirting with cannibalism; a former UN delegate whose associates just mysteriously disappear) and, as Tom thunderously informs them : “One of you sitting here in this room is a werewolf,” followed by dramatic cue music. In other words, one of you is the beast that will die.

Horror legend and future Star Wars badass Peter Cushing is seconded as an archaeologist because he happens to be an expert on werewolves. Cushing plays it very seriously as he lectures the other guests about the quirks of baby wolf pollen, which Lockhart goes overboard as he orders the increasingly awkward group to take turns grabbing silver objects throughout the film. The tense build-up precedes the blood test scene in John Carpenter The thing but leads to a similar result.

We know we’ll eventually learn the identity of the werewolf – unfortunately, that wonderful CCTV system doesn’t help much in the end when Paul is the first victim – but while you’re having fun with the various accusations (um, that one guy must be terribly hairy hands!), you might accidentally forget about the promised “werewolf vacation”.

Fear not, though: The beast must diea title taken directly from one of Tom’s declarations will not disappoint. With about 15 minutes to go and several suspects removed from the lineup due to having already been swallowed, the narrator returns to tell you “It’s the werewolf’s break” as a ticking clock appears on the screen and you see images of everyone “suspects”. You have 30 seconds to think about who the culprit might be – you’re supposed to discuss your theory with whoever is watching the movie with you? Or scream your best guess into the void? – before The beast must die returns and gives you a false solution before actual the growling cause of all trouble is revealed.

We won’t spoil it, of course, but the end of The beast must die is both surprising and satisfying. Yes, it leans towards a gimmick to get you to the finish line, but what other movie dares to stop at a screeching halt to announce werewolf pause?

You can stream The beast must die free on Pipes and several other FAST channels; you can also rent it through Prime Video or watch with subscriptions to Shout! Factory TV and Fandor. Severin movies also released a Blu-ray with special features including a commentary by director Paul Annett.

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