Mad Doctor of Blood Island

source: Mad Doctor of Blood Island

Mad Doctor of Blood Island

Pathologist Bill Foster (a likeable performance by the hunky John Ashley) runs afoul of mad scientist Dr. Lorca (nicely played with smoothly sinister menace by Ronald Demy), who's creating lethal green-blooded subhuman mutant beasts on a remote tropical island. Director Eddie Romero and Gerry DeLeon keep the enjoyably absurd story moving along at a snappy pace, bring a winning pulpy sensibility to the lurid premise, make neat use of the exotic jungle locations, and deliver gobs of graphic gore as well as a satisfying smattering of tasty bare female skin. Buxom blonde bombshell Angelique Pettyjohn makes for a very fetching damsel in distress. Foxy brunette Alicia Alonzo provides some yummy additional eye candy. The monster looks pretty gnarly. Tito Arevalo's robust score hits the rousing spot. Justo Paulino's rough cinematography boasts plenty of wonky zoom-ins. A total trashy blast.

This is one of those little gems that used to show up late at night on Fright Night with John Carradine as host and other venues on t.v. during the late 70's and early 80's. This movie was so heavily edited that I didn't realize how good it was until I found it on DVD about seven years ago. There was a lot of gore and nudity taken out of the t.v. prints that were thankfully restored on the DVD version. Cant have a "drive-in" classic without those elements now can you? The chlorophyll monster was downright original and appalling at the same time. I loved this Phillipino horror film classic for it's atmosphere and campiness though it is evident that the producers of this flick took their job seriously. Second in the Blood Island series and one of the best. 1970's Beast of Blood is also worth a look . Kudos to that other Romero horrormeister.

I recall seeing this film at a drive-in many years ago. While I admit to a tendency of enjoying bad movies, this one had some allure because of its exploitive bent. Yes, the script is bad, the acting is also stinky, and there is some screwball operating the camera who keeps playing with the zoom lens, but the movie attempted to expand the boundaries of shock value in its day. An island monster is running around making hamburger of his victims. A not-too-savvy young American with a Ricky-Nelson haircut is on the case. Care to guess what happens next? When I saw it as a teenager it had an impact, but it probably rates as a grade D horror flick. A product of the Philippines, I believe. Am I recommending it? Only for fans of the genre.

A meatier version of Dr. Moreau. John Ashley (R.I.P.) does a great job playing the confused hero. He was the eye of the hurricane. Calm while chaos surrounded. Angelique Pettyjohn (also R.I.P., and hubba-hubba) was great in her role as a random bimbo as well. I mean that as a compliment. Were the love scenes real? Someone find an un-cut version and we'll see. The creature effects were so-so, and that whole lumbering look was a bit overdone. And the 'zoom-in, zoom-out' camera work got annoying REAL fast. It was still a good adventure however, even if it wasn't too scary. And are islander women really that prone to wandering the islands completely *? I liked it, but come on. A decent time waster.

If you are a Z-grade movie fan then you'll pleased to hear that this is one gloriously bad film. You get the full works here - paper-maché monster masks, screaming maidens, wooden acting, brief flashes of nudity, cave walls that are less-than-solid and a surprising dash of 1960s gore. However the best part, or worst depending on your point of view, is the wonderfully stodgy dialogue on display, for example: Man: "What a scare you gave me. But then you are a kind of ghost yourself aren't you". Woman: "What sensitivity". Add to this a plot involving chlorophyll (the stuff that makes leaves green) poisoning, native rituals and you've got yourself a decent B-movie. There are some aspects that will undoubtedly annoy most people, the large number of "padded" scenes for example, but the worst has to be the bloody annoying manic lens zooming!. Otherwise the film is fun to watch and will no doubt please most fans of Romero and low-budget horror fare.

A man who loves to travel, travels to an island where a mad doctor is creating zombies. "Brides of Blood" (1968), also starring John Ashley, had been popular in the US. American distributors approached Ashley to see if he would be interested in appearing in a follow-up movie. Ashley agreed, which led to him acting in and/or producing a series of exploitation films in the Philippines. The film, which cost $125,000, was followed by a sequel, "Beast of Blood", in 1971. This is just the perfect kind of cheese for a low budget movie. Yes, the picture looks bad and could really benefit from a new transfer (everything is sort of blue-green tinted). But in a way, it's this imperfection that adds to its charm. A great picture might make it more obvious just how silly all the effects are.

Forget all the critics (though much of their criticism is technically on target). Watch this film with an open mind and revel in the sheer audaciousness of it all. Gruesome monsters. Trashy, gorgeous heroines. Square jawed men of action. Let the bizarre ennui envelope you. Enjoy the sheer inanity of the whole thing. I saw this as a teen and was utterly captivated by it and the crude power remains intact. On location shooting (in the Philippines) and cast of unknowns adds enormously. It's a wonderful piece of trash film making -- a classic of the sort.