|
|
|
"I call these movies, which are almost always horror movies and usually very bad, Bull Movies..."
|
During the late Sixties and early Seventies, a new kind of horror invaded American (mostly) drive-in screens--a gory, sexy, and totally wacky series of monster movies made in the Philippines with lots of stage blood and very low budgets. But they gave value for money, if you valued cheesy monster makeup, primitive gore effects, lots of pretty girls, and the gratuitous use of John Ashley. Today, these films have made a DVD comeback and they can be (and should be) enjoyed with your favorite brew...which makes the whole thing a matter of... 
By JEFF BERES First, a personal note. I tend to watch a video or DVD every night, a habit I started 16 years ago when I got married. Couldn’t go out anymore, so … you know. One night, I rented Clive Barker’s Rawhead Rex, bought some microwave popcorn, a six pack, and settled in to be amused. Amused, I was. The six pack made a mediocre movie seem great. The problem was, I don’t like beer that much. So I switched to Schlitz Red Bull Malt Liquor. You get a kick without forcing down a lot of beer. A quart of the Bull (which they’ve since stopped producing) gives Ed Wood the genius he thought he had. I call these movies, which are almost always horror movies and usually very bad, Bull Movies.
Well, a few months ago, I bought a bottle of Bull and a double billed DVD--Blood Creature (AKA Terror Is A Man)/Werewolf In A Girl’s Dormitory). I popped in the disk and popped open the Bull and sat back to be entertained. Well, about a half hour into "Blood Creature" and 20 oz. into the 40 oz. Bull, I found myself listening closely to the dialogue and getting engaged in the characters of Blood Creature. To the point that I wished I hadn’t drank anything. The film was basically a reworking of "The Island of Dr. Moreau, " but on a budget. Only one human- animal. But the film makers made you feel sorry for the monster as well as fear him. That’s hard to do. The only two films that have succeeded in that area are Frankenstein and King Kong. Not that Blood Creature a classic film. But, still, I was impressed.
About a month later, I ran across Blood Creature on Amazon.com and saw connections to other films by these filmmakers. It turns out other people appreciated this film, people with money, and they used the money to create Hemisphere Films in 1963. Due to the surprise success of Blood Creature, the producers decided to put Blood in the titles of their first films and have them take place on Blood Island, where Blood Creature took place. The "Blood Collection", as they’re called on the Image DVDs, officially start with The Blood Drinkers, followed by Brides Of Blood, Mad Doctor Of Blood Island, Brain Of Blood, Horror of Blood Island, and Blood Of The Vampires. For this article, we’ll concentrate on my favorite from the Blood Collection, Brides Of Blood and it’s successor, Mad Doctor Of Blood Island.
Non spoiler Brides Of Blood synopsis Scientists Jim Farrel (John Ashley) and Paul Henderson (Kent Taylor) arrive on Blood Island to research the effects of radiation on the island’s flora and fauna. Dr. Henderson’s wife Carla (Beverly Hills) comes to help. When they arrive, they find evidence of human sacrifices. As the scientist do their research, Dr. Farrel grows close to one of the native women. The scientists are finally shown the lottery system they use to chose their sacrifices of young human virgins to the monster that’s terrorizing the island. I’ll stop there so I don’t ruin the ending, but anyone who’s seen similar films can figure out where it’s going.
So, is it good? Brides Of Blood is my favorite in the Collection. The acting is adequate, the plot is pretty original, the monster looks silly but his growl is frightening, and the film makers know enough to keep the story moving. There’s gore, nudity, attractive island girls, and a swift plot. Any flaws? Sure. Tons. But they’re part of the film’s charm. Little things like a servant wrestles with Dr. Farrel, trying to kill him. Dr. Henderson, watching from a couple hundred feet away, pulls his gun and, without aiming, shoots from the hip, hitting the servant in the shoulder so he doesn’t kill him. Schlitz Red Bull helps one appreciate such sublime moments in cinema.
There’s also a wonderful commentary track on each DVD by Independent International honcho Sam Sherman, who worked with Hemisphere in various capacities. He tells the history of Hemisphere, from it’s inception to his final days. Very entertaining. Lots of inside dope on the movie business plus little asides about the crew. Like John Ashley loved the Philippines. After Hemisphere dissolved, John Ashley continued making films in the Philippines. This had more than a little to do with Ashley’s appreciation of the island beauties. Sherman says Ashley died young, but doesn’t say how old he was or what he died of. If you have an interest in low budget film making in the Sixties through the Eighties, check out this commentary. It starts on The Blood Drinkers and continues on the rest of the disks in the "Blood Collection." Non spoiler Mad Doctor Of Blood Island synopsis This film starts with a group of American teenagers taking the Oath of Blood. The narrator explains that to watch the film, you have to drink a packet of Green Blood to protect yourself from the Creature in the film. Then the film starts with John Ashley as scientist Dr. Bill Foster arriving on Blood Island. This time, he’s accompanied by another hottie, Sheila Ward, played by Angelique Pettyjohn, who’s come to find out what happened to her father, a scientist who disappeared after arriving on Blood Island a few years back. They’re joined by a young Filipino man named Carlos Lopez (Reynoldo Valdez) who’s come to collect his mother.
The group is met by Blood Island native Dr. Lorca (Ronald Remy) the scientist who took over Sheila’s father’s work. As the group make themselves comfortable on the island, they learn of a creature that’s been killing islanders. How’s this one compare to the others? Well, the scenes with Carlos and his mother, played by Tita Munoz, are by far the best acted in the series. Although relatively young and very attractive, she feels her life is over without her husband and she must remain on the island to wait out her death. Her son sees things differently and tries to coax her to come with him.
But as much as these scenes raise our expectations (they’re early in the film), we’re let down by the other performers, the ridiculous makeup and the annoying zoom lens effect. Apparently the director felt it would be more frightening if the monster’s POV was ascertained by a very fast, repetitious back and forth zoom. It does work on one way--you may have to look away to avoid getting nauseous and that way you won’t see the crummy monster makeup. And another negative point is the gratuitous slaughtering of animals during an erotic dance number. What’s the point? Now, to be fair, they really tried with this one. The story has an extra subplot and the script does dig into the relationships between son and mother and father and daughter. But … well, it’s definitely a Bull Movie.
The commentary was a continuation of the history lesson of Hemisphere Pictures. Sam follows the company up to the point where the partners split up, which pretty much ended the organization. In Summation Could I recommend these films? Well, it depends. If you watch them in the right frame of mind, they are well worth the $19.98 price tag for each film. The right frame of mind is with a bottle of Bull (or reasonable facsimile sniff) for the movie itself, then the next night, switch to the commentary track while you’re straight. You’ll have a good time and you’ll learn something. By the way, Blood Creature, the best of the Filipino horror films, has been reissued on DVD under its original title, Terror Is A Man on the Wellspring label. It's supposed to be a nice transfer and you don't need Bull for this one. So let the Blood Bath begin!!! Thanks, Jeff! But we just can't see paying malt liquor prices for proper "lubrication" to watch these gory, cheesy, and fun Filipino horrors. Besides, Doc Seward doesn't want us to get too tight here at the old sanitarium. So we make do with the local brew...some stuff called Seward's Stale Pale Ale. Anyway, these true drive-in classics have been nicely restored to DVD and really deserve a look, especially if you want to know why some of us one-time airmen and sailors called the pre-Acquino Philippines a little slice of heaven (aside from plant-men monsters, of course). Article copyright © Jeff Beres |
|
