THIS HALLOWEEN I’ve decided to give what many would consider a real ‘horror’
a second chance. Few films are as openly lambasted within the
Cushing-Canon
as The Blood Beast Terror, Peter himself even went as far as to
label it his worst….ever. Only the fledgling Tigon productions second
Horror film, after the remarkable
The Sorcerers from 1967 the debut of director Michael Reeves, The Blood Beast Terror
seems something like a step backwards. Whereas The Sorcerers concerned contemporary social and youth movements,
Blood Beast is a period piece, featuring a dogged Victorian
policeman hunting down a fearsome monster created by a mad-scientist.
It’s pretty trope-filled stuff. Not only that, but
The Blood Beast Terror is directed by veteran director Vernon
Sewell, who at this stage was reaching the twilight of his career. When
viewed in this light and compared to the other films Tigon was putting
out (Witchfinder General, Blood On Satan's Claw even lesser films such as The Beast in the Cellar show slightly more inventiveness) it’s easy to see why
Blood Beast Terror gets the wrap it gets. Also….it’s pretty bad
in places. However with that said, I for one DON’T think its Cushing’s
worse and so compiled here is a little list of ten things I like about
The Blood Beast Terror.
1: It’s pure Victorian pulp . . . So if The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula / Horror of Dracula are adaptations of classics of Gothic literature, then Blood Beast is the closest thing the 60’s brit-horror boom got to bringing a cheap, lurid penny dreadful, that’s been lost to time to the screen. Ok so its trope filled. Ok so the character stereotypes are out-dated and over used, but who doesn’t love a mad scientist, sinister butler and femme-fatale monster? The film utilises a number of gothic horror tropes but revels in them, whilst certainly not new or exciting, it’s a fun little escape into that lurid Gothic world . .
2: It knows what it’s doing and has fun with it . . .
Building on point one, the film apparently has fun with these tropes. In one memorable sequence there is an amateur dramatic performance of a horror play, spoofing some Frankenstein films. Now I’m not saying the film is in anyway being Meta in a particularly clever way, but it seems somewhat self-referential, a slight wink and joke to an audience that are watching a film based on the more lurid aspects of penny-dreadfuls and the Grande Guignol
3: Robert Flemying . . .
So it’s pretty well documented now that the part of Doctor Mallinger was to be played by legendary horror actor, Basil Rathbone. Needless to say the idea of Rathbone matching wits with Cushing is certainly an appealing one but sadly shortly before shooting began, Rathbone was taken ill and died suddenly. Needing a replacement fast, Tony Tenser, the legend behind Tigon films remembered the actor Robert Flemying who had appeared in a film he had distributed, 1962’s The Horrible Dr Hitchcock. Now it’s easy to get caught up in what could have been, which is unfair as it takes away from what is actually a powerful performance. Flemying and Cushing play off each other very well, particularly towards the latter half of the film when each has a suggestion that the other knows more than he is letting on. . .
4: Wanda Ventham . . .
The Moth-Lady herself, Wanda Ventham (known for making three prominent appearances in several episodes of Doctor Who throughout the years) is given plenty of screen-time and looks striking. Her performance is a powerful one and her scenes with Flemying have a genuine level of tension and menace . . .
5: The Title . . .
Need I say more?
6: The Supporting Cast . . .
The Veteran actor, perhaps best known to fans of Doctor Who as two of its most memorable villains, Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion and Mavic Chen in The Daleks Masterplan is particularly creepy as Granger. Glynn Edwards Sergeant Allan has some particularly humorous moments of dry wit with Cushing leading too…
7: That last-line . . .
Edwards: ‘They’ll never believe this at the yard
Cushing: ‘They’ll never believe it anywhere’
8: The Moth . . .
Whilst certainly not going to win any awards for best monster make-up of the decade…there is something undoubtedly charming about the giant furry Moth costume. The final flying sequences are….pretty damn awful, but the Moth’s appearance is distinctive enough to be entertaining in its own right . . .
9: Roy Hudd . . .
I’ve mentioned a lot of the cast in this, but as of yet have made no mention of the
best actor (aside from…well you know who) in the film. Roy Hudd
as the Morgue attendant makes this whole thing worthwhile. Hudd stated
that he and Cushing worked together, rejigging the sequence to make it
funnier and the result is the highlight of the
film equalling any of Miles Madison’s scenes in the earlier Hammer
pictures . . .
10: Peter Cushing . . .
Ok so a bit predictable maybe, but was he ever not going to be on this list? The Blood Beast may not have the meatiest of roles for him in the character of Inspector Quennell, but it does give a good example of Cushing giving his all…in a production which some would argue doesn’t deserve it. Whilst there’s plenty to enjoy in this film, the real joy is Cushing nailing it against all the odds . . .
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