"Frankly, I had kind of hoped you had retired…"
-Dr. Foster comes face to scarred face with Dr. Lorca

The Blood Island Trilogy comes to a close with a very different kind of picture than the previous entries, unleashing the unexpected. Fast paced and entertaining, it's all out war, as the natives of the cursed island and the returning Dr. Bill Foster must find the hidden fortress of the Mad Doctor Lorca. Yes, he has survived the finale of Mad Doctor of Blood Island! A direct sequel to the earlier film, a prologue provides ANOTHER climax to Mad Doctor, starting this film off with a bang.
The monster is still alive and he manages to take vengeance on all of the previous survivors- with only the dashing hero floating away unharmed.
One year later, Dr. Foster returns to Blood Island to find that little has really changed. The chieftain of the Island isn't happy to see him because after all the events of the previous film, things haven't improved around the villa. "The green men" are still running wild and keeping the natives under the thumb of fear. Foster has to not only contend with finding Lorca, but this time he is joined by Myra, the lovely American reporter who is following him and looking to exhume a monster of a story. Well, John Ashley has to have somebody to get his groove on with… it's good to be a returning hero in a Philipino Drive-In Film! The benefits package is wonderful. Myra is quickly captured however, and it's up to our man to organize a rebellion and stage the Battle of Blood Island!!

Oh, let's not forget the monster, because the film almost does for most of the running time. Don "Chlorophyll Man" Ramon is still lurking, but after being decapitated he is quite a bit slower! This version of the monster is the best in the series, with his bones sticking through his flesh, a disturbingly mangled face and a predilection for moaning the name "LORRRRCAhhh" while staring at his own detached body. It is just too bad that he has such a short amount of time on screen. But when he is around, it's magic. Jungle action is the real focus of the film, but it's hard to forget the return of Dr. Lorca and his Beast of Blood. When the beast goes to work it's gory, but not nearly as memorable as the previous entry.
Taking the Z grade exploitation model and casting it partially aside, we have a very solid action film mixed with several quirky elements you wouldn't get in any average war film. This change may have been a result of Beast of Blood being directed solo by Eddie Romero. It falls in line more with his resume of doing action and war films than with his horror and monster pictures. Based on a story by Beverly Miller (who also plays the boat's captain), our hero spends more time battling the forces of the evil henchman Razak than monster mashing. It's hard to fault the film as a separate entity from the other series installments, as it is fast paced and very entertaining matinee material. But as a finale to the Blood Island Trilogy, it's a bit weak. Perhaps the expectations were set too high, and on a second view I'll enjoy it for what it is, a great little action film.
The cast does a fine job, though Ashley is still…well, John Ashley. I did a triple take at watching him turn down sex from the lovely and linguistically challenged Liza Belmonte as Laida-the ass kicking knife wielding native girl. She looks fantastic and works very well in her action scenes, far outshining the occasional Ashley patented Karate Chop as she stabs and beats up Razak's goons. But when she says the word uncomfortable (Un-KOM-fort-ABLE) twice in two sentences, well, it just comes out odd sounding and brings a smile to your face for the wrong reason.
Eddie Garcia takes over as Doctor Lorca, who looks like his face has melted from the finale of Mad Doctor of Blood Island. Garcia is great in the role actually, as he cackles away about how mad he really is. Yes, madder than ever. It couldn't have been easy talking to that head prop for so long, but he pulls it off. And Celeste Yarnell is beautiful in her little bikini…nuff said!
Overall, a good adventure film that certainly is enjoyable, but never hits the high notes the earlier entries seemed to scream past. If you like action, a little bit of monster gore and you loved Mad Doctor of Blood Island and want to visit your old pal Dr. Lorca then you will have a great time.

"Your original judgment has been thoroughly vindicated…I'm madder than ever!"

Again, Image does a fine job with the film. Though a bit scratchy in sequences the picture is crystal clear, and correctly night tinted in most spots. The sound is again very clear and strong. Extras wise we have another grand slam for the trilogy. Unearthed footage that was replaced by the animated credits is presented raw here, and we get another outstanding commentary from Sam Sherman. I've said it before; I'll say it again with a fine point on it. THANK YOU SAM! This one runs 53:12 minutes with a promise of parts 5 and 6 on Hemisphere pictures leaving me ready to load up the Brain of Blood disc. The degeneration of Hemisphere has really begun to be covered here, as well as its relation to Sherman's own venture rising up. This is fascinating material from someone who was there and loves to share the knowledge with the fans that may never have another opportunity to hear such a great account of both how and why these films got made.
Trailers, house of horror promos and more all make a great package even better. While many of the smaller companies gather praise, we should not forget that Image does still provide some of the most solid exploitation DVD packages on the market.

FILM: 2.5 Bitch Slaps
VIDEO: 3 Bitch Slaps
AUDIO: 3 Bitch Slaps
EXTRAS: 4 Bitch Slaps
OVERALL: 3 Bitch Slaps

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