Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Brides of Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 7, 2019

Note: This film is available either as a standalone release or as part of The Blood Island Collection.

H.G. Wells’ chilling 1896 novel about a mad scientist creating human-animal hybrids on an isolated blip in the ocean has been adapted for films several times, with manifestly different results. 1932’s Island of Lost Souls, 1977’s The Island of Dr. Moreau and 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau are probably the three most widely known adaptations, but there have been others, as mentioned in my The Twilight People Blu-ray review (The Twilight People being among them). There are a number of interesting connections between The Twilight People and at least three of the four films Severin has assembled in its Blood Island Collection, including star John Ashley, director Eddie Romero and a Philippines location. All of the Blood Island films, like The Twilight People, also obviously owe their genesis to Wells’ original conception, though none of the films actually credit him. While the inherent quality of any and/or all of the Blood Island films may be questionable (and of course up to individual tastes), Severin has assembled a really interesting package here that includes some excellent supplements which may provide further allure for the “franchise”’s fan base while also perhaps offering a bit of a selling point for those who may not know of or especially like any of the outings. Hemisphere Films "marketing consultant" Samuel M. Sherman's commentaries for some of the films are among those supplements, and Sherman makes it clear that no one associated with these productions had any illusions about making "Art", these were all churned out as drive-in fare, with an emphasis on sex and gore that had proven to be a winning combination for largely teen audiences.

It’s maybe just a little odd to think of the four films in the Blood Island Collection as being a “franchise”, as even Hemisphere Pictures’ Samuel M. Sherman mentions in some of his commentaries, and the disconnect between Terror is a Man and Brides of Blood is probably the most pronounced of any two films within the ostensible “set”. Terror is a Man is in black in white, and, while shot in the Philippines, doesn’t really exploit the “local” flavor there. Brides of Blood is the first of three color films that appeared in the late sixties and early seventies which make much more explicit use of the Philippines and which all feature star John Ashley, who actually came to the Philippines for the first time in order to shoot this film, and who ended up staying there (at least for part of each year) for the rest of his life.

There are a number of other ways this entry parts rather substantially from the Wells opus, probably most noticeably in that this particular entry doesn’t really feature a mad scientist, and the semi-human hybrid involved in the shenanigans may be the result of radiation rather than any surgical interference. In fact the entire island seems to be suffering from “radiation poisoning”, with both plants and animals experiencing rather unusual effects. That said, this film carries over the trope of the dissatisfied sexpot wife, in this case Carla Henderson (Beverly Powers, billed as Beverly Hills), married to scientist Paul (Kent Taylor), who is investigating the effects of radiation. Peace Corps worker Jim Farrell (John Ashley) is kind of the third wheel, and perhaps because Carla is obviously not a suitable love interest, there’s an appealing native named Alma (Eva Darren) who sparks some romantic ardor.

A lot of Brides of Blood is just patently goofy, including banana plants ensnaring people with vines and a mutant butterfly biting folks, but it’s the “creature” that may provoke the most laughs even from diehard horror fans. The film also is a bit more overt in its sexuality this time around, even if Sherman’s assertion that an early scene intimating a near rape was deemed “hot” back in the 1960s may not pass “PC” muster these days. There is some unabashed full frontal nudity here (as there is in some of the later films as well).

Brides of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Brides of Blood is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover of this release states "featuring a 4K scan from a recently discovered 35mm interpositive and presented absolutely uncut for the first time ever." This is by and large a pleasing looking transfer, one that offers a generally nicely suffused and natural looking palette, with a couple of exceptions to be detailed in a moment. A lot of the outdoor material really pops very appealingly, with nicely blue skies and some well saturated tones in things like costumes. There are some wide fluctuations in contrast and brightness, including one that doesn't seem to be tied to anything like an optical very early in the film between 1:22 and around 1:40 (you can see two screenshots from this brief moment in positions 13 and 14). The first ship scene also looks slightly yellow-green, though even here fine detail in items like Beverly Hills' tufted fabric dress remain precise looking. Things can occasionally turn just slightly purple as well, as at circa 22:02 or 51:54. There are occasional slight moments of damage like a scratch on the left side of the frame at around 8:45 or a hair at the top of the frame at around 54:00, and there's a noticeable downturn in clarity as well as sudden skew towards yellow for just a moment at around 1:29:24, but on the whole this is a pleasing and organic looking transfer that should satisfy the film's fans.

Brides of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Brides of Blood features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track that exhibits none of the issues of the first film in this set, even if the high range here is a tad muffled sounding at times, something that's especially noticeable during some of the music cues. There are some patently goofy effects scattered throughout this film, including what almost sounds like a theremin accompanying the mutant butterfly sequence, and while never really totally energetic sounding, things resonate well enough. Dialogue sounds like it may have been post-looped, at least in part, and is frequently mixed a bit hotter than the effects and score.

Brides of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Jungle Fury: Archival Interview with Co-Director Eddie Romero (480p; 13:47) is another fun interview with Romero, who seems to take his entire career as something kind of humorous.


• Here Comes the Bride: Interview with Hemisphere Marketing Consultant Samuel L. Sherman (1080p; 21:45) is one of the longest segments from the Mark Hartley documentary Machete Maidens Unleashed! contained in the Blood Island Collection, and once again includes the always interesting Sherman intercut with scenes from the films.


• Beverly Hills on Blood Island: Interview with Beverly Powers (1080p; 7:09) is a fun contemporary interview with Powers, who also seems to take the film in stride with a good sense of humor.


• Alternate Brides of Blood Island Title Sequence and Jungle Fury Title Card (1080p; 1:22)


• Teaser Trailer (1080p; 00:37)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:59)


• Poster & Still Gallery (1080p; 5:58)


• Audio Commentary with Hemisphere Marketing Consultant Samuel M. Sherman is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Brides of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brides of Blood is good old fashioned drive-in fare and probably shouldn't be put too through intense of a critical analysis. This features generally solid technical merits for those considering a purchase.