The Blood Beast Terror

Myth Conception

The Blood Beast Terror
Directed by Vernon Sewell
Tigon UK 1968 
88 Films Blu Ray Zone B

Warning: Spoilers fluttering into view.

What do you call a female moth?
A myth!
Old pearl of wisdom much admired by the blog author

I have to confess that, even though I’d been pre-warned somewhat as to the general reputation of The Blood Beast Terror, I was expecting it to be a little more engaging than it actually is. This is not to say I didn’t have a little fun with it but, yeah, it’s no surprise now that I just discovered that it’s the film of his that Peter Cushing disliked the most and, it has to be said, as brilliant as he always is, he isn’t really able to save the picture here.

This one is about a ‘mad lepidopterist’ who... and it really doesn’t take the audience long to figure this out... has created a half human/half Death’s Head moth lady, who he says is his daughter (and may well be), as played by Wanda Ventham (who was also in UFO, reviewed here and is the mother of a certain Benedict Cumberbatch). She goes around indiscriminately changing into a big moth, killing various men and draining them of their blood while the lepidopterist Dr. Mallinger, played by Robert Flemyng, is trying to double down on his dubious success by creating her a mate. Just how that is supposed to stop the mass of blood drained victims is anybody’s guess but, yeah, the film doesn’t really cling fervently to the idea of story logic, that’s for sure. 

Luckily for the British public at large, we have Detective Inspector Quennell on the case, played by the great Peter Cushing, messing around with props and finger-raising his way into a solution which brings the truth out. Aiding him is Sergeant Allan, played by the always watchable Glynn Edwards and, also, Quennell's daughter, played by Vanessa Howard. And, of all people, the local  morgue attendant is played by Roy Hudd, bringing the wide eyed comedy relief in a couple of turns which, it transpires, were mostly improvised by himself (which adds fuel to the fire about the state of the screenplay on this one, I might suggest). 

The film looks okay (and is presented in a nice print and transfer from 88 Films) and the director seems to be taking the old Roger Corman trick of leaving doors open on sets to heart because, the various rooms (I suspect most of them aren’t sets at all, instead re-dressed locations) are full of open doors the actors can walk through to give them something to do. Which does indeed, at least give the scenes a sense of depth, which is why Corman used to do it, I believe. 

As far as the main antagonist goes... poor old Wanda. At first I thought she was a were-moth because much is made of the moon being full at one point but, no, she can apparently just flit about and change at will, no matter what the time of day... and the transition effects amount to a bad and very quick dissolve (almost to the point where it’s pretty much a jump cut), from her to the creature. And, honestly, the moth costume is not good. If you think of the Menoptera from the Doctor Who story The Web Planet from three years before this (and reviewed by me here) well, it's a notch below that and it fully feels like the producers just went around to their local fancy dress costume shop. Not a good look. 

And the clues to the solution of these mothical crimes, such as they are, are obvious and infantile to everyone except, for a time, the police investigating the murders.

There was, however, one good moment... a wonderful transition where a character says “I think we’re due a thunderstorm.” This then cuts to someone wobbling a big sheet of metal to give the thunder effect for a play being put on at the lepidopterist’s house. The play itself seems a mash up of the Frankenstein story with Burke and Hare (the subject of the director’s last film, three years from the release of this one, which I reviewed here) and, although it was a good transition, this play within a film goes on way too long for what it is and, yeah, we could really have done without it. At least this much of it, I feel. 

I should probably mention another dubious highlight of the film before I give my final thoughts... and its the ridiculous ending. Now, you may not believe this but the film ends when the two detectives rescue a man from Mad Moth Wanda (as I will now, forever, call her) when she’s trying to claim another victim. She flies off, making an easy getaway but, in a stroke of questionable genius, Cushing quickly lights a nearby bonfire and, attracted to the light... I’m not making this up... she flies into the fire and burns to death. I mean, this film gets a big thumbs up from me for having a totally ludicrous ending, at least. This is about as silly as could be hoped for, it has to be said. This is Golden Raspberry Award worthy stuff, for sure. 

The big problem with this film, for me, is that it’s a nice concept. I mean, how can you screw up... or at least dull down... a film about a blood lusting killer moth woman? But, alas, as I was watching I just kept thinking how much better the film would have been if someone at Hammer, or even Amicus, had the project to bring to the screen. Cushing is good in this, as always but, like I said, he’s not able to elevate the picture sufficiently to lift it out of the doldrums. Which is a shame because I really wanted to like The Blood Beast Terror, especially since it was released into UK cinemas in the same month I was born. But there you go... not much more to say. I would certainly watch this again because, there is a certain amount of fun to be had for sure but, it’s not a title I would recommend even to lovers of this period of British horror, truth be told.