Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970)

Director:

Al Adamson

Writer:

Sue McNair (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 February 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You'll scream yourself into a state of shock!

Plot:

In the near future with a intergalactic vampire plague threatening earth, an expedition is sent to a...

Plot Keywords:

Plague | Vampire | Space | Gore | Space Exploration

Cast

John Carradine	...	Dr. Rynning
Robert Dix	...	Dr. Manning
Vicki Volante	...	Valerie
Joey Benson	...	Willy
Jennifer Bishop	...	Lian Malian
Bruce Powers	...	Cmdr. Steve Bryce
Fred Meyers	...	Bob Scott
Britt Semand	...	Linda

Also Known As:

Blood Creatures from the Prehistoric Planet
Creatures of the Prehistoric Planet (USA) (alternative title)
Creatures of the Red Planet (USA) (alternative title)
Space Mission to the Lost Planet (International: English title) (video title (TV title))
Vampire Men of the Lost Planet (USA) (TV title (video title))

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Independent International Pictures (I-I)

Trivia:

Director of photography on the newly filmed sequences was Vilmos Zsigmond, a future Oscar winner.

Goofs:

Continuity: Although Robert Dix is billed in the credits as "Dr. Manning", he is referred to in the film as "Col. Manning".

Movie Connections:

Featured in Drive-In Madness! (1987)

Al Adamson, An Auteur of Collages

The line above may be a very kind way of summing up Al Adamson's career, but I feel bad for the guy. When I read a few years back that he had been murdered in his house, I thought,'Who would want to murder this fella?'I have yet to find that answer, and if anyone out there know if there was a trial, or any information on the death of Al Adamson, please contact me at my address.

I have seen a few of Adamson's films, and although his taste is questionable, his movies can tend to be mesmerising. This is sometimes a good thing at 2 in the morning when you are trying to go to sleep; not knowing what to expect, and even as you watch it, you're still not sure.

This is how I saw NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS, or whatever the hell that title was. The film contains some of the most boring dialogue scenes since Jerry Warren, and the acting is uniformly wooden. The plot is a bit hard to explain, having something to do with a vampire plague on Earth that, in flimsy exposition, started in outer space. A rocketship and crew (headed by John Carradine) land on the Vampire planet, and encounter more dialogue and tinted Filipino footage.

The Filipino footage that Adamson culled appears to have been done in black-and-white, but since Adamson was making a color film, he came up with a cheap ploy to sell the concept of the tinted portion. It is radiation, explains one of the characters, and the audience is left in total disbelief. In fact, the most unbelievable part is the sets, made up of poorly-lit backdrops and cardboard. The sex scene is hilarious.

This cheesy movie must be seen by any lover of bad cinema, and people who remember what the drive-in was like, or would like to. All others beware, this film is UNCEASINGLY BAD.

Now, if only I could find out what happened to Al Adamson, (and his wife, Regina Carrol, for that matter)...