View source for Beast of the Yellow Night


{{missing information|the film's theatrical release|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Beast of the Yellow Night
| image          = Beast of the Yellow Night.jpg

| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Eddie Romero]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Eddie Romero
* [[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]]
* David J. Cohen
* [[Roger Corman]]
* Beverly Miller
}}
| writer         = Eddie Romero
| narrator       =
| starring       = {{unbulleted list|John Ashley|[[Vic Diaz]]}}
| music          = Nestor Robles
| cinematography = Justo Paulino
| editing        = Ben Barcelon
| studio         = {{unbulleted list|[[Four Associates Ltd]]|Cinema Projects International}}
| distributor    = [[New World Pictures]] {{small|(U.S.)}}
| released       = {{Film date|1971}}
| runtime        = 87 minutes
| country        = {{unbulleted list|[[Philippines]]|United States}}
| language       = {{unbulleted list|[[Filipino language|Filipino]]|English}}
| budget         = {{USD|200,000}} or {{USD|60,000}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/CinefantastiqueVol01No4Fall1971/page/n43|page=43|magazine=Cinefantastique|year=1971|title=Cinefantastique Vol 01 No 4 (Fall 1971) }}</ref>

}}
'''''Beast of the Yellow Night''''' is a 1971 [[horror film]], directed by [[Eddie Romero]] and starring [[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]], who co-produced the film with Romero. It was the fourth release for [[Roger Corman]]'s distribution company [[New World Pictures]]. It was released as a [[double feature]] with the West German horror film, ''[[Creature with the Blue Hand]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Beast_of_the_Yellow_Night/Creature_With_the_Blue_Hand_(1967) | title=Beast of the Yellow Night/Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) - the Grindhouse Cinema Database }}</ref>

After successfully distributing ''[[Beast of Blood (film)|Beast of Blood]]'' in 1970, producer [[Kane W. Lynn]] (as [[Hemisphere Pictures]]) tried to get the distribution rights to Ashley's next horror film, titled ''Beast of the Yellow Night''. Ashley and his production company Four Associates Ltd. put up the money to produce the film themselves in the Philippines, and instead of allowing Lynn to distribute it, he made a deal with Roger Corman's then-fledgling [[New World Pictures]] instead. Lynn's ex-business partner in Hemisphere Pictures, Eddie Romero, was hired to direct and co-produce, but Lynn was cut out of the deal. Ashley's Four Associates Ltd. went on to produce several other films in the Philippines, such as ''[[The Twilight People]]'', ''[[The Woman Hunt]]'' and ''[[Ebony, Ivory & Jade]]'', before disbanding.<ref name="Ray1991">{{cite book|author=Fred Olen Ray|title=The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H9GknfDYd4sC|date=January 1, 1991|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-89950-628-9}}</ref> Lynn invested in [[Sam Sherman]]'s 1971 sci-fi film ''[[Brain of Blood]]'', which did not fare well, and died soon after of cancer in 1975.

==Plot==
The film is set near the end of World War II in the Philippines. [[Satan]] ([[Vic Diaz]]) saves murderer Joseph Langdon ([[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]]) from death on condition that he become his disciple. Satan has Langdon [[Body hopping|inhabit the bodies of several people over the years]], bringing out the latent evil of those around them and carrying out the devil's evil deeds for the next 25 years. Inhabiting the body of Phillip Rogers and with his face, Langdon tries to exert his own free will, but becomes a hairy, murderous beast — a werewolf on the rampage — and kills several people. His wife Julia (Mary Wilcox) tries to support and comfort him during the day, as does his brother Earl (Ken Metcalfe), but when he meets blind former bandit Sabasas Nan ([[Andres Centenera]]), he starts to find the strength to fight back. Inspector de Santos ([[Leopoldo Salcedo]]) recognizes Rogers as being Langdon and takes him into custody, putting him under house arrest. Rogers attempts to make love to his wife, but changes again and escapes. When he and Nan try to leave the city, they encounter the police and military, and Rogers changes again, battling against the combined forces. When a gravely wounded Sabasas Nan asks Rogers to pray for him, he does so, and at that moment, he is shot by Lt. Campos, dies, and reverts to his true age, his soul now free.

