Beasts of Terror - 4 Movies

Rating:
Summary: Terror is an Overstatement
Review: All four films in this collection have very good quality pictures. Although going by average quality of the films themselves this is one of Brentwood's less strong 4-movie collections, there isn't one single movie that I outright hated. And at this price, you only need one good film you are not likely to find elsewhere to make it worthwhile. Going from the weakest film to the best:

SNOW BEAST, a TV movie, takes the then-recent film Jaws, turns the shark into an abominable snowman, and the beach resort into a ski resort, and throws out everything that was good about that film, including any suspense or interesting characters. There are some things worth slight amusement. For example, when the camper (replacing the fishing boat in Jaws) is knocked over by a bunch of rolling logs, somehow the camper winds up filled with the large logs although the whole thing, including the side on which it was hit, is still completely intact! Everyone involved in the film must have failed physics.

MOON OF THE WOLF is a TV movie about a local cop investigating brutal murders which may or may not have been committed by an animal (of course we all know it is a werewolf). Since it is a TV movie it is quite tame and the budget is low, which is not necessarily an impediment to a good film, but it is all too predictable and fails to build suspense. It even completely fails to make any use of potentially interesting local flavour (Cajuns, bayous or local legends) except for the presence of one bed-ridden francophone. Even the fine performances fail to make this film anything more than an adequate time waster.

WOLF MAN is a low budget 1970s movie which was released theatrically only in the southern states. Like most rural films it has a certain charm (local playhouse quality acting and all). It isn't really a copy of the original film, but pretty well everything in it had been done countless times before (in the original, in dozens of Hammer films, etc.) Therefore, since the film has little action, but depends upon building suspense, it doesn't work as well as it should. With such nice touches as the devil-whorshipping southern preacher this film could be a classic if it had come out before most of the things in it became cliched.

In contrast, SCREAM OF THE WOLF, which is the best entry in this collection, is very original. WHICH is why it will actually disappoint viewers who WANT it to follow expectations. Intelligently scripted by Richard Matheson (who scripted the best of Roger Corman's Poe films), competently directed by Dan (Dark Shadows) Curtis, and filled with excellent performances, this film easily surpasses the limitations imposed upon it by nature of being an old TV movie (including by hinting at some things not mentioned on TV in those days). I don't want to risk spoiling anything by describing this movie in more detail.

With 3 out of 4 of the movies being 1970s made-for-TV horror films, this collection does have some nostalgia value for those of us who grew up on such things, and there are many familiar faces and bit players you rarely see anymore. Other than for that reason, and for "Scream of the Wolf", I can't give this collection a very high recommendation. Younger viewers who have no attention spans as a result of growing up on splatter films might want to give this one a pass.

Rating:
Summary: Terror is an Overstatement
Review: All four films in this collection have very good quality pictures. Although going by average quality of the films themselves this is one of Brentwood's less strong 4-movie collections, there isn't one single movie that I outright hated. And at this price, you only need one good film you are not likely to find elsewhere to make it worthwhile. Going from the weakest film to the best:

SNOW BEAST, a TV movie, takes the then-recent film Jaws, turns the shark into an abominable snowman, and the beach resort into a ski resort, and throws out everything that was good about that film, including any suspense or interesting characters. There are some things worth slight amusement. For example, when the camper (replacing the fishing boat in Jaws) is knocked over by a bunch of rolling logs, somehow the camper winds up filled with the large logs although the whole thing, including the side on which it was hit, is still completely intact! Everyone involved in the film must have failed physics.

MOON OF THE WOLF is a TV movie about a local cop investigating brutal murders which may or may not have been committed by an animal (of course we all know it is a werewolf). Since it is a TV movie it is quite tame and the budget is low, which is not necessarily an impediment to a good film, but it is all too predictable and fails to build suspense. It even completely fails to make any use of potentially interesting local flavour (Cajuns, bayous or local legends) except for the presence of one bed-ridden francophone. Even the fine performances fail to make this film anything more than an adequate time waster.

WOLF MAN is a low budget 1970s movie which was released theatrically only in the southern states. Like most rural films it has a certain charm (local playhouse quality acting and all). It isn't really a copy of the original film, but pretty well everything in it had been done countless times before (in the original, in dozens of Hammer films, etc.) Therefore, since the film has little action, but depends upon building suspense, it doesn't work as well as it should. With such nice touches as the devil-whorshipping southern preacher this film could be a classic if it had come out before most of the things in it became cliched.

In contrast, SCREAM OF THE WOLF, which is the best entry in this collection, is very original. WHICH is why it will actually disappoint viewers who WANT it to follow expectations. Intelligently scripted by Richard Matheson (who scripted the best of Roger Corman's Poe films), competently directed by Dan (Dark Shadows) Curtis, and filled with excellent performances, this film easily surpasses the limitations imposed upon it by nature of being an old TV movie (including by hinting at some things not mentioned on TV in those days). I don't want to risk spoiling anything by describing this movie in more detail.

With 3 out of 4 of the movies being 1970s made-for-TV horror films, this collection does have some nostalgia value for those of us who grew up on such things, and there are many familiar faces and bit players you rarely see anymore. Other than for that reason, and for "Scream of the Wolf", I can't give this collection a very high recommendation. Younger viewers who have no attention spans as a result of growing up on splatter films might want to give this one a pass.

Rating:
Summary: Beasts Of Error...
Review: BEASTS OF TERROR is a collection of 4 made-for-tv monster movies from the 70s. DVD #1-SIDE A- MOON OF THE WOLF- David Janssen is a sheriff in a small Louisiana town plagued by a werewolf (who looks more like a hairy guy with a dirty nose). There's only one good action scene involving the alleged lycanthrope, where it kills a deputy and a prisoner in the town jail. The rest is a test of sheer willpower and patience. SIDE B- SCREAM OF THE WOLF- Peter Graves is a man called in by police to investigate a brutal mutilation murder in a small California beach town. Byron (Clint Walker) is his hunter friend, a man obsessed with the weakness of the human race. Byron really needs a hug! He won't help to find the killer. Of course, Byron is even more sinister than we think. Is he the werewolf? Is there a werewolf at all? Dan Curtis (Trilogy Of Terror) does a fine job of keeping SOTW from being silly. Matheson delivers another good script. Not a bad movie. DVD #2- SIDE A- SNOW BEAST- A woman is torn to pieces by a yeti while skiing at the Rill ski resort in Colorado (I wonder if THAT was in their brochure). Enter Bo Svenson as Gar and Yvette Mimieux as his wife Ellen. Gar is a 1968 winter olympics gold medalist and Ellen's a tv reporter. Together, they help the resort's manager and the sheriff (Clint Walker) to track down and kill the beast. There are good and bad scenes in this one. A good scene is where a member of the ski patrol is grabbed by the noggin by the huge claw of the creature. A bad scene is where a pile of logs rolls into our heroes' camper. One reviewer already pointed out that the logs were rolling into the side of the camper, yet somehow jumped into the back of it. My question is, how / why did they park the camper under a pile of logs in the first place?? Anyway, I liked this one. The monster ain't bad and the actors are adequate. SIDE B- WOLF MAN- This one is really bad. A man returns home to get his inheritence and is turned into a werewolf by a satanic cult, led by the local preacher. The movie drags like an anchor, moving at a painful pace. The acting is dismal, but enjoyable in a "Plan 9" sort of way. The wolf man himself is just another hairy guy with pointy teeth. Lots to laugh at. All in all, BEASTS OF TERROR is a mixed bag of furry fiends and fun...