For horror fans the name John Ashley means one thing and
that’s the series of films he made in the Philippines on low to know budget
with the most gruesome names and images used for ad campaigns ever seen. BEAST
OF BLOOD and MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND come to mind immediately. But among the
many movies he made in the Philippines there was one that was a solid horror
film and thought provoking as well and that was THE BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT.
Opening in WWII we find Joseph Langdon (Ashley) trying to
survive after being hunted down as a traitor. Willing to do anything to survive
he’s approached by Satan (Vic Diaz) who will help him in return of his soul.
Langdon agrees and is soon put to use by Satan who has more nefarious plans for
him.
Over the next 25 years Satan inserts Langdon into various
bodies to do his will until he ends up in the body of Philip Rogers. His face
scarred in an accident and with doctors saying he doesn’t have long to live his
wife Julia (Mary Charlotte Wilcox) and brother Earl (Ken Metcalfe) arrive at
the hospital to see him recovered. When the bandages are removed from his face
he now appears as Langdon, explained by the damage in the accident.
Rogers/Langdon also has a new attitude towards life, making
up with the wife that he neglected for years and eliminating the board of
directors of his company. But it’s all short lived and in reality a way for
Satan to attempt to gain access to more souls. He soon tells his brother that he
plans on divorcing his wife knowing he’ll be bored with her and suggest that he
step in to comfort and marry her since he’s had a thing for her for years. The
hope is this will make both of their souls prime targets.
But Julia doesn’t give up easily on her husband and she
supports him in everything he does. In an attempt to force him to do more
damage, Satan turns Rogers/Langdon into a werewolf who prowls the streets by
night killing those he comes across. Unlike the villagers seen in many European
movies the villagers here are having none of it and try and stop him, forcing
him to seek sanctuary in an old warehouse. There he meets Sabasas Nan (Andres
Centenera), a once feared crime boss who is now old, blind and at ease having
settled his debts and cleansed his soul. This gives Langdon hope that he can do
the same. But will he be able to do so or will Satan force him to continue on
the only life he’s known for the past 25 years?
In all honesty while I was aware of these Philippines based
films the only one I’d ever had a chance to see before was TWILIGHT PEOPLE and
it was always a favorite of mine more because of memories it stirred than how
great it was. But it was an entertaining film that I still enjoy. So I wasn’t
sure what to expect with this one. I was pleasantly surprised to find it more
thought provoking than one would think considering the budget was so low.
It was also my first exposure to Ashely in these films and
he does a great job here, another thing that caught me off guard. Even more
surprising was the performance of Vic Diaz as Satan. I’d seen him in numerous
films throughout the years but always in more cardboard cutout type roles. He
presents a wonderful Satan here more cunning and conniving than frightening in
a visual sense.
The entire film turned out to be a movie I enjoyed from
start to finish, passing what I call the fast forward test. I call it that
because there are times when watching movies that you feel compelled to press
that fast forward button when a film bogs down or gets boring. That never
happened with this one.
VCI has done a great job with the film too. This is no cheap
knock off edition of the film with a scratched print, terrible sound and no
extras. They’ve done a nice transfer here with a great picture with a 2K restoration
from the 35mm picture negative and archival print. Extras include a new audio
commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson,
a video interview with director Eddie Romero, a tribute John Ashley, expanded
interviews with the cast and crew taken from Mark Hartley’s 2010 documentary Machete Maidens Unleashed!, TV
spots and trailers and reversible alternate cover art for the sleeve.
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