The film was Warner Bros.' only foray into the horror genre in the 1940s and was Peter Lorre's last film with the studio. Graham Baker was reported as working on a script for Warner Bros in 1945. Robert Florey was assigned to direct with Andrea King and Paul Henreid to star. The screenwriter Curt Siodmak had originally written the film for Henreid, who turned it down. Robert Alda was cast instead. Filming started November 27, 1945. The piece much played throughout the film is a slightly modified version of Brahms' transcription for left hand of the chaconne from Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Partita in D minor, performed by Warner Bros. pianist Victor Aller. His hand is shown playing the piano and throughout the movie. Release Home media The film was released on Laser Disc by MGM/UA Home Video on March 16, 1999 and released on DVD by Warner Brothers on October 1, 2013. Shown on the MeTV show Svengoolie on March 26, 2022. Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on , with a weighted average rating of 6.6/10. Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film two and a half out of a possible four stars, calling it "[an] Intriguing, if not entirely successful mood piece". Bob Mastrangelo from Allmovie gave the film a positive review, calling it "effectively eerie", and praised the film's special effects. See also The Hands of Orlac (1924) – Austrian silent film adaptation of the novel by Maurice Renard Mad Love (1935) – American sound remake of The Hands of Orlac The Hands of Orlac (1960) – British-French adaptation of the Renard novel Hands of a Stranger (1962) The Crawling Hand (1963) The Hand of Fear (1976) – Doctor Who episode inspired by The Beast with Five Fingers The Hand (1981) – remake of The Beast with Five Fingers directed by Oliver Stone Evil Dead II (1987) – reference of The Hand and The Beast with Five Fingers Idle Hands (1999) Notes External links Read the story at https://web.archive.org/web/20091231170928/http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/beast.html 1946 films 1946 horror films 1940s mystery horror films American mystery horror films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films about pianos and pianists Films based on short fiction Films directed by Robert Florey Films scored by Max Steiner Films set in country houses Films set in Italy Films with screenplays by Curt Siodmak Warner Bros. films 1940s