The Blood Beast Terror
Encyclopedia
The Blood Beast Terror is a 1968
British
horror film
released by Tigon
. It was known in the United States
under the title The Vampire-Beast Craves Blood.
s is occurring in the English
countryside. All the victims are good-looking young men, between the ages of twenty and thirty, and all have had their throats torn open and all their blood drained. The witness of the latest murder, a coachman
named Joe Trigger, is driven insane when he catches a glimpse of the killer.
Investigating the deaths are Detective Inspector Quennell of Scotland Yard
and his assistant, Sergeant
Allan. Because Joe keeps ranting about a horrible winged creature with huge eyes (getting himself declared a lunatic by the police doctor), Quennell hatches a theory that perhaps a homicidal
eagle
is on the loose. He and Allan also find at the scene of the latest killing several shiny scales.
The two latest victims happen to be students of renowned entomology
professor
Dr. Carl Mallinger, who lives nearby with his daughter Clare, and their creepy butler
, Granger. When Quennell brings the scales to Mallinger for identification, Mallinger behaves suspiciously and tries to take all of them (Quennell only ends up giving him one). He also puts forth his theory about a killer eagle, only to have Mallinger shoot it down. Little does Quennell know that the entomologist does actually have a pet eagle, which is tormented by Granger (in a mostly unrelated subplot
that ends when the eagle attacks and kills Granger).
In the meantime, explorer and naturalist
Frederick Britewell returns from Africa
with some moth chrysalids for Dr. Mallinger, and the handsome young adventurer soon falls victim to the scientist's daughter Clare, who is in fact the one responsible for all the murders: due to circumstances unknown, Clare is a "were-moth" and transforms at night to drink the blood of young men. Britewell becomes her latest victim after going with her to see a play performed by some of her father's students (which seems to be a spoof of the Hammer Frankenstein
genre), but lives long enough to tell Quennell, "Death's head!" when the inspector happens upon the dying explorer. Both Mallinger and Clare claim not to have known Britewell when questioned by Quennell.
Quennell's superior suggests he take a vacation and hand the case over to Sgt. Allan, but Quennell refuses. However he does reveal his intention to send his daughter Meg to stay with some relatives in Sussex
until the investigation is over. As they leave for the train station, Allan informs Quennell that Dr. Mallinger did in fact know Frederick Britewell, prompting Quennell to perform an immediate search of Mallinger's home, only to find that the scientist and his daughter have left for Upper Highham. He also discovers a cellar filled with human bones, and the corpse of Granger.
Quennell then informs his superior he will be taking his vacation after all: along with Meg, he goes to Upper Highham incognito as a vacationing banker named Thompson, where he discovers that Mallinger is also undercover as "Dr. Miles". But can he stop Mallinger, who is attempting to create a male were-moth to be a mate for his daughter?
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
released by Tigon
Tigon British Film Productions
Tigon British Film Productions or Tigon was a film production and distribution company founded by Tony Tenser in 1966. It is most famous for its horror films, particularly Witchfinder General and Blood on Satan's Claw...
. It was known in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the title The Vampire-Beast Craves Blood.
Story
A series of grisly murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s is occurring in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
countryside. All the victims are good-looking young men, between the ages of twenty and thirty, and all have had their throats torn open and all their blood drained. The witness of the latest murder, a coachman
Coachman
A coachman is a man whose business it is to drive a coach, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger — and of mail — and covered for protection from the elements...
named Joe Trigger, is driven insane when he catches a glimpse of the killer.
Investigating the deaths are Detective Inspector Quennell of Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and his assistant, Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Allan. Because Joe keeps ranting about a horrible winged creature with huge eyes (getting himself declared a lunatic by the police doctor), Quennell hatches a theory that perhaps a homicidal
Homicidal
Homicidal is a 1961 thriller film produced and directed by the self-proclaimed "King of Showmanship", William Castle. Written by Robb White, the film stars Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce, Richard Rust, and Joan Marshall...
eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
is on the loose. He and Allan also find at the scene of the latest killing several shiny scales.
