IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Eight people are invited to an island estate for the weekend. One of them is a werewolf. Can you guess which one?Eight people are invited to an island estate for the weekend. One of them is a werewolf. Can you guess which one?Eight people are invited to an island estate for the weekend. One of them is a werewolf. Can you guess which one?
Sam Mansary
- Butler
- (as Sam Mansaray)
Carl Bohen
- 1st Hunter
- (as Carl Bohun)
Valentine Dyall
- Narrator of the Werewolf Break
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Dennis Plenty
- Hunter
- (uncredited)
Annie Ross
- Caroline Newcliffe
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
A millionaire brings an assortment of characters to his heavily secured home and plenty of acreage around it. He then tells each that they were brought for a reason...that one of them is a werewolf. The rest of the story goes through the paces of finding out who the beast is and what must be done with it. I did not have the version with the game on it...my copy was called Black Werewolf(a poor job in renaming the film and it added awful title cards as well). This is the 70s film all around. The outfits, the hairstyles, and that awful-yet-appropriate soundtrack are all signs of the times. The movie is cheesy and yet fun to watch. Calvin Lockhart, as the lead, is like George Jefferson on steroids. The supporting cast is filled with stalwarts from the British stage and screen, amongst them Charles Gray, Anton Diffring, and the ever-affable Peter Cushing as the dispenser of knowledge dealing with lycanthropy. A pleasant diversion to watch!
what a great idea. badly executed. the best big game hunter in the world tries to kill a werewolf. seems to me like he was one of the worst shots, let alone one of the worst hunters in the world. not once did he use his skills, relying on everyone else around him to do the work for him, and he could just walk in for the kill. wheres the honour in killing your foe with a machine gun? i sat and watched as a film i'd wanted to see went plodding along until the end(though the ending was quite good). a weak film with some 'jazzy' music. what would terence fisher have done with it? made it fun at least. for once, a remake might do this idea justice. and make it scary this time, darnit!
An odd little horror flick-slash-whodunit that is part "Ten Little Indians," part "The Most Dangerous Game," part haunted house thriller, and all low-budget (but supremely entertaining) fun. An eccentric millionaire harboring a fascination for werewolves invites guests to his countryside mansion, where he intends to prove that one of them is, indeed, a werewolf. There are plot holes galore, but the excellent British cast, the William Castle-esque "werewolf break" (during which the audience is asked to guess wolfie's identity), the unexpected triple-whammy (and deeply ironic) ending, and the use of the "Jeopardy" theme (!) make up for it. The "clues" aren't nearly as plentiful or as clear as advertised, and the soundtrack is straight out of a 70s-era action flick, but no matter. A little-known gem that is most definitely worth seeing.
The film concerns on Tom Newcliff (Calvin Lockhart) , a wealthy businessman , great hunter and sportsman living with his wife (M.Clark) and his foreman (Anton Driffing) at a luxurious mansion . He has pursued and hunted all kind species with exception a werewolf . Thus , he invites a group of six men (Peter Cushing , Charles Gray , Michael Gambon..) and women related with weird killings about the eating of human flesh and nobody can leave the location . One of the occupants turns into werewolf at the full moon and stricken a rare pollen flower . Then , he undergoes a dental and hirsute transformation at night and going on a murderous rampage every time the moon is full . Tom investigates the guest who converts in night beast and trying to chase him , increasing his enormous collection at his isolated lodge .
The movie is a detective story in which you are the detective . The question is not ¨who is the murder¨? but ¨Who is the werewolf¨? . After all the clues have been shown we will get a chance to give your answer . The picture is a crossover of Blaxexploitation's protagonists , Agatha Christie whodunit (Ten little Indians) , horror mythic about werewolves and even gimmicks -William Castle type- on its intervening period when give to public some seconds for resolving the strange enigma . The transformation of man into werewolf is simple without special effects . Calvin Lockhart as obstinate and relentless hunter is top-notch ; besides , being surrounded by a highly capable secondary cast . Special mention for Peter Cushing ,as always he is excellent as specialist of knowledge on Lycanthropy . The screenwriter provided a very serviceable and well-knit screenplay with suspense and tension , giving full rein to director Paul Annett's natural talent .
The movie is a detective story in which you are the detective . The question is not ¨who is the murder¨? but ¨Who is the werewolf¨? . After all the clues have been shown we will get a chance to give your answer . The picture is a crossover of Blaxexploitation's protagonists , Agatha Christie whodunit (Ten little Indians) , horror mythic about werewolves and even gimmicks -William Castle type- on its intervening period when give to public some seconds for resolving the strange enigma . The transformation of man into werewolf is simple without special effects . Calvin Lockhart as obstinate and relentless hunter is top-notch ; besides , being surrounded by a highly capable secondary cast . Special mention for Peter Cushing ,as always he is excellent as specialist of knowledge on Lycanthropy . The screenwriter provided a very serviceable and well-knit screenplay with suspense and tension , giving full rein to director Paul Annett's natural talent .
Others commenting here seem to have been distracted by the "game" aspect of the movie, which was, of course, a gimmick added after the movie was finished.
Although the story really required a larger budget, this well-cast, intelligent horror thriller is well worth watching. The story is reasonably suspenseful, the direction good enough most of the time, and it is unusual in depicting the central villain as someone who LOVES being a werewolf. It's based on a good novel, which was given reasonably respectful treatment.
Although the story really required a larger budget, this well-cast, intelligent horror thriller is well worth watching. The story is reasonably suspenseful, the direction good enough most of the time, and it is unusual in depicting the central villain as someone who LOVES being a werewolf. It's based on a good novel, which was given reasonably respectful treatment.
Did you know
- TriviaDespite writer / director Paul Annett's objections, producer Milton Subotsky (who hated this film) insisted on the "Werewolf Break" gimmick, where the viewer was invited to guess who the werewolf is.
- GoofsWhen the alarm shows that the werewolf has left the estate and is prowling in the forest, Tom has his surveillance expert help him track the beast. He could have taken a few seconds to look in on all the guests via the spy cameras to see which one was missing from their room and so discover the werewolf's identity, but this does not seem to even occur to him.
- Quotes
Narrator of the Werewolf Break: This film is a detective story - in which you are the detective. The question is not "Who is the murderer?", but "Who is the werewolf?" After all the clues have been shown, you will get a chance to give your answer. Watch for the Werewolf Break.
- Crazy credits[at the beginning of the film, with narration] This film is a detective story - in which you are the detective. The question is not "Who is the murderer?", but "Who is the werewolf?" After all the clues have been shown, you will get a chance to give your answer. [said but not written on-screen, directly after the above quote] Watch for the Werewolf Break.
- Alternate versionsAlso released on home video as "Black Werewolf" without the Werewolf Break in it.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Gentle Touch: Melody (1980)
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Beast Must Die
- Filming locations
- Shepperton Studios, Studios Road, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(studio: made at Shepperton Studios, Middx. England.)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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