The Beastmaster

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Videos & Photos

  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Producer:

Paul Pepperman, Sylvio Tabet

Writer:

Don Coscarelli, Paul Pepperman

Runtime:

1hr 58m

Synopsis

A sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces.

Cast

  • Marc Singer
  • Tanya Roberts
  • Rip Torn
  • John Amos
  • Josh Milrad
  • Rod Loomis
  • Ben Hammer
  • Ralph Strait
  • Billy Jacoby

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.0
30.9K
11.8K
6.4K
RATINGS 44 FANS
3.0
  • Jan 4, 2021

    Obligatory “Hey, Beastmaster’s On’ joke. Lots to love here, especially with the nostalgia factor... but I can’t for the life of me see how 9 thru 14 year old me had the patience to make it through this very long movie at least 257 times.  My allegiance and heart will…

    197 Likes
    Ian West
    Ian West

    rule no. 1 of living in a barbarian fantasy world: never, ever, EVER be a farmer, don't join an agricultural society, don't even THINK of planting something, because if you do, you're destined to get killed by a roving band of bloodthirsty warriors whose only purpose in…

    168 Likes
    comrade_yui
    comrade_yui
    Apr 28, 2020

    Kodo and Podo, the ferrets, prove so good at thieving that they wind up stealing the show.

    130 Likes
    kennelco
    kennelco
  •
    Jul 20, 2020

    Ok so I’m incredibly bias being a kid when this was on HBO (or “Hey! Beastmaster’s On!”) every day but revisiting again for [REDACTED] I was stunned how intense, disturbing and brutal this “family friendly Conan” film was. Clearly Coscarelli was reaching for the stars and…

    105 Likes
    Joe Lynch
    Joe Lynch
    Jun 4, 2021

    A fun and epic sword-and-sorcery flick by Don Phantasm Coscarelli. I had never actually seen this before until today. Had I seen this as a kid, I think I would have eaten it up. While the low budget nature of it shows, it is still a better looking film than 90% of the other…

    103 Likes
    Lou (doesn't rhyme with booh! 👻)
    Lou (doesn't rhyme with booh! 👻)
    Dec 26, 2020

    Wowee, what a delight this was! Maybe the best Sword and Sorcery film ever? I had seen BEASTMASTER many years ago and echoed the conventional wisdom that it was mildly fun but a bit of a slog, so I was amazed to have a blast this time around. There are tons of fun gags…

    80 Likes
    Justin Decloux
    Justin Decloux
  •
    Jan 10, 2026

    When Coscarelli confesses he may have had too many endings, I nodded. Maybe shave off three. The ferrets earned their keep. Child sacrifices were amusing, but this PG violence is for the birds.

    65 Likes
    Sofa Sinema
    Sofa Sinema
    Oct 11, 2025

    The Beastmaster was a film I had contemplated watching for many years. For the first reason is the director, Don Coscarelli. The Beastmaster is the immediate follow up after the critical and commercial hit of Phantasm, and instead of doing a sequel to Phantasm (which he…

    61 Likes
    FilmShogun
    FilmShogun
    May 29, 2022

    Cinematic Time Capsule 1982 Marathon - Film #108 Conan the Veterinarian! By Marc Singer’s mighty six-pack! By Rip Torn’s mighty beak-nose! By the poorly painted tiger of Aruk! By the adorable thieving ferrets of Emur! It’s our friend, the Beastmaster! ”The…

    61 Likes
    📀 Cammmalot 📀
    📀 Cammmalot 📀

Queue Community Reviews

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Top Reviews
  • TribianiRamoray
    TribianiRamoray liked
    The Beastmaster

    Rating: 6.4/10 A campy, entertaining 80s fantasy staple with unique animal companions. Highlights - Charming Concept: Hero telepathically communicates with animals, forming a lovable team. - Memorable Cast: Marc Singer and Rip Torn deliver standout performances. - Nostalgic Fun: A brisk pace and…

    🔥 1 11M
    jo
    jo liked
    The Beastmaster

    it’s so bad that it’s good

    1Y
    V
    V liked
    The Beastmaster

    so bad it's good

    2Y
  • Vogue Italia
    Vogue Italia loved
    The Beastmaster

    6/6/26

    4M

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

18
metacritic
Based on 4 Critics
7.6

USER SCORE (22)

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Reviews
12

You will die at the hands of Zed's unborn son. Shucks, those wicked witches sure had a way of taking the fun out of life. Luckily for scheming kings, sadly for blameless movie-goers, such party-pooping prophecies are now mainly confined to formulaic flicks like The Beastmaster. [23 Aug 1982]

Metacritic review by Rick Groen
Rick Groen
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
30

It's meant as a tiny bit of praise to say that the movie, which was made in southern California, looks as if it had been shot in Spain or Yugoslavia. It looks both big and cheap.

Metacritic review by Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
The New York Times

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is The Beastmaster?
The movie is 1hr 58min long.
What's The Beastmaster about?
A sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces.
Who's the cast of The Beastmaster?
  • Marc Singer as Dar
  • Tanya Roberts as Kiri
  • Rip Torn as Maax
  • John Amos as Seth
  • Josh Milrad as Tal
  • Rod Loomis as King Zed
  • Ben Hammer as Young Dar's Father
  • Ralph Strait as Sacco
  • Billy Jacoby as Young Dar
Who's the director behind The Beastmaster?
Don Coscarelli directed The Beastmaster.
Who produced The Beastmaster?
Paul Pepperman and Sylvio Tabet produced The Beastmaster.