Beast of the Yellow Night

Director Eddie Romero is known for some of the most important Filipino films of all time like Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon? and Aguila. Less well-known are the exploitation films he made, often with American fly-by-night companies, that reimagine what a global Philippine cinema could be. On the occasion of his centennial comes one of the most notorious: THE BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT.

It’s 1946 in a “small town in Southeast Asia.” A white man who deserted the US military hides in the jungle, and out of desperation, unknowingly makes a deal with the devil. The devil condemns the man, Langdon, as an “evil man, murderer, rapist, thief.” As Langdon begs for his life, the devil does not let the man die. Instead his soul is reincarnated into other men’s bodies to carry out the devil’s plan of “awakening the latent evil” in people. Twenty-four years later, Langdon is reincarnated with his original face into the body of Philip Rogers, a wealthy American businessman. Displeased with his servant’s conscience, the devil makes Langdon turn into a beast at night, causing terror in the village and devouring the native inhabitants.

Co-produced with the late Roger Corman, THE BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT is a cerebral, existential, campy horror and psychological thriller ahead of its time, and a subtle commentary on how US empire terrorized and continues to terrorize the Philippines and its people post-WWII. Feast your eyes on 70s cinematography, low-budget special effects, and Philippine “easter eggs” including local legends Eddie Garcia, Vic Diaz, and Leopoldo Salcedo.

– Noelle Sepina