Tag Archives: Beast of Blood

Sam Sherman – Rest in Peace

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This is definitely an end of an era, with the news of the passing of Sam Sherman. He was mainly known as a producer, one half of Independent International, working with Al Adamson, but his contributions to the horror genre is just massive. From his work with Jim Warren and Famous Monsters of Filmland, to working with Hemisphere Pictures, especially in their promotion department, then moving on to work with Adamson. While he was a very multi-talented man, it is his work in PR is what I loved about him. He knew how to sell a film and came up with some of the most beautiful and crazy advertising. Of course, Sherman was the man responsible for bringing Paul Naschy to the states, picking up the rights and releasing Naschy’s first picture, Mark of the Wolfman, though changing it to Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror, yet again with some really great ad campaign for it! Sure, there’s no Dr. Frankenstein or Frankenstein creature in the film, but we do get a WOLF-STEIN!!!

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What a Time to Be Alive!

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This is pure ridicules to even think that at some point in my lifetime, there would be an action figure from the 1970 exploitation classic Beast of Blood. Directed by Eddie Romero and starring John Ashley, this film featured a monster that through most of the movie, has his head disconnected from its body! As a kid, I used to think it was amazing that we had action figures of some superheroes, or even some from the Planet of the Apes films and TV series. But just the thought that there would be actual toys (sorry, collectibles) made of films that were not even big box office hits, like the Star Wars series, but just features mainly playing the drive-in markets. But here we are, 55 years after the film comes out, and we have a little action figure of everyone’s favorite chlorophyll-blooded monster!

You can pre-order it from Amok Toys by clicking HERE. They are priced at $39.99, but I’m sure these will be just as popular as their Humanoids from the Deep figure. Again, what a time to be alive!

2024 Year in Review: The Highlights Part 3

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Continuing to Discover the Horror

Back in October of 2021, the first episode of Discover the Horror Podcast was released. Now, over three years later, and with 86 episodes published, Damien Glonek, Aaron AuBuchon, and I have continued our pursuit in helping other like-minded fans to dig a little deeper into the genre or maybe take another look at a film that they’ve seen before but maybe seeing them a little differently. This last year, we’ve covered subjects like infectious body horror, Japanese vampire films, slashers, women directors, German Expressionism, horror comics, and even Bigfoot! We also covered directors like Wes Craven, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, Al Adamson, and Norman J. Warren. We’ve also had some incredible guests on the show, like Zandor Vorkov, Will Morris, Oscar Becher from Vinegar Syndrome, and Severin’s David Gregory!

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How Lucky I Am…

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Now, I’m talking about us horror fans (which I’m guessing would be the only ones reading this!), but I am once again reminded on how great of a time we are living in, as horror fans. Yes, I know, the world is in turmoil right now, with us on the brink of destruction. But guess what, it always seems to be, or at least has been multiple times in my lifetime. So why not take a second and look at some positive things going on that, while doesn’t solve all the world’s problems, it does make you realize that there are some pretty damn cool things, even if it is just related to that “silly monster stuff”.

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Sam Sherman Speaks!

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I am shocked and amazed that I am just hearing about this new book and am eternally thankful to my friend Gavin Schmitt for putting it on my radar, which I quickly ordered!

So … not sure who Sam Sherman is? If you’ve ever seen any of the classic Al Adamson flicks, like Satan’s Sadist, Dracula vs Frankenstein, Blood of Ghastly Horror, or the Blood Island movies from the Philippines, such as Mad Doctor of Blood Island or Beast of Blood, then you at least know the work of Mr. Sherman. Or should I say, a small part of Sherman’s work. In the world of low-budget filmmaking, Sherman was involved in pretty much all aspects, especially when it came to promoting and distributing. He would help come up with the lurid titles, help with the ad campaign, and so much more.

Now, thanks to Murania Press, you’ll get to read all the juicy bits from his career, working with Independent International Pictures, Al Adamson, and much more. In this 378 page trade paperback book, you’ll read along as Sherman “revisits those halcyon days and reveals the behind-the-scenes story of IIP’s rise and fall.” But he also goes into the entire drive-in era, having to deal with independent producers and distributors, trying not to get ripped off, and all the other fun things you had to do when you were working well below the major studios.

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Eddie Garcia – Rest in Peace

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Eddie Garcia - RIPIf you’re a fan of Filipino horror films, then you were familiar with Eddie Garcia. Actually, if you were a fan of ANY Filipino movies, then you most likely knew who Eddie Garcia was. The man is credited with 653 acting credits on IMDB! There were years that he was appearing in over a dozen titles in one year alone. In 1975, he appeared in 33 feature films! Needless to say, the man was busy. He was also the most credited man in the Filipino film business as well, taking home more awards in the FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) than any other person, with 6 Supporting Actor awards, 5 for Best Actor, 5 for Best Director, 3 different Hall of Fame and 1 Lifetime Achievement award. Yeah…just wow.

But of course, this is the Krypt and the ones that we remember him from are the wonderful horror pictures that he made, usually in the ’60s and ’70s, such as Ibulong mo sa hangin (1966), which has multiple different titles, such as Blood of the Vampires, or Creatures of Evil, or even Curse of the Vampires (1966). Then there is Beast of the Yellow Night (1971) or The Twilight People (1972), but it will always be his performance as Dr. Lorca, in the infamous 1970 film Beast of Blood, that I will remember him most fondly from.

Garcia passed away on June 20th, from a fall that happened on the set of his latest TV series. That’s right, Garcia was 90 years old and still working! He spent 12 days in a coma after the fall and never recovered. Our heart goes out to his friends and family, and all of his fans during this difficult time. While the films that we horror fans love might not be his best or most popular, I know that we’ll keep his memory alive because of them.

Celeste Yarnell & Venantino Venantini – Rest in Peace

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Celeste Yarnell
Venantino Venantini

I was just commenting the other day that either I have missed them or the number of our genre stars that we’ve been losing has been much lower than previous years. And then we lose Stelvio Cipriani last week, and now there are two more.

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Severin Goes to Blood Island

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Blood Island CollectionI’ve been a huge fan of the horror films made in the Philippines, especially the Blood Island films. So I was thrilled when I first heard mention that Severin was going to be releasing these films on Blu-ray. Even more so when I saw the kind of promo stuff they are making available. Granted, the limited edition Dr. Lorca’s Head Bundle is already sold out (Also note…that’s not Dr. Lorca’s Head…just saying), which was a major bummer. But the stuff in the Blood Oath Bundle is pretty damn cool too. Got to give Severin major props for the stuff they come up with. From the Anthropophagus Plush figure, or the beach ball from The Horror of Party Beach, to even the little rubber ball from The Changeling, they are killing it when it comes to new promo items.

So what is in this box set?

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Horror History: Bruno Punzalan

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punzalanBruno Punzalan

Trying to find any information on this actor from the Philippines is damn difficult. But since his face was a staple of movies in the ’60s and ’70s that were filmed there, I thought a little attention needed to put in his direction. If you’ve seen any of the famous Blood Island Trilogy, Brides of Blood (1968), Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968), and Beast of Blood (1971), then you’ve seen Punzalan. He is usually cast as a bad guy, usually a thug of whoever is in charge. He had a very distinct face that always made him easy to pic out in the casts. He worked many times with director Eddie Romero, as well as with actors Sid Haig and Vic Diaz (another staple of Pilipino movies).

While not much is known about this actor, we feel that because of his contributions to the horror genre, we think that people should at least know who he is. So when they see that same face again, they can say “Hey…that’s Bruno Punzalan!”, impressing everyone around them. Not to mention, keeping this actor’s memory alive.

He also appeared with Ingrid Pitt in The Omegans (1968), as well as Blood Thirst (1971), Black Mama, White Mama (1973), and Savage Sisters (1973).