Blu Release – 3/5
Night of the Bloody Apes
Director – Rene Cardona (The Batwoman, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula)
Starring – Jose Elias Moreno (The Magnificent Beast, Black Wind), Carlos Lopez Moctezuma (Death in Cold Blood, The Vampires of Coyoacan), and Armando Silvestre (Wrestling Women vs the Aztec Mummy, Amityville Playhouse)
Release Date – 1969
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “Warning – this film contains scenes of extreme and explicit violence”
Last year I was fortunate enough to review two different releases featuring the films of Mexican filmmaker Rene Cardona. Earlier last year VCI Entertainment sent over the Batwoman and Pantherwomen double feature for me to review. Both films were an experience but they wasn’t for me. Sometime later Vinegar Syndrome released the Cardona Collection box set featuring Treasure of the Amazon, The Bermuda Triangle, and Cyclone. Honestly, I enjoyed the hell out of this set and was impressed by how much I actually enjoyed it.
A few weeks ago VCI Entertainment announced another double feature with two more Cardona titles. This time around it was Night of the Bloody Apes and Doctor of Doom. I had never seen either title so I reached out to my friends over at MVD and they were kind enough to send a copy my way. I couldn’t wait to dig into Night of the Bloody Apes. Like always I want to thank them and VCI for supporting Horror Society.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a scientist who is trying to save his drying son from certain death. He turns to the local zoo where he steals an ape’s heart and transplants it into his son in hopes of prolonging his life. It oddly works but only for a short time. His son slowly starts to mutate into an ape and goes on a murderous rampage. A local luchadora finds herself wrapped up in the murders and must act fast to stop the killer before he can strike again. **Spoiler alert**
Honestly, Night of the Bloody Apes was not as fun as I had hoped. In fact, I found it to be very underwhelming. The movie itself is a remake of Cardona’s earlier film Doctor of Doom but the inclusion of stock medical footage does not fit the film at all. It could have been something more enjoyable if it followed the source material but these additional scenes completely breaks apart the pacing of the film.
The acting in this one is surprisingly well done. I enjoyed the characters and how much they brought to the film. The characters fit the story very well and their personalities worked just enough to make the scenes a little more enjoyable. Lucha films are hit and miss with me because of the characters but this one was surprisingly enjoyable that regard.
The story for this one has so much potential especially considering it was a remake by Cardona of one of his earlier films. However, the pacing and flow of the film is completely destroyed by stock footage used featuring surgical procedures. I love gore and nothing wrong with incorporating real surgeries into a film but this one was not done that well. It has a different look than the rest of the film which completely ruins the effect it was going for. I would have rather had the film be dry than feature this.
Finally, the film, as I stated earlier, the film does feature stock footage of surgeries in all it’s bloody glory so hardcore gore hounds will find some thrills with that but if you are looking for practical effects you will find little here. We get some odd make-up effects and blood but that’s the extent of it here. Overall, Night of the Bloody Apes wasn’t for me. The pacing is all of the place but the story has so much potential. It could have been one hell of a campy drive-in era film but chose to go the shock value route which was a huge disappointment. I wanted to like it but couldn’t. Skip it.
Doctor of Doom
Director – Rene Cardona (Night of the Bloody Apes, Treasure of the Amazon)
Starring – Lorena Velazquez (The Rape of the Sabines, She-Wolves in the Ring), Armando Silvestre (The Killing Zone, Amityville Playhouse), and Elizabeth Campbell (The Panther Women, Planet of the Female Invaders)
Release Date – 1963
Rating – 3/5
I love discovering movies that are new to me. Even if they are not for me and I don’t like them I still find myself enjoying the experience. It’s even more fascinating when the film is international and from years long passed. When VCI Entertainment sent over their release of Night of the Bloody Apes on blu I was fucking excited. I had never seen the film before but I had heard about it which only stirred my curiosity.
Sadly, I was not a fan of the film but that didn’t stop me from checking out the second film on the set which was 1963’s Doctor of Doom. This film was actually the original film to Cardona’s Night of the Bloody Ape’s remake. This made me even more excited to finally check it out. Like always, I want to thank MVD and VCI for sending this one over.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a luchadora who’s sister is attacked and left for dead. The culprit is an ape like creature controlled by an evil scientist who is using the victims in his horrible experiments. After discovering that her sister was one of several victims she sets out to find who is responsible and stop them before more suffer at his hands. **Spoiler Alert**
Doctor of Doom, in my eyes, was a better film than the remake which is strange considering both films were directed by Rene Cardona after he had spent almost a decade refining his skills. Doctor of Doom just had a better pacing and atmosphere about it that Bloody Apes could not replicate.
The acting in this one is very similar to the remake. The cast is great on screen, they work very well with each other, and their personalities hold the scene. I really enjoyed the casting and how loud and enjoyable the characters are. The cast had something to grab onto it. The story for this one works much better than the remake. The lucha story meets a slasher like story is such a fun combination that works in this case. It’s campy, with smooth pacing, and even though it’s predictable it’s still enjoyable. I would have loved watching this one at the drive-in with some other lucha themed horror films.
Finally, the film has some make-up effects but that is the extent of it. If you are looking for a bloody flick you will be very disappointed. Overall, Doctor of Doom is the superior of the two films. It’s fun and campy. I would highly recommend this one for those of you looking for an early 60s cheesefest. It was a lot of fun.
Special Features:
Commentary Track by Travis Crawford Contributing Writer, Filmmaker, Film Comment, The Calvert Journal
Video Essay on Night of the Bloody Apes and Doctor of Doom by Dr. David Wilt, Systems Librarian, University Libraries, University of Maryland and Professorial Lecturer in Film Studies, The George Washington University, as well as one of the leading authorities on Mexican Film History.
Extensive Photo & Poster Gallery Special Slipcover Ltd to first 2000 units
