That was an excellent one.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Beast of Blood (1971) ** (out of 4) The third and final film in the Blood Island trilogy takes place hours after the events in MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND. As the film picks up Dr. Foster (John Ashley) is on the boat thinking he's going to safety but the green monster shows up and pretty much destroys the entire crew. The ship blows up and the doctor is the only one to survive. Flash forward a year and the doctor is going back to the island with a reporter (Celeste Yarnell) to see if the crazy doctor is still alive and doing more experiments (well of course he is). BEAST OF BLOOD might come across to many as being a disappointment because the horror elements aren't nearly as strong as in the previous two movies. I thought overall that this one worked quite well even though it plays more for a jungle-adventure movie than anything else. It's still got plenty of exploitation and this includes some rather hilarious death scenes. Since the majority of the kills are via gunshots you'll have a good time seeing how much blood they have pumping out of the wounds at all times. It seems they had the fake blood hooked up to water hose because that's pretty much how much comes out with each bullet wound. Another good thing that the film has going for it are the Philippeans locations. The jungle certainly adds a lot of atmosphere to the movie even though this one appears to be the slickest of the three. Ashley and his sideburns are once again back in action and it appears that he's having a good time even though he's phoning the performance in. Yarnell makes for a good sidekick and those wanting to see her naked will be pleased. There are, as you'd expect, some problems here and the pacing is one of them. The film never really picks up a good flow from start to finish but I will say that overall this here is probably the most entertaining as there's usually always something going on whereas the first two films had a lot of dialogue. The highlight of the movie happens before the opening credits when the monster goes around with an ax tearing up the boat crew. BEAST OF BLOOD isn't a classic but if you're a fan of exploitation then it's a decent close to the series.

This the direct sequel to Mad Doctor of Blood Island. Its the fourth (or third if you don't count the unrelated Terror is a Man) in the Blood Island saga. Literally picking up hours after the first film, the film begins on the boat sailing away from Blood Island. As John Ashley waxes poetic about his time on the island fighting monsters the man beast from the first film appears (he was seen to have secreted himself in a lifeboat at the end of Mad Doctor) and a battle occurs which destroys the ship and leaves Ashley as the only survivor. A year or so later Ashley heads back to Blood Island to investigate stories that weird things have begun to happen again despite the death of the evil Dr Lorca. On the island Ashley finds that many people he believed dead survived the final battle of the first film and that some how the "green men" have returned. It isn't long before its realized that Dr Lorca is back and up to his old tricks.Finally watching this in close proximity to Mad Doctor I found that the film plays much better than it does as a stand alone film. I was never a big fan of this film prior to the back to back viewing because I always felt that it was missing something. What it was missing was the set up that the first film gives it.If you watch the two films together I think you'll find it a better film than when it's viewed all alone.A sequel it is, but its not as scary (nor as gory nor as titillating). Sure there are some horrifying moments, but on some level this is more an adventure/ mystery film than a real horror movie. The man-beast is effectively off camera for most of the film following the opening battle (I have to say the make up here is infinitely better than in Mad Doctor). Some of Lorca's victims do cause mayhem, but the majority of the film concerns trying to find Lorca and the kidnapped reporter. Its not bad, but if you are expecting a straight horror film you may end up very disappointed, despite a great monster.What can I say, I took it on its own terms and I liked it, high art its not. Definitely worth seeing especially as part of a double feature with Mad Doctor of Blood Island.

"Beast of Blood" is the third of the Blood Island-Eddie Romero series, all of which starred terrible actor John Ashley. Although, with these films, it is better just to ignore the acting and enjoy the exploitation elements.There's some gore, a cheap but neat-looking monster and a little bit of skin too. (Celeste Yarnall ain't much of an actress, but she is photogenic.) The plot is nonexistent, something about the Monster of Blood Island's head being saved for experiments. It is extremely silly, but it's also imaginative. The monster's head and body are severed, but the monster manages to control his body to escape and kill anyway. Did Stuart Gordon see this before making "Re-Animator"?My biggest complaint here is that the film shoots its wad at the beginning. The first scene of the film is kind of confusing: John Ashley is on a ship leaving Blood Island when the monster, a stowaway, breaks loose and starts killing the crew. Ashley and the monster duke it out until both end up shipwrecked back on Blood Island. After that, the film really drags until the above experiments on the monster occur. As with the other Blood Island films, there are a lot of filler scenes that supposedly develop the characters but are actually there to eat up the film's running time.Still, there is some fun to be had in "Beast of Blood," but I wouldn't recommend it to serious horror film fans. This is for bad movie fans only, and even then they might be disappointed.It's still better than Final Destination 2, though.

Saw this one in one of those small duplex theaters that sprung up in shopping centers during the seventies (on a double bill with something called "Scream Bloody Murder"). The cheapness of the special effects and the unrelenting mediocrity of the acting and direction had everyone in the theater laughing out loud after about twenty minutes. It was so persistent that I noticed that an usher actually came into the theater to see what was going on. Many years later, I was able to find a video copy for my bad movie collection. By the way, time has not improved my perspective on this one. Some films grow on you, but this one could only if it were a jungle fungus.I have no desire or need to include any details of the plot or any spoilers. The film has no plot worth discussing and was already spoiled - by its cast and producers. I am sorry to say this was the first example of Filipino cinema I've come across. Hope they have better films in Manila these days.