SEVERIN RELEASES UPGRADED AND UNCUT BLU RAY : AMICUS FILMS 'THE BEAST MUST DIE'

THE BEAST SKIPS ACROSS BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC! Back in June, Indicator / Powerhouse films released a much awaited blu ray remastered limited edition of one of the last horror films that Peter Cushing made for Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die'.... also originally planned for June, was Severin films own REGION 0 release of a remastered blu ray of 'THE BEAST MUST DIE'. This release was scuppered by on going issues internationally with a real horror of a different kind... but now, I am very pleased to announce, Severin has everything in hand and their release hits the streets on AUGUST 25th 2020... orders have been panting in, since July! 

ABOVE: CALLUM MCKELVIE'S great review of Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die' along with a growlingly PCASUK rare still gallery of images and pic fro  the film: RIGHT HERE! 

IT'S GREAT THAT PETER CUSHING FANS and admirers of the film on both sides, can now enjoy a remaster of a Amicus Cushing Classic! I'll be posting a review of both releases and their remasters later. I would guess there would little if any quality differences BUT.... the extras, do differ on the two blu rays extras.. I would love to hear from anyone who has the Powerhouse release... and if you have ordered Severin's? 

BELOW is rundown of the SPEC of the Severin films release..... 

Audio Commentary with Director Paul Annett and Filmmaker Jonathan Sothcott.

'And Then There Were Werewolves' – Audio Essay By Horror Historian Troy Howarth.

Directing the Beast – Archival Interview with Director Paul Annett.

Audio Interview Excerpt of Milton Subotsky on BEAST MUST DIE – Interviewed by Philip Nutman.

Audio Interview with Producer Max J Rosenberg – Interviewed by Sothcott.

Original Theatrical Trailer with Optional Commentary by Genre Scholars Kim Newman and David Flint.

'The Beast Must Die'
1 DVD disc
Label: Severin Films
Pre-order Started: 7/28/20 Street: 8/25/20
MSRP: $19.98
UPC: 663390004067

Catalog #: SEV94067

'THE BEAST MUST DIE', when released, was actually asking a LOT from your average 'Peter Cushing' fan. Not only was the script.. interesting, the score, but Cushing's appearance as Dr Lundgren . .  the crop cut wig AND THAT sweater?? Too much?? ....maybe..... 

MPAA Rating: NR
Genre: Horror
Color, 92 minutes in English and Spanish with English subtitles
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.66:1
Dolby Digital Mono
Region: 0

Production year: 1974
Director: Paul Annett
Cast: Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing, Marlene Clark

OVER AT THE UK PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE I am asking our friends and followers to identify THIS dog! I think MOST of us will. How about YOU? 😏😁 

COME JOIN US AT THE UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE! posts everyday, rare images and vintage photographs, features and prize competitions. Now with almost 34,000 followers and friends!

#HAPPYFATHERSDAY! RARE PICS OF PETER CUSHING, VINCENT PRICE AND CHRISTOPHER LEE #FATHERSWAY!

#HAPPYFATHERSDAY! It's the day for Dad's whoever you are, wherever you are all over the world. Father's here, Father's passed. Father's who can celebrate with their children today, and Father's, for whatever reason can not - Marcus

ABOVE: PETER CUSHING and his family, his father, mother and brother, David

VINCENT PRICE and his daughter, Victoria with pet pug, Puffle!
 

CHRISTOPHER LEE, his daughter Christina and wife, Gitte!

ON SET 1974 BEHIND THE SCENES ON AMICIS FILMS / INDICATOR'S BLU RAY 'THE BEAST MUST DIE'

#MAKINGAWEREWOLF was a 'Dawg Gone Problem!', in 1974 . . that's for sure. And as we will probably learn from some of the 'extras' 'interviews' included on the soon to be released BLU Ray from #Indicatorfilms of Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die'.. it was quite a job! Here are some photographs from the on set shooting days on the film, where 'The Beast' was needed and in residence. The 'experts on hand from Ted Samuels, make up Paul Rabiger and John Hilling from wardrobe, all appear to have had a hand in coming up with a solution. I am not expert and no nothing about dogs, I have a dribbling, furry log, who looks wild boar, that passes himself off as a pedigree PUG called Barney, and I believe him! 😮😃What breed of dog they are using here, I have no idea! Maybe you do? But with some added fur, teeth and attitude, they pull it off I think... just about 😊

FANS APPEAR to be as torn as a pair of 'postman's ravaged pants', on this film. Which I find odd. It's Amicus they did their own thing, only one Gothic film, mostly contemporary settings. Milton and Max left the tradition horror films to Hammer, who had more cash to bash a horror film. Amicus did different and took risks too!

