Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

bensonmum2 In post-WWII Philippines, Joseph Langdon (John Ashley) is on the run, being hunted as a traitor. About to die and unable to go on, he suddenly sees the image of Satan. He's offered his life in return for his service. Years later, a man named Philip Rogers (again, John Ashley) wakes in the hospital, covered in bandages. When the bandages are removed, the face is not that of Rogers, but Langdon. Satan wants him to turn others to his side. But when Landon has second thoughts, he's turned into a snarling beast, only capable of killing and devouring those he comes into contact with. At least I think this is the basic plot. Who knows and who cares?In all honestly, Beast of the Yellow Night isn't really all that good and I've probably overrated it. But it did have some things I enjoyed. I found the plot concept surprisingly ingenious. I never expected this level of creativity in a Filipino exploitation movie. Not that they had the money to effectively pull it off, but the idea was good. The budget limitations are especially noticeable when it comes to the monster make-up. Cheap is an understatement. I know this may sound contradictory, but, other than the monster make-up/mask, the other low-budget effects actually work in the film's favor. When Langdon rips open a body, for example, the effects have a real disturbing quality to them.As for the acting, Vic Diaz, who I believe is in every Filipino movie I've seen, is a hoot in Beast of the Yellow Night. His laughing, happy Satan is the real star of the movie. Not what I expected from Diaz. Ashley does quite good also. His understated delivery works given his characters predicament. The lovely Mary Wilcox plays Rogers' wife, Julia. For some reason that makes no rational sense, Julia agrees to sleep with Langdon/Rogers though he looks nothing like her husband and is possessed by Satan. Still, it wouldn't be a Filipino exploitation/horror movie without the requisite sex scene.

Mike King This DVD started out promisingly, with movie director Fred Olen Ray in his van at the Drive-In, talking about the essentials for enjoying the Drive-In experience. His girlfriend, the beautiful Miss Kim, emerged from the back seat, and REALLY started enjoying the popcorn she was eating! Then the feature film started. Filmed in the Philippines, the movie was a muddled mess. I kept looking for a yellow moon in the film to account for the movie's title, but I never saw it. The late John Ashley did a credible job of playing the main character Joseph Langdon, alias Philip Rogers. As for his acting career, it was a really long road for John from Bikini Beach, with Frankie and Annette, to the Philippines, with Vic Diaz playing Satan. Despite its shortcomings, the movie didn't commit the unforgivable sin of being boring. In addition, I found a bit of dialog, spoken by John Ashley's character, to be quite profound. "There's no such thing as a dead end. You can always get out the way you came." As you go through life, that's certainly something to keep in mind. There's nothing like a great movie, and this was nothing like a great movie!

MartinHafer During the 1970s, a long series of schlocky horror films came out of the Philippines. They all were extremely low budgeted, featured ridiculous looking monsters and tossed in some boobies. I have yet to see one of these films that doesn't fit this pattern--and this certainly includes "The Beast of the Yellow Night". It's bad but also fun if you happen to like bad films--and there are quite a few bad movie buffs out there. Heck, despite reviewing countless art and foreign films, I like a schlock film now and then--and an Eddie Romero film certainly fits that bill.An idiot (perennial lead in Filipino horror films, John Ashley) eats some poisonous fruit. But instead of dying, Satan appears and makes him a deal--you become my servant and I'll let you live. Now this movie's version of Satan is interesting--he's no idiot in a red suit and horns--he's just some fat Filipino guy in a bandanna. However, wouldn't you know it but this bargain comes with a catch--the guy becomes a hairy monster with a taste for human flesh. Not surprisingly, this creates problems with his lady, as he is torn between ripping her clothes off or just ripping her to pieces.While this is a cheesy monster film, it's interesting to note that the film is very slow to get to the action. Sure, eventually he turns into a silly monster and runs amok--but this isn't until rather late in the film. But when he does, it's well worth the wait--as he looks utterly ridiculous! What I really liked is how there is a makeup line on his neck--and you can see this very clearly. Overall, yet another dopey film in the genre.

Machete_Coletti After recently finding a copy of this on DVD, I brought it home and was amazed to find this was everything I was looking for and a whole lot more. Filmed in the Philippines and directed by Eddie Romero, I was horrified/enlightened by its blasphemous blend of cannibalism, comedy, and deals with the devil gone bad. John Ashley is excellent as one of the most frightening, gruesome, and demented-looking monsters I've ever seen. Entertaining as can be. For me, the only thing scarier than this movie is the fact that I almost never got to see it! Great flick!