The two latest victims happen to be students of renowned entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Dr. Carl Mallinger, who lives nearby with his daughter Clare, and their creepy butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, Granger. When Quennell brings the scales to Mallinger for identification, Mallinger behaves suspiciously and tries to take all of them (Quennell only ends up giving him one). He also puts forth his theory about a killer eagle, only to have Mallinger shoot it down. Little does Quennell know that the entomologist does actually have a pet eagle, which is tormented by Granger (in a mostly unrelated subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
that ends when the eagle attacks and kills Granger).
In the meantime, explorer and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Frederick Britewell returns from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with some moth chrysalids for Dr. Mallinger, and the handsome young adventurer soon falls victim to the scientist's daughter Clare, who is in fact the one responsible for all the murders: due to circumstances unknown, Clare is a "were-moth" and transforms at night to drink the blood of young men. Britewell becomes her latest victim after going with her to see a play performed by some of her father's students (which seems to be a spoof of the Hammer Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
genre), but lives long enough to tell Quennell, "Death's head!" when the inspector happens upon the dying explorer. Both Mallinger and Clare claim not to have known Britewell when questioned by Quennell.
Quennell's superior suggests he take a vacation and hand the case over to Sgt. Allan, but Quennell refuses. However he does reveal his intention to send his daughter Meg to stay with some relatives in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
until the investigation is over. As they leave for the train station, Allan informs Quennell that Dr. Mallinger did in fact know Frederick Britewell, prompting Quennell to perform an immediate search of Mallinger's home, only to find that the scientist and his daughter have left for Upper Highham. He also discovers a cellar filled with human bones, and the corpse of Granger.
Quennell then informs his superior he will be taking his vacation after all: along with Meg, he goes to Upper Highham incognito as a vacationing banker named Thompson, where he discovers that Mallinger is also undercover as "Dr. Miles". But can he stop Mallinger, who is attempting to create a male were-moth to be a mate for his daughter?
Cast
| Actor | Role |
| Peter Cushing Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally... |
Inspector Quennell |
| Robert Flemyng Robert Flemyng Robert Flemyng OBE, MC was a British film and stage actor.Flemyng was born in Liverpool, the son of a doctor, and was educated at Haileybury. He began his career as a medical student before abandoning medicine to become an actor. Flemyng made his stage debut in the early 1930s, and worked steadily... |
Dr. Carl Mallinger |
| Wanda Ventham Wanda Ventham Wanda Ventham is an English actress, mainly on television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.... |
Clare Mallinger |
| Vanessa Howard | Meg Quennell |
| Glynn Edwards Glynn Edwards Glynn Edwards is a British actor.Edwards was born in Malaya and trained as an actor at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. He is probably best known for his role as Dave 'the barman' Harris, owner of the Winchester Club in the TV show Minder... |
Sgt. Allan |
| William Wilde | Frederick Britewell |
| Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney was an English actor, best known for his television roles.During World War II, Stoney served with the Royal Air Force.... |
Granger |
| David Griffin | William Warrender |
| John Paul John Paul (actor) John Paul was a British actor.He is best known for his television roles, particularly as Dr Spencer Quist in Doomwatch and Marcus Agrippa in I, Claudius , both for BBC Television.... |
Mr. Warrender |
| Leslie Anderson | Joe Trigger |
| Simon Cain | Clem Withers |
| Norman Pitt | Police Doctor |
| Roy Hudd Roy Hudd Roy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :... |
Smiler |
| Russell Napier Russell Napier Russell Gordon Napier was an Australian actor.Russell Napier was born in Perth, Western Australia. Originally a lawyer, Napier was active as an actor from 1947 to 1974, playing both comedic and dramatic roles in both cinema and television. Notably, he starred in a live BBC television production... |
Landlord |