We're sad to report that celebrated Filipino filmmaker Eddie Romero, best known among horror & exploitation fans for the “Blood Island” horror film series and his work with Roger Corman on several Philippines-based movies, passed away yesterday at 88. According to his son, Romero had been hospitalized for much of this month and lapsed into a coma shortly before his death.
Romero was a highly honored filmmaker in the Philippines, and was awarded the title of National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts in 2003. Over a sixty-year career, he has directed many acclaimed films in his native country, but fans of vintage horror and exploitation cinema remember him most fondly for the gory “Blood Island” series, which began with the surprise hit Mad Doctor of Blood Island in 1968, and included the sequels Beast of Blood and Brides of Blood; he's also noted for his '70s film collaborations with B-movie icon Roger Corman, such as Black Mama, White Mama and The Twilight People (both featuring the legendary Pam Grier).
Much of Romero's genre output is readily available on DVD, including the insanely entertaining Blood Island films, so be sure to check them out; they're sleazy, cheesy fun.