"Brides of Blood" officially began the the loose Filipino 'Blood Island' series begun in black and white with 1959's "Terror is a Man" (aka "Blood Creature"). Director Gerardo De Leon did complete two other horror films prior to this, "The Blood Drinkers" and "Blood of the Vampires," but this was a return to mad science in the jungle, buttressed by more gore and scantily clad lovelies. John Ashley went from AIP contract player to headliner for all three entries before doubling as actor/producer, a busty Hollywood leading lady in each, Beverly Hills ("The Comedy of Terrors") on hand for this one as Carla, sexy spouse of Kent Taylor's Dr. Paul Henderson, Ashley's Jim Farrell a representative of the Peace Corps helping the natives upgrade to modern techniques (renamed Bill Foster in the sequels, "Mad Doctor of Blood Island" and "Beast of Blood"). Shooting kicked off in Feb. 1966 under several working titles ("Brides of Blood Island," "Terror on Blood Island," "Orgy of Blood," "Blood Brides," "Brides of Death") before its 1968 release, four weeks of filming followed by several days of dubbing, Hemisphere Pictures pairing it with Christopher Lee's 1966 "Blood Fiend" aka "Theatre of Death." The reasons why it sat on the shelf for two years can't be one of quality so perhaps the greater emphasis on sexuality was problematic, some occasional toplessness from several nubile native girls, and a monster whose lustful cravings involve tearing them to pieces (we see a limb and a head falling out of a funeral procession in the opening reel). Farrell and the Hendersons are present ostensibly to investigate radioactive fallout from the island's proximity to atomic testing, finding an infected land crab, an abnormally large butterfly, and several banana trees with ambulatory limbs reaching out for unwary human passersby. Welcomed to the isolated fortress of Spaniard Esteban Powers (Mario Montenegro), Carla is astonished to learn that a man who appears to be about 30 is actually 20 years older, making the central mystery a rather transparent one. The village girls are chosen by lottery to be tied to stakes as sacrifices to the rasping, obscene 'Evil One,' a sadly bloated rubber costume with sharp teeth that induces laughter compared to the more effective makeup for its future chlorophyll descendent. The addition of Kent Taylor adds a little weight, though his performance isn't much different from "The Crawling Hand" or "Blood of Ghastly Horror," while gorgeous Beverly Hills is usually maligned as a tramp instead of neglected, literally 'lookin' for love' in all the wrong places. Ashley offers the same inexpressive demeanor and delivery as always, soon to continue behind the camera as a producer for TV series like THE A-TEAM and Chuck Connors' WEREWOLF before his premature death at 62 in 1997.
Review of Brides of Blood
