SAVAGE SISTERS 1974

"Beware ! They are still at large..."

     From the late 50's up till the late 70's Eddie Romero cranked out dozens and dozens of low budget  exploitation movies encompassing war, horror, action and WIP. Most famous for the Blood Island series of movies he was for all intensive purposes THE Filipino exploitation movie industry before passing the baton over to Ciro Santiago. SAVAGE SISTERS was one of Eddie's last forays into the American drive-in market (with 1977's SUDDEN DEATH being his finale) and was his last movie for A.I.P.  Being an A.I.P. production (as Corman's New World had been the kings of Filipino exploitation) and coming rather late in the game, along with the lack of such recognizable Filipino exploitation genre actresses as Pam Grier, Margaret Markov or Roberta Collins SAVAGE SISTERS always seem to have been the odd movie out in regards to the other WIP/jungle action stuff of that era.

  

    Written under the pseudonyms "Harry Corner" & "H. Warren Moon" (most likely Romero and co-producer/co-star John Ashley) SAVAGE SISTERS is A.I.P's take on the standard Filipino formula of an initially fractured group of women who are thrown together in a sweaty setting (usually a prison of some sort) and who then end up banning together to take on the local military dictatorship (with the irony being these movies WERE shot the setting of an actual military dictatorship). Although Romero mixes in some of the usual 1970's "women in prison" staples including the classic shower scene and a bit of torture the movie mostly focuses on the action side of things.
    Hard core revolutionary Mei Ling (Rosanna Ortiz) teams up with Jo (70's bad ass chick GINGER Cheri Caffaro) to help Caffaro's rebel leader boyfriend hijack $1,000,000.00 that a corrupt general is attempting to sneak out of an unnamed banana republic. Unfortunately the rebels have decided to enlist the help of local bandit Malavasi (a wild-eyed and demented Sid Haig) who along with second in command (an eye patch wearing Vic Diaz) grab the cash for themselves while enlisting the help of hustler/con-man W.P. Billingsley (a leisure suit wearing John Ashley) to help get them out of the country. At the same time Mei & Jo have been captured by the military led by Capt. Morales (Eddie Gracia - Dr. Lorca from Blood Island).
   Once in prison the girls fall under the rule of the prison matron (who engages in some S&M playtime with Morales) and most importantly the chief prison torturer Lynn (played by the very beautiful Gloria Hendry from LIVE AND LET DIE). Lynn's boyfriend happens to be Billingsley who convinces her to help the ladies to escape with them all joining forces to get their hands on the money.

   The film is a bit of an oddity among the Filipino exploitation stuff as that it rather bizzarly has a complete lack of nudity among its leading ladies and although there's some pretty rough stuff implied such as Hendry's infamous "door slamming" torture along with Caffaro being threatened by an electric drill mounted phallic device (and a bit of blood here & there) SAVAGE SISTERS is pretty tame stuff. Although compared to what is considered the epitome of this genre (being Jack Hill's THE BIG DOLL HOUSE 1971 & THE BIG BIRD CAGE 1972) its a bit lacking, it's still a great little piece of low budget fun. The three leading ladies all jump into their roles with gusto and Romero, while as mentioned plays down the blood and nudity but has enough action (lots of machine guns & grenades) to keeps things from getting boring. There's even a bar fight mixed in with Hendry doing a sritp tease as a distraction.
    Many of these movies have quite a bit of humor in them (which is surprising to first time viewers) and SAVAGE SISTERS in no exception. Sid Haig as the hilariously (and seemingly) whacked out his mind on reefer & booze Malavasi and John Ashley as the slimy con-man both add to the fun. There's great scene where all three woman take turns seducing Ashley to find out his true motives (complete with Ashley wearing a series of outrageous bikini briefs).
   After a divorce from his beach party co-star Debra Walley, Ashely went to the Philippines to make the BLOOD ISLAND movies. He enjoyed it so much he stayed and eventually moved to the production end of things along with acting. He would later produce T.V's THE A-TEAM (that's his voice doing the opening narration).  Along with the above mentioned Diaz (who seems to have an affinity here for wearing shirts about two sizes too small and pants that show his ass crack) and Garcia the film if filled with the usual cast of Filipino character faces including Bruno Punzalan (Goro from BRIDES OF BLOOD).

    Although rather unknown today Cheri Caffaro was a huge drive-in star in the 70's. A tall statuesque blond (although she was always a bit hard and pissed off looking) the three "Ginger" movies she made with her husband Don Schain were huge money makers, with the first GINGER from 1971 playing for years on double and triple bills. She later appeared in another Filipino auctioneer 1977's TOO HOT TO HANDLE before walking away from movies (although she and her husband produced H.O.T.S. in 1979).
    I always thought it was strange that Gloria Hendry never had a bigger career. She was a Bond girl in LIVE AND LET DIE, had a great presence, was drop dead gorgeous and seemed to have everything to be as big as Pam Grier. Along with SAVAGE SISTERS, she had some great roles in BLACK CAESAR (1973). SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF (1973) and BLACK BELT JONES (1974), but sadly never made it to the next step. In urban markets SAVAGE SISTERS was marketed as a blacksploitation, with the poster featured Hendry front and center.

