Leofwine_draca To begin with, let me set this straight: none of the Filipino-made horror films I've seen from the '60s and '70s have been very good. They were local produce through and through, designed to emulate classic pictures coming across from the west on a fraction of the budget. Crudely acted and slowly paced, films such as THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND are often laughable by today's standards, employing cheesy scares and an almost total disregard for the likes of pace, plot and characterisation. Yet somehow, in some way, these films have a 'feel' all of their own, something that distinguishes them from western fare or indeed other Asian horror films of the era. Maybe it's the sweaty jungle backdrops or the crude way in which attempts are made to jolt the viewer through marauding beast-men and jarring music on the soundtrack. Once seen, never forgotten is a good way to describe their cumulative effect.THE BLOOD DRINKERS is no different. I rate films according to how much entertainment they offer me, and this one doesn't offer a great deal. The acting is okay at best, and the pace is almost non-existent, with great long stretches of nothing much happening. The vampire plot is a predictable spin on Dracula, with an anything-goes mentality that incorporates a beautiful vampire henchwoman, a crazed hunchback and a sadistic little dwarf. Apart from the old-meets-new climax, in which the vampires are attacked by a horde of torch-wielding villagers and the gun-toting local police at the same time, there's hardly any action here, other than a protracted fight sequence with the kind of exaggerated posturing you'd find in an early STAR TREK episode.Even though this is a bad film, there's stuff going for it, mainly in the film's look. Thanks to a low budget, only a handful of sequences are in colour. Director Gerardo De Leon decided to use this to his advantage by tinting the black and white shots with various red or blue filters, each corresponding with the on-screen action. Red signifies the approach of evil, while blue charts the progress of the good characters. It's a clever touch, and one I found greatly enhanced the film no end. Elsewhere, the influences vary from THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN-style paraphernalia in the vampire's lair to the use of spotlights shining on the eyes just like in Lugosi's Dracula, Ronald Remy, who reminded me of Billy Zane, is an nonthreatening vampire, who reminded me a lot of Peter Lorre in MAD LOVE; perhaps that was the intention.For fans of so-bad-it's-good cinema, there's a scene of a man beating up a dwarf which is fairly amusing, as well as some truly pathetic rubber bats which make the ones in THE SCARS OF Dracula look like the latest animatronic models. Otherwise, THE BLOOD DRINKERS is a film just too dated and too unappealing to be enjoyed by the modern viewer.

ferbs54 Though he had started his career as a medical doctor, Gerardo de Leon went on to become not only a movie director, but the most awarded director in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (seven awards, in all). He helmed film projects in many different genres, but this viewer had, until recently, only been familiar with three of his pictures, all in the horror category. His 1959 effort "Terror Is a Man," generally cited as being the first Filipino horror film, was an excellently done reworking of H. G. Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau," while the two films he directed with Eddie Romero in 1968, "Brides of Blood" and "The Mad Doctor of Blood Island," had been fun, pulpy schlock exercises. (Romero would go on to direct "Beast of Blood," the third part of the trilogy, in 1971, by himself.) But perhaps the most impressive of all the films that I have seen by de Leon is 1966's "The Blood Drinkers," originally released under its Tagalog title "Kulay Dugo Ang Gabi" ("Blood Is the Color of Night"...a more artful and fitting title, I feel), when its director was 53. One of the most unusual vampire pictures that this viewer has ever seen, the film amply demonstrates (as did the 1967 Pakistani picture "Zinda Laash") that the vampire scourge truly is international in scope.In the film, which is narrated by the uncredited but unmistakable Filipino mainstay Vic Diaz, playing a country priest, the viewer makes the acquaintance of Marco, a bald, caped, pockmarked vampire who wears wrap-around junkie shades and who is portrayed by Ronald Remy (viewers may remember Remy as the villainous Dr. Lorca in "The Mad Doctor of Blood Island"). When we first encounter Marco, he and his retinue--which includes a hunchback, a hideous-looking little person, a brunette hottie named Tanya, his dead bride (Amalia Fuentes) and his mother-in-law--are gathering in a crypt, using modern-day scientific equipment to bring the deceased, Katrina, back to life. The procedure is successful, but Katrina's hold on life is a tenuous one, and so Marco decides that her twin sister, Charito (Fuentes again), must be found, and that her healthy heart must be placed into the body of his beloved! (The viewer will recall that Dr. Christiaan Barnard only performed the world's first successful heart transplant in 1967, making Marco--who proposes to perform the operation himself--not only a pioneer, but some kind of bona fide medical genius, as well!)"The Blood Drinkers" is a remarkable film in many ways. Perhaps most memorable is the look of the picture itself. While prosaic shots were shot in standard color, many of the vampire attack sequences were seemingly filmed in B&W and tinted bright orange; nighttime scenes were tinted blue; some scenes begin in color but switch to tinted halfway through, or vice versa; while other scenes, depending on the action on screen, will change tints correspondingly. The effect can be extremely artful; just witness the sight of the vampires strolling at night through a billowing orange mist, or the blue shadows of lace curtains on Charito's pretty face. The setting of the film--the jungles of the Filipino countryside--is an unusual one for a vampire outing, too, and the picture does not shrink from the occasional gross-out moment (such as the sight of a jagged, bloody neck bite). Several scenes cannot fail to impress. In one, Charito's elderly guardians, now turned into zombified vampires, stalk her at night (orange tinted during their attack; blue tinted after Marco whips them off). In another, Charito's boyfriend dukes it out with that hunchback and little person, as well as with Marco himself, who keeps vanishing and reappearing unexpectedly. The film makes good use of that creepiest-sounding of all musical instruments, the theremin (especially during hypnosis sequences) and takes especial pains to mention how important prayer and a belief in Jesus Christ are during times of peril (no surprise, as the Philippines remains largely Roman Catholic to this day). Indeed, not only are Jesus and prayer referenced, but at one point, Charito is exorcised of her hypnotic state by dint of holy water, and the mere prayers of that country priest seem to release Marco and Katrina from vampirism...for a short while, anyway. Another touching element: the depth of Marco's love for Katrina; he even allows her to suck his own neck for sustenance! The picture includes the most ingenious use of a flare gun in the history of the vampire film and, unfortunately, the fakest-looking bat (Basra, Marco's helper) in the history of the vampire film, as well. Also interesting to note: Although Marco's entire entourage is eliminated by the film's end, the main vampire himself (slight spoiler ahead) manages to survive and escape the wrath of the angry villagers. Offhand, I cannot recall another picture in which the diabolical neck nosher lives to suck another day; yet another element that makes "The Blood Drinkers" such a unique viewing experience. Is it possible that a never-too-be-realized Marco sequel was being contemplated?Further good news regarding the film is that it is available today on a great-looking Image DVD. Among the many fine "extras" on this disc is an interesting commentary by film preserver Sam Sherman; a modern-day interview with Eddie Romero himself (good luck understanding his English!); and 25 minutes' worth of (silent) lost footage, which would have seemingly steered the film in an interesting direction, playing up Tanya's jealousy of Katrina, even to the point of attempted murder. That vampiric love triangle was sadly left on the editing room floor, but what remains is quite fascinating enough, and surely worth the time of any jaded horror fan who is seeking out something different....