 

ANYWAY, here are some more pics from the #PCASUK clutter for you to have a look at. I think it's worth noting that #INDICATOR / #POWERHOUSE has started to really build itself a sterling and quite trusted reliable reputation for BLU RAY and BOX SETS of considerable quality and content! SEVERAL of their #HAMMERFILMS collections have treated fans and collectors alike to very interesting titles supported with quite a stash of surprising extras (The recent Indicator Hammer Box Set 'FACES OF FEAR' VOLUME FOUR' included an impressive 4k remastering of 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' with the inclusion of some very rarely seen 'On Set' and Behind the scenes trims and footage of the #Braystudio floor during shooting with #PeterCushing, Francis Matthews, Eunice Gayson and Oscar Quitak) As, hoped, the '#THEBEASTMUSTDIE' blu ray also comes with its own bank of extras and goodies! It's open for pre-orders of it's LIMITED release right now 😉 - Marcus

#PCASUK NEWS FEATURE THAT WAS POSTED HERE A FEW DAYS AGO : SOME GREAT NEWS FOR PETER CUSHING AND AMICUS FILMS FANS FOR JUNE 2020!!The last of Amicus’ famed horror productions, 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) makes it's UK PREMIERE on BLU RAY in the UK on JUNE 29th 2020!  

• Audio commentary with director Paul Annett with writer Jonathan Sothcott (2003)

• Interview with Max J Rosenberg (2000): archival audio recording of the famed producer in conversation with Sothcott

• The BEHP Interview with Jack Hildyard (1988): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the Oscar-winning cinematography in conversation with Alan Lawson
• The BEHP Interview with Peter Tanner – Part Two, 1939–1987 (1987): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the acclaimed editor in conversation with Roy Fowler and Taffy Haines
• Introduction by Stephen Laws (2020): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
• Directing the Beast (2003): archival interview with Annett
• Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• Original theatrical trailer
• Kim Newman and David Flint trailer commentary (2017): short critical appreciation
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Neil Young, an archival article on Amicus Productions, a look at the James Blish short story which inspired the film’s screenplay, an extract from the press-book profiling actor Calvin Lockhart, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies
• BBFC cert: 15
  REGION B

INDICATOR'S 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' is a LIMITED EDITION and is now available for PRE ORDER RIGHT NOW from POWERHOUSE RIGHT HERE!

INDICATOR RELEASES THE BEAST IN THE UK! AMICUS FILMS 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' ROARS ONTO ON BLU RAY!

NEWS: SOME GREAT NEWS FOR PETER CUSHING AND AMICUS FILMS FANS FOR JUNE 2020!!The last of Amicus’ famed horror productions, 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) makes it's UK PREMIERE on BLU RAY in the UK on JUNE 29th 2020!

#INDICATOR / #POWERHOUSE HAS STARTED to really build itself a sterling and quite trusted reliable reputation for BLU RAY and BOX SETS of considerable quality and content! SEVERAL of their HAMMER FILM collections have treated fans and collectors alike with very interesting titles supported with quite a stash of surprising extras (The recent Indicator Hammer Box Set 'FACES OF FEAR' VOLUME FOUR'  included an impressive 4k remastering of 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' with the inclusion of some very rarely seen 'On Set' and Behind the scenes trims and footage of the Bray studio floor during shooting with Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Eunice Gayson and Oscar Quitak) As, hoped, the 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' blu ray also comes with its own bank of extras and goodies! JUST SEE BELOW 😃

'THE BEAST MUST DIE' INDICATOR BLU RAY High Definition REMASTER:  Calvin Lockhart (A Dandy in Aspic) and Marlene Clark (Ganja & Hess) have invited a disparate group of guests, including Peter Cushing (Corruption), Michael Gambon (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover) and Charles Gray (The Legacy), to their mansion in the English countryside. He believes one of them is a werewolf… and, before the weekend is out, he’ll find out who it is! The last of Amicus’ famed horror productions, 'The Beast Must Die' combines the country-house whodunnit with the werewolf shocker and adds a dash of blaxploitation for good measure.

