Night of the Bloody Apes (film)

La Horripilante bestia humana Horror y sexo Night of the Bloody Apes
Directed by	René Cardona inserts directed by Jerald Intrator (approx. 1972)
Starring	Armando Silvestre Norma Lazareno José Elias Moreno Carlos Lopez Moctezuma Noelia Noel Agustin Martinez
Running time	81 minutes
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

Night of the Bloody Apes is the title of the 1972 English language version of the 1969 Mexican horror film La Horripilante bestia humana ("The Horrible Man-Beast"), also known as Horror y sexo ("Horror and Sex") and as Gomar—The Human Gorilla. The film was directed by René Cardona and is a remake of his 1962 film Las Luchadoras contra el medico asesino ("The Wrestling Women vs. the Murderous Doctor"; U.S. title Doctor of Doom), the first in a series of films blending elements of the lucha libre and horror genres.

The plot concerns a mad scientist who transplants a gorilla's heart into his dying son, saving his life but transforming him into a monstrous, ape-like creature who embarks on a rape and murder spree before being brought to justice by a luchadora (female wrestler). The plot of Night of the Bloody Apes does not concern the luchadora bringing the ape-man to justice—rather, she has a much less pronounced role in the plot.

The English language dubbed version of the film includes additional scenes directed by Jerald Intrator for the film released as Horror y sexo; the new scenes add more explicit gore effects, including footage of open-heart surgery. The dubbed version was banned in the United Kingdom as a "video nasty," and is noted among bad movie aficionados for its awkwardly-phrased dialogue, a result of translating from Spanish word-for-word, without adjusting the phrasing and syntax to English norms: "I'll say that's absurd, the proofs are circumstantial, it's more probable that of late more and more you've been watching on your television many of those pictures of terror," for example. The film has been released on DVD by Something Weird Video as part of a double feature with its fellow Mexican horror movie Feast of Flesh (a.k.a. Placer sangriento ["Bloody Pleasure"], 1967).

References

• Newman, Kim. "Doctor of Doom / Wrestling Women vs the Aztec Mummy" DVD review, Video Watchdog vol. 1, #102, December 2003, pages 8–9.
• Newman, Kim. "Night of the Bloody Apes / Feast of Flesh" DVD review, Video Watchdog vol. 1, #104, February 2004, pages 50–53.
• O'Neill, James. Terror on Tape. 1994, New York: Billboard Books / Watson-Guptill Publications, pages 110 and 256.