Music by Antonio Díaz Conde | Cinematography Raúl Martínez Solares | |
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 | ||
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.
Contents
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
Release
The film was released on DVD by Something Weird Video as part of a double feature with another Mexican horror movie, 1967's Feast of Flesh (a.k.a. Placer sangriento). It was released uncut on DVD in the UK by Redemption in 2007, and Nucleus Films released the remastered and uncut version on DVD on 8 October 2012.
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", and that it was brought down by its "stately place, the endless expressions of paternal devotion, and the script's risible attempts to offer medical explanation and justifications". 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".
In a retrospective review, TV Guide panned the film, awarding it a 0 of 4 rating. The review referred to the film as "gross" and "unbelievably inept", but noted that "with its dizzying combination of hard-core gore, gratuitous nudity, rampaging monster, actual footage of open-heart surgery, and masked Mexican wrestlers, this is a tough one to ignore".
Bill Gibron from DVDVerdict.com gave the film a negative review, panning the film's acting and the fact that the film itself did not make any sense. Gibron commented, "You've really got to hand it to director Rene Cardona. It's not every filmmaker who would attempt to create suspense and milk raw terror out of such commonplace occurrences as climbing the stairs, crossing the room, or Mexican ladies wrestling. And yet Night of the Bloody Apes is filled to the frijoles with static scenes of people walking up and down flights of steps, moving from the foyer into the master bedroom, and woman on woman grappling. As a piece of South of the Border exploitation, it has it all: wanton nudity, actual graphic and gory surgery footage, fake monster mania, and Tijuana style makeup and costumes. Throw in the most melodramatic score this side of Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life, and you've got a motion picture miscalculation of the highest order".>