==Cast==
*[[John Ashley (actor)|John Ashley]] as Joseph Langdon/Philip Rogers
*[[Mary Charlotte Wilcox]] as Julia Rogers (as Mary Wilcox)
*[[Leopoldo Salcedo]] as Inspector Santos
*[[Eddie Garcia]] as Det. Lt. Campo
*Ken Metcalfe as Earl Rogers
*[[Vic Diaz]] as Satan
*[[Andres Centenera]] as blind man
*Ruben Rustia as hospital doctor 
*Don Lipman as U.S. military attaché 
*Jose Garcia
*James Spencer
*Carpi Asturias as Langdon's jungle contact 
*Jose Roy Jr.
*Criselda
*[[Joonee Gamboa]] as Mateo 
*Peter Magurean
*Nora Nuñez
*Johnny Long

==Production==
{{expand section|date=November 2019}}
Ashley said that playing the role of the monster "was a lot of fun to do. I used a double in the long shots but the scenes where the beast was talking...was me."<ref>Weaver, pp. 42-43</ref> Ashley later said that the film was among the better written of his Philippines films. "It certainly was the most cerebral, if you can call any of those pictures that", he said.<ref>Weaver, p. 43</ref> The success of the movie led Corman to make a series of films in the Philippines, including ''[[The Big Doll House]]''.<ref name="vagg">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/|magazine=Diabolique Magazine|title=A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley|date=December 2019}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Release==
''Beast of the Yellow Night'' was released in 1971 in the US. "We really tried for quality", Romero said later. "I don't think it did very well. They [the audience] prefer out and out gore."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cashiersducinemart.com/details/issue-18/article-518/strong-coffee-with-a-national-treasure-an-interview-with-eddie-romero|title=Strong Coffee with a National Treasure: An Interview with Eddie Romero|website=Cashiers du Cinemart|first=Andrew|last= Leavold|date=2006}}</ref>

''Diabolique'' magazine wrote that "The film is a lot of fun, and Ashley's performance is good – he's not playing a stock leading man character this time, but a tormented killer redeemed by love for his new wife. It was a financial success and launched Ashley as a producer, while confirming his status as a draw in horror movies."<ref name="vagg"/>

===Home video===
''Beast of the Yellow Night'' was released on [[DVD]] by Ventura Distribution on August 21, 2001. The film was reissued several times after its initial DVD release, usually as part of a multi-disc combo pack. It was last released by VCI Video as a part of a four-disc combo pack.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beast of the Yellow Night (1979) – Eddie Romero|url=https://allmovie.com/movie/beast-of-the-yellow-night-v4467/releases|website=AllMovie|accessdate=October 13, 2015}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{expand section|date=August 2018}}
''Beast of the Yellow Night'' received mostly negative reviews upon its release. Linda Gross of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it a "confusing, implausible rather poorly made horror film", although she admitted it had "a nice twist" showing "two kinds of caring: that of a woman whose love implies expectations and that of a friend who wants nothing and is thereby able to give more."<ref>{{cite news|author=Gross, Linda |date=December 22, 1973|title=MOVIE REVIEW.|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Graeme Clark of ''The Spinning Image'' rated the film three out of 10 stars, criticizing the film's overly talky and confusing script.<ref name="clarkreview">{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Graeme |title=Beast of the Yellow Night Review (1971) |url=http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=2871 |website=The Spinning Image |accessdate=November 19, 2019}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Ashley later became a producer on ''[[The A Team]]'' television series. He made a cameo in an episode as a backer of a horror film called ''The Beast of the Yellow Night''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Kelley, B.|date=March 17, 1985|id={{ProQuest|389734195}}|title=ASHLEY FINALLY MAKES THE TEAM|work=Sun Sentinel}}</ref>

In 2014, [[Michael J. Nelson]], [[Kevin Murphy (actor)|Kevin Murphy]] and [[Bill Corbett]] of movie mocking commentary [[RiffTrax]] riffed the film as part of their repertoire.

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1971]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFI film|54070|Beast of the Yellow Night}}
* {{IMDb title|id=066816|title=Beast of the Yellow Night}}
* {{Rotten tomatoes|beast_of_the_yellow_night|Beast of the Yellow Night}}
* {{TCMDb title|559491|Beast of the Yellow Night}}

{{Eddie Romero}}
{{Blood Island}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beast Of The Yellow Night}}
[[Category:1971 English-language films]]
[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1971 horror films]]
[[Category:American werewolf films]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:Films directed by Eddie Romero]]
[[Category:Films set in 1946]]
[[Category:Films set in 1970]]
[[Category:New World Pictures films]]
[[Category:Philippine horror films]]
[[Category:1971 American films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Beast of the Yellow Night|access_date=2026-02-26}}