Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Beware My Brethren Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 29, 2018

Religious fury is slowly unfurled in 1972’s “Beware My Brethren” (aka “The Fiend”), a British production that’s endeavoring to wind itself up with scenes of murder and holy manipulation, but it takes a long time to get anywhere of note in the picture. Director Robert Hartford-Davis and screenwriter Brian Comport definitely have ideas to share in the stagnant shocker, but takes on serial killing, motherly influence, and Godly damnation just don’t have the punch they should, with most of “Beware My Brethren” coming across as a television movie that’s occasionally interrupted by scenes of violence and nudity.

Birdy (Ann Todd) is a widow who’s granted access to the Brethren, an Evangelical cult, to build a church inside her house. She’s a devout believer, a follower of the Minister (Patrick Magee), and has raised her son, Kenny (Tony Beckley), to learn from the teachings of God. Unfortunately, a life of solitude has destroyed Kenny’s perspective on normality, with his need to spread the good word turned into serial killing, unable to deal with the sin he encounters as a police officer, soon preying on local women.

“Beware My Brethren” does open unexpectedly, which certainly helps to launch the picture with a great deal of promise. Entering the Brethren church, we witness the Minister sharing Godly fury with his flock, watching as the heat of faith rises in the room, resulting in song performed by one of the churchgoers. While there’s no choreography, Hartford-Davis stages the moment like a musical number, cutting between the performance in the church and a citywide sprint from Kenny’s latest victim, generating some tension as death draws near. It’s a weird opening, but sadly, it’s the last blast of unusual energy for “Beware The Brethren,” which comes back down to Earth as it explores the relationship between Birdy and Kenny, who, in classic serial killer fashion, share a bit more mutual attraction than the average family bond. The picture doesn’t develop it, but a dash of incest flavors the general unease the effort is trying to summon.

Beware My Brethren Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a healthy amount of detail to help viewers immerse themselves in this distinctly British production. Set decoration is open for study, moving from the Brethren church to more domestic surroundings, offering a look at home life and beyond. Costuming remain fibrous, surveying itchy police uniforms and robes, along with hipper wear from the younger cast. Evil activities also maintain clarity, keeping macabre murders easy to track. Colors do their best with a colder palette, but primaries punch right on through, boosted by period hues and outdoor activities, which maintain appealing greenery. Delineation is acceptable, preserving frame information. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in fine shape, with some minor scratches and single-frame chemical blotches.

Beware My Brethren Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix gets off to an active start, with the opening scene collecting group participation in the church before slipping into a musical number of sorts. Soundtrack selections are loud and clear, securing performance and the passion of music, while scoring is also defined to satisfaction, Dialogue exchanges have moments of harshness due to age, but intelligibility is never challenged, finding room for hushed exchanges and screaming matches. Atmospherics are blunt, but changes in location are understood.

Beware My Brethren Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Samm Deighan.

• Scene Comparison (5:49, HD) offers a side-by-side look at the UK Cinema Version of "Beware My Brethren," and the Uncut International Version.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:08, HD) is presented.

Beware My Brethren Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Beware The Brethren" begins with a blast, but soon settles into a series of tedious encounters and dull supporting characters. It all plays flatly, while cinematography reinforces the television ambiance of the effort, which doesn't favor dark twists and turns, but melodrama is periodically broken up by violent ways from Kenny. There's something there with all the religious puppetry, along with flashes of journalistic interest in the cult and medical help for Birdy, but "Beware The Brethren" resembles the work of Pete Walker too closely, who also had trouble going bananas with potentially lurid material, often giving in to cultural reservation when the film is begging for chaos.