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The Blood Beast Terror: Tigon Collection – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1968
Director: Vernon Sewell
Writer: Peter Bryan
Cast: Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng, Wanda Ventham, Vanessa Howard, Glynn Edwards

Release Date: September 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"A series of blood-thirsty murders is investigated by Inspector Quennell and Sgt. Allan of Scotland Yard. But when their search for the killer leads them to the door of strange entomologist Dr. Carl Mallinger and his beautiful daughter Clare, events take a nightmarish turn in this 19th-century tale of transformation, monsters, and terror." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation in original 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio."

The Blood Beast Terror comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.7 GB

Feature: 24.2 GB

MJM Multimedia encoded this release, which is the first Tigon title by 88 Films not encoded by Fidelity in Motion. An existing 2K restoration from 2012 now serves as the source, despite its age. That said, the source looks great; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, black levels and image clarity are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Though the audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, there are moments where you can hear faint background hiss. That said, range-wise, things sound limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, the original theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer under the alternate title The Vampire-Beast Craves Blood (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Terror at Grim’s Dyke House - The Making of The Blood Beast Terror (31 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Howard Lanning titled To Cut or Not to Cut (24 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with John Hamilton and Howard Lanning, reversible cover art, an O-ring slipcase (limited to the first pressing) and a 32-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with an essay titled In the Moth of Madness Looking Back at Tigon’s The Blood Beast Terror written by Andrew Graves, an essay titled Unleashing the Blood Beast written by John Hamilton, and archival images.

Summary:

Vernon Sewell directed The Blood Beast Terror. He is also known for directing Curse of the Crimson Altar and Burke & Hare.

A scientist's experiments with a death’s head moth create a creature that feeds off of human blood.

The Blood Beast Terror was the first film produced under the Tigon British Film Productions banner. Mini Weekend and The Sorcerers, two films that preceded The Blood Beast Terror, were co-productions produced by Tony Tenser, founder of Tigon British Film Productions. Though Tigon British Film Productions would make films in a variety of film genres, it is in the horror genre where it found its greatest successes.

Content wise, The Blood Beast Terror has all the elements synonymous with gothic horror cinema. It is a period-set horror film with some sci-fi elements thrown in for good measure. The blood sucking creature mostly keeps its carnage offscreen and its true form hidden, revealing them later on. Also, by keeping what the creature looks like in the shadows until late into the film, this makes its full reveal more impactful.

Though Peter Cushing leads a strong cast (Night of the Big Heat), unfortunately they are not given that much to work with. That said, Peter Cushing still delivers another solid performance. And the most memorable performance is Robert Flemyng, who portrays a scientist who performs diabolical experiments. His character is reminiscent of the one he portrayed in The Horrible Dr. Hichcock.

From a production standpoint, despite working with limited resources, there are a few areas where The Blood Beast Terror excels. Its solid costume and production values do a phenomenal job recreating its period setting. Unfortunately, The Blood Beast Terror has a few shortcomings; its pacing drags during some of the character development moments. Ultimately, The Blood Beast Terror is a pedestrian horror-sci-fi hybrid that suffers from lethargic pacing and an anti-climatic ending.

The Blood Beast Terror gets a first-rate release from 88 Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras, recommended.