Night of the Bloody Apes (film)
Night of the Bloody Apes is the title of the 1972 English language version of the 1969 Mexican horror film La Horripilante bestia humana ("The Horrible Man-Beast"), also known as Horror y sexo ("Horror and Sex") and as Gomar—The Human Gorilla. The film was directed by René Cardona and is a remake of his 1962 film Las Luchadoras contra el medico asesino ("The Wrestling Women vs. the Killer Doctor"; U.S. title Doctor of Doom), the first in a series of films blending elements of the lucha libre and horror genres.
| La Horripilante bestia humana Horror y sexo Night of the Bloody Apes | |
|---|---|
 Mexican release poster | |
| Directed by | René Cardona Jerald Intrator (inserts director) |
| Produced by | Guillermo Calderón Alfredo Salazar |
| Written by | René Cardona Jr. René Cardona |
| Starring | José Elías Moreno Carlos Lopez Moctezuma Armando Silvestre Norma Lazareno Agustín Martínez Solares Noelia Noel Gerardo Zepeda |
| Music by | Antonio Díaz Conde |
| Cinematography | Raúl Martínez Solares |
| Edited by | Jorge Bustos |
| Distributed by | Azteca Films Inc. |
Release date | February 6, 1969 (Mexico) |
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
The plot concerns a mad scientist who transplants a gorilla's heart into his dying son, saving his life but transforming him into a monstrous, ape-like creature who embarks on a rape and murder spree before being brought to justice by a luchadora (female wrestler). The plot of Night of the Bloody Apes does not concern the luchadora bringing the ape-man to justice—rather, she has a much less pronounced role in the plot.
Plot
Mad scientist Dr. Krellman attempts to cure his son's leukemia by doing heart transplant, replacing his son's heart with that of a gorilla's. The result of the operation transforms Krellman's son into a deformed and mutated man-ape hybrid taking on the characteristics of the organ's donor, who immediately goes on a bloody rampage.
Cast
- José Elías Moreno as Dr. Krallman
- Carlos López Moctezuma as Goyo
- Armando Silvestre as Lt. Arturo Martinez
- Norma Lazareno as Lucy Osorio
- Agustín Martínez Solares as Julio Krallman
- Gerardo Zepeda as Monstruo
Release
Home media
The film was released on DVD by Film 2000 on July 22, 2002. On April 1 that same year, it was released by Image Entertainment as part of the 4-disc Beauties & Beasts box set. In 2006, it was released twice by BCI as part of a multi-disc set on August 8 and 22. On March 26, 2007, it was released by Redemption. BCI re-released the film on March 4, 2008 as part of the 4-disc Crypt of Terror: Horror from South of the Border movie pack. It was last released by VCI Video on July 15, 2014.[1]
Reception
In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin noted that the film "tries to wring some more mileage out of the bizarre but shopworn Mexican device of casting monsters and wrestlers as sparring partners",[2] and that it was brought down by its "stately pace, the endless expressions of paternal devotion, and the script's risible attempts to offer medical explanation and justifications".[2] On a positive note, the review said that the film was "enhanced by Cardona's habit of highlighting dramatic moments by dropping in the odd expressionistically-tinged shot with cavalier disregard for matching photographic textures".[2] TV Guide panned the film, calling it "[a] gross, unbelievably inept offering".[3] Graeme Clark from The Spinning Image gave the film 5 out of 10 stars, writing, "As a curio it is worth seeing, but only for its regular incidents of ridiculousness".[4] Reviewing BCI's double feature release of the film, Ian Jane of DVD Talk gave the film a positive review, calling it "one of the best known Mexican horror films of the era". Concluding his review, Jane wrote, "A completely bizarre mish-mash of wrestling, gore, bad monster make up and mad scientist fun, Night of the Bloody Apes is a blast from start to finish. The effects are shoddy and as fake as fake can be and the make up looks like something out of a high school play but that's all part of the film's low budget charm".[5] Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews gave the film a C grade, calling it "inept".[6] Jonathan Rosenbaum of Chicago Reader gave the film a negative review, writing, "Even the tolerant Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film deems this 'totally tasteless and amateurish,' but gore buffs should be alerted to real open-heart surgery footage."[7]
References
- "Night of the Bloody Apes (1968) - René Cardona, Sr". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- Milne, Tom (1974). "Horripilante Bestia Humana, La". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 41 no. 480. p. 276. ISSN 0027-0407.
- "Night Of The Bloody Apes - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- Clark, Graeme. "Night of the Bloody Apes Review (1969)". The Spinning Image.co.uk. Graeme Clark. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- Jane, Ian. "Night of the Bloody Apes / Curse of the Doll People : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk.com. Ian Jane. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- Schwartz, Dennis. "nightofthebloodyapes". Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- Rosenbaum, Johnathan. "Night of the Bloody Apes". Chicago Reader.com. Jonathan Rosenbaum. Retrieved 29 August 2018.