     

BEAST OF BLOOD 1971

 Blood Island Movie Night # 3

"SEE HUMAN HEADS TRANSPLANTED !"

     The third official entry in Eddie Romero's "Blood Island" trilogy BEAST OF BLOOD is probably the weakest entry as by this time Romero (here along with co-writer Beverly Miller) were clearly starting to run out of ideas. Although still an entertaining slice of sweaty and grungy Filipino exploitation the movie unfortunately leaves the monster out the plot for a good chunk of the running time, seeming wanting instead to turn itself into a jungle adventure with even a bit of James Bond mixed in. Starting off with a bang the plot limps somewhat through the middle before finally bringing itself back monster-wise (more or less) with an almost surreal climax involving disembodied talking monster heads and telepathically controlled monster bodies.

    Staring Blood Island regular John Ashley (here reprising his role from MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND as Dr. Bill Foster) BEAST OF BLOOD begins almost immediately after the climax of MAD DOCTOR with Dr. Foster aboard a ship after escaping the horror of the infamous "chlorophyll man" (AKA "Don Ramon") on Blood Island - who unfortunately has also made it aboard. After a brief fight involving spilled gasoline and torches the ship explodes, handily blowing up Ashley's as yet unseen co-stars from MAD DOCTOR which saves casting issues and allows for a new love interest/monster victim. Picked up drifting in the ocean he arrives back in civilization and naturally attempts a return to Blood Island this time accompanied by pushy reporter Myra Russell (Celeste Yarnall from Elvis's LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE) who takes the place of MAD DOCTOR'S Angelique Pettyjohn in terms of gratuitous nudity and imperiled female plot point. Ironically both Pettyjohn and Yarnell had made guest appearances in separate episodes in season 2 of STAR TREK.

    Once back on the island they find an entirely different group of scared villagers being led by Ramu (Alfonso Carvajal reprising his role from MAD DOCTOR) along with his (now) daughter Laida (Liza Beaumonte from WOMAN HUNT). Also accompany them ashore is the boat captain played by screenwriter Beverly Miller (who in some shots with his skippers hat looks uncannily like Alan Hale Jr. from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND). The first night we're back to some good ol' Blood Island action with a negligee clad Yarnall being attacked by a sickly green monster-man, which leads Dr. Foster to the conclusion that that presumed dead Dr. Lorca from the previous film is still lurking around. A nighttime reconnaissance to Lorca's burned out mansion finds his henchman Razak (Filipino exploitation favorite Bruno Punzalan) along with a cobra in a pit booby trap.

    It's soon discovered that the now mustached Dr. Lorca is still alive (although sporting a burned face from MAD DOCTOR's climax) and has an underground laboratory along with his James Bond like evil scientist on a budget living quarters (and dungeon full of failed experiments). Eddie Garcia from BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA (who has over 500 acting credits and is still working in the Filipino film industry) takes over the role of Lorca from the great Ronald Remey. It's here that the movie gets off track a bit (that is comparatively speaking as to how "on track" these movies usually are) as Lorca kidnaps Myra taking her to his underground liar (which is kind of fascinatingly decorated in a jungle lounge look), which then the movie descends to a lot of running back and forth in the jungle and shoot-outs.

    The chlorophyll monster (which escaped the earlier boat conflagration) and unseen since the prologue is also being kept in Lorca's liar where the head has been removed and kept alive with various tubes and gurgling green liquid with the body being kept on a nearby operating table. For reasons never fully explained Lorca is attempting to transplant an actual human head onto the monster body, which does lend itself to some alternately tacky and disturbing surgery footage. Additionally the monster's head is able to talk and move his body telepathically (complete with a visible member of the film crew moving the body).
   The disappearance of the monster through the majority of the movie is a bit of a head scratcher as the bloody mayhem was always a highlight in the previous films and with the more exploitative elements toned down here a bit (even though a talking headless monster does help a bit) BEAST never reaches the giddy heights of the first two. Yarnall does want she's suppose to do here, but seems to pale in comparison a bit to Pettyjohn, as who can ever forgot her in MAD DOCTOR bounding through the jungle with her massive head of hair, pink mini-skirt and high heels while being pursued by the monster all set to the frantic zoom-in/out camerawork.

