Le vampire a soif

I've always heard atrocious things about this Hammer imitation, but it wasn't that bad IMO. It may be the only time I've seen Peter Cushing appear that he was walking through a role, though. He just doesn't seem very interested and I've read somewhere that he considered this his "worst horror film". I don't know whether this was his own approach to the material or the spawn of director Vernon Sewell. Maybe it was the part of a police inspector that didn't showcase Cushing to his best ability. I haven't seen THE REPTILE yet, but apparently this film is very derivative of it. I thought that the Deathshead moth creature was reminiscent of THE WASP WOMAN myself, but this wasn't a bad thing; the creature makes some pretty satisfying appearances and killings. The ending is very weak and the whole approach comes off on the superficial side. But one could do much worse for a horror movie. ** out of ****

Peter Cushing used to refer to THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR as the worst film of his prolific career, and this was enough to keep me from getting the SE DVD of it on R2 from DD Video when I purchased four more second-tier British horrors from the same outfit last year - namely, ISLAND OF TERROR (1966), NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT (1967), CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR (1968) and THE CREEPING FLESH (1973). Eventually, it was shown last Saturday night on an Italian TV channel in its original language with forced Italian subtitles, and I really couldn't let an occasion like that pass me by...

Tigon was always seen as a cut-rate Hammer and this film was clearly inspired by the latter's THE REPTILE (1966; one of the Bray Studio outfit's best of the decade, and which THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR can't hope to match) - where, again, we find a female monster 'created' by her eminent but misguided entomologist father (Robert Flemyng). The monster design (we're dealing with a giant Death's Head Moth here) isn't too bad, actually, and it's thankfully not over-exposed during the course of the film: besides, Wanda Ventham's character is interesting in that she doesn't bemoan her fate as usually happens in such genre efforts - rather, she's single-minded in seeking out her prey among Flemyng's naïve students and rugged helpers around the estate, all of whom are easily swayed by her attractiveness!

Aided by a fine score from resident Tigon composer Paul Ferris, the film creates a reasonable Gothic atmosphere throughout (with, at one point, even an amateur rendition/parody of a typical Grand Guignol performance set up by the students - and also featuring Ventham - in Flemyng's house). The script, incidentally, is by Hammer alumnus Peter Bryan (THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES [1959], THE BRIDES OF Dracula [1960] and THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES [1966]) and, while offering no real surprises, it's quite enjoyable for what it is - certainly better than its reputation would suggest! That said, the monster's come-uppance in an unconvincing and abrupt fiery ending is one of the lamest of its kind I've ever come across...

Cushing - with his customary fastidiousness and dry wit intact - is always a pleasure to watch; Flemyng, too, offers his unhinged medico routine - and it's interesting, to say the least, to witness this clash of Hammer and Italian horror acting styles! Notable among the supporting cast is Roy Hudd as a scurrilous morgue attendant.

At this stage, I don't know whether I'll eventually spring for the R2 DVD - since it contains a 25-minute career overview with Ventham - but, if it's ever discounted again by one of my British retailers of choice (and provided that it hasn't gone out-of-print by then!), it's worth considering. Another DD Video title I've long neglected is THE DEVIL'S MEN (1976), incidentally, also starring Peter Cushing - and, even though it's an equally maligned horror effort, I have to admit that I'm a sucker for such things...

A Hammer imitation from Tony Tensor's Tigon films, only made on a lower budget and with noticeably less enthusiasm, THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR is actually a lot more entertaining than it really ought to be. The film is obviously made on a lower budget than Hammer had to play around with at the time and this occasionally shows through, particularly in the creature's costume. However, once again a fine British cast are assembled for the job, veteran director Vernon Sewell puts in a solid if unremarkable job, the script is literate, the locations good and the movie well-filmed. THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR manages to be atmospheric in places, especially in the woods at night, and its colourful and enjoyable to look at throughout with adequate production values.

The saving grace of the film is Peter Cushing, who actually considered this his worst movie, but then perhaps he didn't remember NO SECRETS. Cushing is typically cast as the detective who investigates the series of (surprisingly bloody for the time) crimes but unfortunately he doesn't take much of a role in the action. Cushing fans will always remember his strenuous battles with Christopher Lee's Dracula and his surprising agility and strength in the physical scenes in his films, but there's none of that here. Still, Cushing is excellent as usual in his part, investing Quennell with mannerisms and typical quirkiness to make him an appealing character.

The film is rather episodic in nature, with lots of mini-climaxes before the ending, but thankfully its also rather short and doesn't outstay its welcome. There's a definite lull in the action about halfway through involving some amateur dramatics which seem to be out of place in this horror yarn, but otherwise its pretty solid. The scientific explanation behind the monster's creation is very hazy and disguised with lots of paraphernalia and props to make it seem believable and it just about works. As for the creature, it appears laughable rather than scary, with red ping pong ball eyes and a skin-tight costume with wings, but this adds to the unintentional humour rather than detracting too much from the flow of the movie.

Robert Flemyng (best known for his turn as the sleazy necrophiliac in Italy's THE TERRIBLE DR HICHCOCK) is very good in his part as the disturbed doctor who eventually turns his back on his experiments and proves to be an adequate foil for Cushing's hero. The female cast members take more prominent parts than usual, particularly Wanda Ventham as the young temptress. Vanessa Howard (GIRLY) is nice and sweet playing Cushing's daughter, but is a bit underused and isn't menaced enough, whilst Roy Hudd gets some great macabre humour as a morgue assistant who has his lunch at the feet of a corpse (although I was distracted by the "corpse's" feet, which kept twitching). Altogether, the positive points of this film outweigh the bad and fans of British horror may find it quaint and enjoyable, although it definitely could have been spiced up a bit with more action and excitement.

I really had high hopes for 'The Blood Beast Terror'. An above average cast led by Hammer legend Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng ('The Terrible Dr. Hitchcock') and Wanda Ventham (of cult TV series 'UFO'), and produced by the same company that made the excellent 'Witchfinder General' and one of the best non-Hammer movies Cushing was ever involved with, 'The Creeping Flesh'. Surely this was going to be an overlooked gem? Sadly no. While it isn't an absolute waste of time, it's nowhere near as good as 'The Creeping Flesh' or any Hammer movie from the same period. It reminded me in many ways of 'The Reptile' but it was nowhere near as good. Cushing and Flemyng give it their best shot, but despite a few effective sequences, it never really takes off, and the disappointing climax really lets the movie down. For rabid Peter Cushing fans only. Otherwise stick with his Hammer work, 'The Creeping Flesh' and 'Horror Express'.

So do you think that moths are scary? I know someone who does but I doubt even they would find much fright in this anemic slice of British horror hokum. Peter Cushing lends his usual good performance and the period detail is well executed but the blood-sucking moth creature is too silly for words. Fans of creature features may think that the moth beast looks a lot like the bee monster in Roger Corman's THE WASP WOMAN. The destruction of the vampire beast moth creature at the climax is particularly pathetic.