MartinHafer "Kulay Dugo Ang Gabi", also known as "The Blood Drinkers" and "Blood is the Color of Night", is a Filipino horror film. And considering how incredibly cheap and awful all the other horror films have been that I've seen from this country, my hopes were not very high!! "Blood is the Color of Night" turned out to be an incompetent film--though significantly better than any of the previous Filipino horror films I saw-such as "Beast of the Yellow Night", "Brides of Blood", "Mad Doctor of Blood Island" and "Beast of Blood". They were so horrible that "Blood is the Color of Night" appears like Shakespeare in comparison!!The film sometimes actually manages to set an appropriately frightening mood with the fog and the vampire wearing cool wrap-around sunglasses. However, most of the time it just looks like it was made by Ed Wood's brother--with screaming bats on strings, narration to explain WHAT is happening, weird and inexplicably tinted scenes (the pink ones were especially hard on the eyes though they also came in many other colors as well as full color), the bald vampire with a whip, Maura's bad hairdo and some really bad acting and writing.The plot involves the head vampire (the bald guy) saying that he needs to do a heart transplant on his bride. Now, if she is a vampire or going to become one, I can't see any reason that he should be doing surgery (after all, isn't she supposed to be dead?)! I also wasn't sure why he had to get her sister's heart. And, I have no idea why he repeatedly did NOT take this heart when he had many good opportunities. Of course, the same could be said about the handsome hero. When baldy beat him in a kung fu fight, he could have and should have killed the hero...but he just let him go!! Any vampire this stupid deserves to lose by the end of the film! But, weirdly, the movie has a very, very, very strange and inexplicable ending--one you just have to see to believe (such as the vampire using a gun and the hero using a flare gun)! Overall, a silly but watchable film. Not at all good but considering the source, it could have been a lot worse!!By the way, can anyone tell me why Mr. Vampire called his henchman 'Gordo' (Spanish for 'Fatso')? The guy was a skinny hunchback! And what's with the name calling? Is this any way to treat your devoted followers? He should remember that it IS hard to get good help.

dbborroughs Atmospheric vampire of story about a vampire who comes to a small town in order to secure a heart for the girl he loves. Its an eerie little film, a bit silly at times, but entirely watchable. It won't scare you but it will keep you watching (its more vampire drama than horror film).Its a stand out little film that has the feel of a specific time and place that is uniquely its own. Set now, we see cars and trucks and guns the film has a decidedly Gothic feel and at times seems to be set in the 1860's rather than the 1960s. There is a religious nature in the film adds more weight to the proceedings. The film builds up a nice sense of good versus evil and of God vs the devil, even though we sympathize with our villain. Few films have a villain as well drawn as this one does, you hate him but you like and understand him.The most memorable thing about the film, aside from the bald vampire, is that much of the film was shot in black and white and then tinted red or blue depending upon what was happening in the scene. Even though its odd to see at first, it does begin to add something to the film when you realize that the tints actually correspond to certain events in the film, and that people in the film react as if aware of the tinting. I didn't get it when I originally saw the film on TV (which apparently had the wrong scenes tinted) nor did I pick it up on the first go through of the recent Image DVD. It was only after listening to the commentary track that I really was made aware of how the right tints actually help the film seem creepier.Not a classic, but a its a good little thriller.