• Audio commentary with director Paul Annett with writer Jonathan Sothcott (2003)
• Interview with Max J Rosenberg (2000): archival audio recording of the famed producer in conversation with Sothcott
• The BEHP Interview with Jack Hildyard (1988): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the Oscar-winning cinematography in conversation with Alan Lawson
• The BEHP Interview with Peter Tanner – Part Two, 1939–1987 (1987): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the acclaimed editor in conversation with Roy Fowler and Taffy Haines
• Introduction by Stephen Laws (2020): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
• Directing the Beast (2003): archival interview with Annett
• Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• Original theatrical trailer
• Kim Newman and David Flint trailer commentary (2017): short critical appreciation
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Neil Young, an archival article on Amicus Productions, a look at the James Blish short story which inspired the film’s screenplay, an extract from the press-book profiling actor Calvin Lockhart, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies
• BBFC cert: 15
  REGION B

INDICATOR'S 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' is a LIMITED EDITION and is now available for PRE-ORDER RIGHT NOW from POWERHOUSE RIGHT HERE! 

ABOVE: The Dogs Dinner! The make job on actor Anton Diffring by make artist, Paul Rabiger in #TheBeastMustDie on blu ray for the first time in the UK in June AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW from INDICATOR / POWERHOUSE FILMS! 

 

FIND OUT MORE about the story and history of Amicus films, 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' at the PCASUK FEATURE written by TROY HOWARTH complete with STILLS GALLERY RIGHT HERE!

FROM WEREWOLVES AND GIBLETS TO SOFT TOY AND PIGLET!

PETER CUSHING takes a break on set from playing Dr Christopher Lungren in Amicus films 'The Beast Must Die' (1974) An alternate version of the film was released under the 'interesting' title of, 'Black Werewolf'. For some weird reason this cut, edits and omits the wonderful "werewolf break" near the climax! now where is the fun in that????

HERE IS THE PCAS feature and gallery on Peter Cushing and Amicus films, 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' LOTS of interesting and rare pics! Have fun! 

FROM WEREWOLVES, TO PIGS! . On the LEFT is a soft toy and comfort to Peter Cushing from a very early age. He loved it all his life and throughout his entire life, it was always near his bed. On the RIGHT, Peter Cushing on the beach, in his woolen swim suit aged seven. He loved swimming all his life...and as an adult, would take daily early morning dips in the sea, which was virtually outside his front door at Seasalter, Whitstable.

AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, many have asked WHERE IS PIGLET NOW? When Peter died, all of his personal things, his vast collections of books, model theatre's, war game figures, stamps, postcards...so many things, became part of the estate that became the property of Joyce and Bernard Broughton... the people who looked after Peter in the last ten years of his life...and the people who gave permission for the CGI Rogue One Tarkin, to become a reality. Joyce had been Peter's personal secretary, assistant and friend, since 1957. Most of Peter's belongings and collections were auctioned, not only for fans to own a special piece of something, but also to meet the demand of a huge 'death tax' demand. However, somethings Joyce kept or passed onto the display at the Whitstable Museum... and that is where 'Piglet' now lives! In a glass case, along with other personal Cushing items

CAN YOU SOLVE THIS TOUGH QUESTION? PLUS 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' RARE PRESS STILLS

A REVAMP to our usual 'Cushing Tuesday Toughy' Banner.. but the questions are of course, just as tricky and maybe tough.DO have a go! Answer will be here on Friday. BUT if you want to join in the fun and think you have CRACKED IT, why not skip over to our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE where this has just been posted too, and post your ANSWER in the post thread!? Good Luck!

'A PHOTOGRAPH FROM CUSHING'S 'THE BEAST MUST DIE' PLEASE!' is the request from ARTY FACE at the THE FACEBOOK PACS FAN PAGE! YUP! YOUR REQUEST AND WISH is granted, Arty! A RARELY seen press publicity photograph of Peter Cushing as Dr. Christopher Lundgren, in Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die' from 1974. Interestingly, Around 1972, Robert (Jaws) Shaw expressed an interest in playing the lead role of Tom Newcliffe in this film. Shaw's career had turned a little quiet and the bills had not! Calvin Lockhart got the lead instead! Hammer films, Don (Kiss of the Vampire) Sharp was the first approached to be director. 

'THE BEAST MUST DIE' was eventually directed by Paul Annett, who seriously objected to producer Milton Subotsky's idea of the 'Werewolf Break' gimmick, where the audience were invited to guess 'who the werewolf is!' Subotsky actually hated the script and the film, and 'Beast' was the last horror film produced by Amicus, in which co-founder Subotsky had the involvement of producer...and it all went sadly pear shaped and sour. IS BEAST one of your FAV Cushing Amicus films? Me? I wish it was, but sadly not...

LEGEND HORROR CLASSICS AND REMEMBERING CHARLES GRAY : MYCROFT : MOCATA : ROCKY HORROR!

TODAY WE REMEMBER Charles Gray, who is best remembered for his outstanding performance as the evil Mocata opposite Christopher Lee in Hammer’s The Devil Rides Out (1968) and his role as 'the narrator' in 'The Rocky Horror Show' … other memorable roles in include Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Mycroft Holmes in The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes TV Series… His Peter Cushing connection is that he co-stared with him in Amucis’s film The Beast Must Die (1974)

MORE ON THE BEAST MUST DIE HERE!

THIS WEEKS MAGAZINE FOCUS centres on a weird little UK series called. 'LEGEND HORROR CLASSICS'  Riding on the popularity of the UK Monster Mag, this too was a fold out eight panel affair. There was no huge flip side poster, instead a whole comic strip adaption of a 'Horror Classic' film. The first issue arrived in time for the release of the Dan Curtis adaption of DRACULA starring Jack Palance and Simon Ward. The whole thing sadly was stretched rather thin, with what room there was for editorial, the writing was rather limp and sparse. The comic strip art, was no way in the same league as the 'Hammer House of Horror' magazines, that were to follow, but as a 25 pence pocket money treat it gave a good deal to any youngsters, finding the likes of Hammer films, Cushing and Lee for the first time.  

EVEN THOUGH THE FOCUS was on the Curtis 1974 DRACULA release, both CUSHING and LEE are given a full page picture treatment, with PC looking rather funky in a comic art dotex version of the very familiar publicity photograph BARON from 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN'. Lee is represented in a still from 'DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE' ... though in neither pics, are the titles of the films given, and that sadly is the overall standard of all the magazines, in this series . .  little in the way learning or anything any fan would find new or interesting, even back in 1974!  

THE SECOND ISSUE had a 'Frankenstein' theme based primarily on the 1931 Universal film, although Victor Frankenstein was drawn to resemble Peter Cushing, in some of the Hammer series. Later the theme and comic strip  covered The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in issue 3, Blood Lust of the Zombies in issue 4, Hammer's Dracula has Risen from the Grave, under the strange title of "Dracula Must be Destroyed") in issue 5, Terror from Space was issue 6 and the story of Beowulf in issue 7. The comic stories from issue three became at times quite bizarre, and the connection with what were 'horror classics' either from cinema or TV, floated away and from issue 10, the magazine no longer carried comic strip adaption or stories.

KEVIN O'NEILL, who would also go on to work on that other 70's horror film mag, WORLD OF HORROR and the comic 2000 AD, was closely involved with the publication, providing some of the comic strips and serving as art editor, before becoming editor. Though little. if any of the comic adaptions ever came any where close to the benchmark that Hammer House of Horror would roll out, this magazine, was probably in the beginning aimed at a younger market, and in that case, one can see why, the issues lack any real maturity or muscle. For us Horror Film Fans, it was better than nothing and certainly whet our whistles, while we waited for, what was yet to come . .  

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