     Although the Image DVD box proudly displays the 1971 GP rating it still contains its fair share of nudity and gore (although as mentioned toned down a bit from MAD DOCTOR) and along with the other entries in the series use to show up uncut on late night television, which along with their massive coverage in FAMOUS MONSTERS made them a highlight for many a monster kid. Unfortunately producer Sam Sherman went back for this DVD release and attempted to fix some of the day for night photography which results in a blotchy blue color over several scenes (most apparent during Laida's attempted seduction of Dr. Foster). The next entry was the semi-official BRAIN OF BLOOD which was Sam Sherman's attempt to pass off his own American made production as one with Filipino linage and later in 1971 Eddie Romero and John Ashley would team up for the highly entertaining BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT (which should be showing up here before too long.).

BRIDES OF BLOOD 1968

Blood Island Movie Night # 2

Lusting for Women It Terrified the Land !

A Brutal Orgy of Ghastly Terror !

   1968's BRIDES OF BLOOD was the first in the trilogy of "official" Blood Island movies (or second in the quadrilogy if you count 1959's TERROR IS A MAN or to make it even more confusing its second in the pentalogy if want to include BRAIN OF BLOOD from 1972) and is the movie that really kicked the Filipino exploitation market into high gear. Produced in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures and director Eddie Romero BRIDES was distributed in America by Al Adamson and Sam Sherman's Independent-International Pictures with a nifty promo that had plastic wedding rings handed out to lucky female patrons. BRIDES along with its followups MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND and BEAST OF BLOOD were re-tilted and re-leased numerous times (GRAVE DESIRES and TERROR OF TIKI ISLAND among them ) before being sold to TV were they were more often then not shown uncut (which was undoubtedly quite a surprise to many young horror fans) by local stations who were not use to checking horror films for content.

   Although sharing the same island setting as the next two films BRIDES features an altogether different monster then MAD DOCTOR's famous "chlorophyll man" however the movie's basic premise is the same as a group of outsiders show up despite warnings from the boat captain and run afoul of a rampaging Filipino monster. John "Mr. Blood Island" Ashley accepted this role (and would star in the subsequent sequels) after his divorce from his Beach Party co-star Deborah Walley and would stick around in the Philippines becoming a successful producer before heading back to America where he produced THE A-TEAM.
   Scientist Dr. Paul Henderson (former Hollywood "B" lister and future Al Adamson "A" lister Kent Taylor) arrives on Blood Island along with his dishy and perpetually horny wife Carla (played by stripper and low budget actress Beverly Powers - here going by her stage name "Beverly Hills") and Beach Party alumnus John Ashley as Peace Corp worker Jim Farrell. Naturally their forewarned by their boat captain about setting foot on the island and once there are warned by the leader of the local village and his daughter Alma (very busy Filipino actress Eva Darren) that villagers have returned to "the old ways" which they seem to get a sample of straight off as a burial a sea is interrupted by some dismembered limbs tumbling out of the coffin.

  

  

   Dr. Henderson has arrived on the island to study the effects of lingering radiation from the nearby earlier atomic bomb tests (while his wife throws herself at any available man) and Peace Corp worker Jim has come to show the locals irrigation and crop rotation. The effects of radiation are noticed in the form of huge man eating plants that come to life only at night along with a petrified mutated land crab and a large butterfly/moth thing that bites (along with one other BIG aftereffect lurking around). In regards to the locals reverting back to "the old ways" they've also started holding a lottery and picking out a couple of young female virgins (which seeing how they do this every night makes you wonder how long it can go on) which they then stake out if front of a wonderfully cheesy looking altar, rip off their clothes, fire up some purple and red smoke pots and then wait for "the evil one" to appear. Much has been written about "the evil one('s)" appearance as it is one of the most ludicrously wonderful monster designs ever to come down the pike. Most often described as the "The Michelin Man" it always looked more like to me as a relative of Tabanga from 1957's FROM HELL IT CAME (or if you gave a five year old some play-doh and ask him to make a monster).

  

    Another Blood Island resident is Esteban Powers (Mario Montenagro) who lives in a large mansion (later used by Ronald Remy in MAD DOCTOR and BEAST) who has as his assistant the bald-headed and scary looking Bruno Punzalan (who was in about every Filipino exploitation movie) and a whole bunch of little people scurrying around as his servants. Along with his irrigation & crop rotation classes John Ashley has been keenly watching Alma and as she unfortunately draws the winning ticket in the nightly sacrifice a virgin lottery this forces him to spring into action and rescue her which incurs the wrath of the villagers. Scampering thru the man eating tree infested jungle they along with Dr. Henderson and his wife take shelter in Esteban's house. Which as it turns out isn't that great of an idea and necessitates Carla prowling about in her black negligee (which she thoughtfully packed for her trip to Blood Island).
    As I stated in my earlier entry for MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND , although undeniably cheap & shoddy looking the Blood Island movies are all vastly entertaining and there is an undeniable charm about them. Because of the primitive filming conditions there's a real grunginess about them as you can almost feel the humidity and smell the dank rotting jungles. For anybody interested in these movies (and all facets of the Filipino exploitation industry) please check out Mark Hartley's excellent documentary MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED.