Elysee Productions - Things That Entertain

MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1969) Directed by Gerardo de Leon and Eddie Romero. Starring John Ashley, Angelique Pettyjohn, Ronald Remy, Alicia Alonzo, Ronaldo Valdez and Tony Edmunds. 89 minutes.

Often considered the best of what's come to be known as the "Blood Island Trilogy", MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND is the quasi-sequel to Hemisphere Pictures' BRIDES OF BLOOD (1968) and the predecessor for its direct sequel, BEAST OF BLOOD (1971). In MAD DOCTOR we're introduced to Dr. Bill Foster (John Ashley), Sheila Willard (Angelique Pettyjohn) and Carlos Lopez (Ronaldo Valdez), all Blood Island bound for entirely different reasons. She's in search of her father (Tony Edmunds) whilst Dr. Foster is there to investigate a mysterious sample of green blood. Carlos is hoping to convince his mother to leave Blood Island and join him elsewhere.

Willard is greeted by her drunken father and Carlos' mom is uneasy about his proposal. The delightfully furtive Marla (Alicia Alonzo), Carlos' childhood friend, adds a sultry layer to the secret of the green blood. Although, it's titular Dr. Lorca's (Ronald Remy) ghastly chlorophyll experiments that take center stage along with his bad boy patient, Don Ramon, who is Carlos' thought to be dead father! Dr. Lorca's chlorophyll treatments have turned Don Ramon into a crazed monster that dismembers his victims with nary a care. Dr. Foster and company are caught in the middle of these fantastical events, deadheading towards a climactic struggle with mad Dr. Lorca and Don Ramon for peace and tranquility on Blood Island.

MAD DOCTOR was co-directed in the Philippines by Gerardo de Leon and his long-time friend and Hemisphere Pictures' vice president, Eddie Romero. By 1969, de Leon's cinematic career had entered its third decade. MAD DOCTOR notwithstanding, his catalog of achievements had already included prestigious awards, directing some of the country's most artistically acclaimed films. As the record-holder of seven FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) Awards, it would be easy to dismiss his work if judged by MAD DOCTOR alone. Gerardo de Leon died in 1981 and was posthumously cited as a National Artist of the Philippines in 1982. In 2003, Eddie Romero would join his friend as a National Artist, his lifetime cinematic visions being delivered in, "an utterly simple style - minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable."

The music for MAD DOCTOR was composed by Tito Arevalo (whose real name is Eustacio de Leon Ilagan), older brother of co-director Gerardo de Leon. Arevalo was both an actor and composer whose career was as heralded as de Leon's. MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND came during the slowing years of his film music assignments, the last of which was Cirio H. Santiago's A TIME FOR DYING (1983). Tito Arevalo is virtually unknown in America, yet many cult film fans know his Blood Island sound. This composition uses unique orchestration that's influenced by the composer's Filipino culture and remains consistent in its tonal environment. So whether it's the deranged Don Ramon on a rampage or a romantic encounter, Arevalo never lets us forget that we're trapped in the jungle landscape of Blood Island. It is horror film music as never heard before.

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MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND
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