Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)

Cast:

John Ashley is Joseph Langdon / Philip Rogers
Mary Charlotte Wilcox is Julia Rogers
Leopoldo Salcedo is Insp. Santos
Eddie Garcia is Det. Lt. Campo
Ken Metcalfe is Earl Rogers

What the box says:

A man is saved from certain death by selling his soul to the Devil, who charges him with recruiting others to his evil cause. As part of his terms for relinquishing control of his soul to Satan, the man is cursed to endure transformation into a hideous creature and stalk his victims by night. The local authorities want to find and destroy this murderous creature before it can take another victim, while the man looks to find a way to end his cursed existence.

Plot:

In 1946 Asia, troops find a village of murdered people. They search for the deserting soldier, Joseph Langdon. Langdon runs off but is wounded. He is confronted by the Devil. The mortally wounded Langdon pleads for his life and sells his soul for meat.

At the funeral of Langdon, the devil is ready for Langdon to begin for his work.

20 years later, at the hospital, Phillip Rogers has been mangled. The doctor cuts the bandages off, and finds that the face isn't disfigured. At home, Phillip Rogers is glad to return to his wfe Julia.

Cemetery, the devil wants Phillip to think of his evil side and not to have identity. That night, Phillip monsterified and attacks some random guy on the street.

Cops investigate the body that was mauled.

Earl, Phillip's brother, tries to convince Julia to get psychoilogical help for Phillip. Julia tries to find why Phillip wants to be away from her. He locks her out when he starts to monsterify agains and heads out into the city. Phillip dispatches a woman and is being chased by the townsfolk. He escapes them.

The cops search from the mosnter man. They realize that Phillip's house window-bars are opened without any tools.

Phillip reverts to humanity and hides with a old blind man.

The cops question Julia when Phillip walk in. The Ltgets the feeling that Phillip Rogers is John Langdon who died 20 years earlier.

At jail, the devil won't help Phillip anymore. Later, the cops try to calm the townsfolk that want to lynch Phillip. A guy stabs him but isn't injured thanks to the healing factor.

Julia is planning to sneak Phillip out of the country.

The Lt is told about Langodn was a deserter and turned traitor after WW2. He was resonsible for destroying a small village and how he was killed and buried.

Phillip monsterifies and runs off again. He searches for the blind man that helped him earlier.

At the hospital, the police question Julia about her husband after seeing his transformation.

Phillip(humanized) and the blind man head to a hideout. On the way, the cops block the road. Phillip and blind guy run off into the tall field. The cops open fire and set the field afire. Come out, the cops shoot the blind guy. Phillip monsterfies and attacks the cops. The Lt. takes the dying blind man to Phillip who calms him down to pray for him. The Lt. shoots monster Phillip who fades back to humanity. The narratoring devil ragss about Phillip, etc...

What I say:

The 1970s low budget monster movies aren't known for high effects or even really lame ones especially when the monster's visage is a mask used for Halloween. Randomly, though not to the full moon, Langdon/Phillip will randomly transform into a pseudo-werewolf creature for not obeying. Well, it's a shame when the monster from the Brainiac was years earlier and at least more creative than this 1970s mask monster.

Rotating the names are hard to keep track of the character. Joseph Langdon is the deserting soldier who also rampages a village. After his funeral and 20 years later, his soul moves on to the Phillip Rogers character. However, when the actor is 2 different characters, it gets harder to keep track of who they're supposed to be.

The story almost seems like 2 entirely different plots are just sewed together. Beast of the Yellow Night tries to jump in some sort of philosophy of morality or that there's always some choice. Guy sells his soul to the devil and becomes his servant and jumps to the guy having a new life in which the devil turns him into some sort of pseudo/werewolf creature. Guy/monster rampages through a town when he's not trying to alienate his wife and friend into deserting him.

One of the great things about movies is there is always more than you think like 1960s Italian horror, 1950s low budget-sci-fi...Well, 1970s Phillipine movies are another one of the small unknown sub-genres. Unfortunately, a "new-to-me"-sub-genre isn't enough to justify the fact that its movie is missing a decent plot. I'm not going to hold all early 1970s phillipine movies by this one.

Quotable Dialogue
"When was the last time you had some fresh meat?"
"Come now, it's good meat..."
"I would do as much with a stray dog."
Morals of the Story
Canned beans are tasty, high quality.
Doctors must collapse when patients are disfigured.
Monsters need to wear plaid shirts.
Wearing a blood-soaked shirt is inconspicious.