The Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)

Load of rubbish!!

i must have seen a different film!!

Awesome Movie

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This movie begins in Southeast Asia immediately after World War 2 with soldiers searching in the jungle for someone (or something) who has killed a couple of innocent villagers. As it turns out, an American deserter named "Joseph Langdon" (John Ashley) is also in the vicinity and due to his desperate situation makes a deal with the devil (played by Vic Diaz) to escape from the situation he has found himself in. It's at this point that the movie fast-forwards to the present with the body of Langdon being buried but his soul transported into a man named "Philip Rogers" (also played by John Ashley) who has just been declared dead by a surgeon in a hospital. Needless to say, his wife "Julia" (Mary Wilcox ) is overjoyed when Philip comes back to life. However, the new version of Philip isn't the same and immediately makes decisions that hurt all those around him by sowing evil among them--and that especially applies to Julia and his brother "Earl" (Ken Metcalfe). But then one night something very unexpected happens and Philip is transformed into a kind of werewolf--which creates even more problems for everyone involved. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a standard low-budget film characteristic of movies produced in the Philippines during this particular time. Yet, even though the acting was adequate it was the makeup and special effects which really doomed this film—especially on the part of the supposed werewolf. It was really bad. That said, I have rated the film accordingly. Below average.

Joseph Langdon (John Ashley) is a traitorous, cowardly deviate running for his life in post WWII Philippines. He encounters Satan himself (prolific Filipino icon Vic Diaz), who promises that he will save Langdons' ass in exchange for becoming his disciple. Unfortunately, periodic transformations into a grotesque creature - and inevitable rampages of said creature - will be part of the bargain.If you've seen a lot of Filipino exploitation and genre cinema, you've seen the name of the writer / director often: Eddie Romero. Here Romero crafts a decent enough horror flick that manages to overcome the limitations of a (most likely) limited budget. It's certainly cheap looking, but it has much of the atmosphere common to Filipino horror of the 60s and 70s. Romeros' screenplay is also more interesting than the usual monster movie cranked out by the country during these decades. As you can see, it's got a touch of "Faust", combined with a werewolf tale and domestic drama, as Langdon / Philip Rogers tries to mend his relationship with his wife (sexy Mary Charlotte Wilcox). The effective music score is by Nestor Robles, the passable makeup effects by Tony Artieda.Ashley tries his best in a role more meaty (pardon the expression) than he usually played in these movies. Wilcox isn't that great, but is certainly pleasing to look at. Leopoldo Salcedo and Eddie Garcia (another guy who turned up frequently in these sorts of movies) are fine as investigating detectives, and Ken Metcalfe is alright as Rogers' brother Earl. Diaz has fun with the flashiest role in the picture (and has the best dialogue), but the best performance has to come from Andres Centenera (the warden in "The Big Bird Cage"), who plays the helpful blind man.Fairly thoughtful, and reasonably entertaining, "Beast of the Yellow Night" has some good moments throughout.Six out of 10.

"The Beast of the Yellow Night" is nothing more then your average shape-shifter film. Barrowing ideas from classic werewolf style movies, A man is staring death in the face, but has an opportunity to live once again. He has a visit from Satan himself, and makes a deal to sell him his soul for life. Now the Devil's slave he must find new followers for his new master. Unfortunately this is done by transforming into a hairy green beast. (who reminds me of the aliens in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla) As he returns to his normal life he begins the well known inner struggle with his alter form. But unlike most films that do this there is very little struggle, he sort of goes into this depression where he just wants to die, and doesn't care about his life. Such as when he awakens from a transformation and simply walks around town with a blood stained shirt. I found this idea interesting as I've never noticed this element so vividly put in a film like this. The acting is of course poor, but what really upsets is the transformation. There's only one, at the very end of the movie, which is done in such an outdated fashion, that was done better in the 40s. Lighting problems occurred often and it was difficult to see characters faces, this helped with the beast's imagery, but fails when applying it to normal characters. The representation of Satan though in my opinion is decently done. He doesn't necessarily have a solid state he stays in the whole film. He alters from a man, to a sort of brown mist form. The mist forms around animals and such in some scenes, applying Satan is every where, and him no necessarily be the snake or lion we think him to be. With absolutely no sub-plots or anything close and holes in the story, the film is really affected. 3/10

John Ashley has a much more demanding part to play in this horror from the Phillipines then in the "Blood Island-movies". He is the victim of a horrific transformation into a bloodsucking monster! He was picked out by the devil to be the double for a US-army deserter in the forties, the devil then gave him eternal life, but the monster keeps claiming victims even after 24 years.... Good performance of the tortured soul by Ashley and.....a much better story then for instance that other Eddie Romero-classic "Beast of the night".