As soon as I saw Al Adamson's credit as producer and director at the beginning of "Horror of the Blood Monsters" (1970), I knew I was in for a rough ride. Adamson is the man responsible for "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" (1971), easily one of the worst films I'd ever seen, and I still hadn't forgiven him for that awful evening. In this one, Adamson's buddy John Carradine and his crew of dorky associates blast off from Earth, are damaged by a solar something-or-other, and land on a planet inhabited by dinosaurs, vampires, lobstermen, batmen and cave people. Unfortunately, all the "good" stuff has been ineptly spliced in from a B&W Filipino vampire/caveman film called "Tagani" (1965), a film that, compared to Adamson's, looks a model of cinematic professionalism. The planet is also affected by "chromatic radiation," so that the inserted B&W scenes could be variously tinted red, yellow, blue or green. To add to the nonsense, Adamson cuts back to Earth in total non sequitur to show us how people will make whoopy in the future; something to do with orgasmatron-type electrodes they wear to bed. Anyway, this film is truly a labor to sit through; another Adamson abomination. You know it's bad when you find yourself wishing that you were watching the original Filipino caveman movie, without all the stoopid sci-fi claptrap that Adamson & Co. added later. Infinitely more entertaining are the extras on the DVD that I just watched, including trailers for "Tagani" itself AND six other Filipino horror films; some of the wildest, most amazing coming attractions I've ever seen. The makers of "Tagani" should have sued Adamson for turning what looks like an interesting film into some true cinematic torture. Rent this one out at your own mental peril! You'll notice that the acronym for this film is HOT BM: appropriate, given the steaming pile of crap that it is!
Review of Horror of the Blood Monsters
