You’ve got to hand it to Roger Corman: He sure knows how to make low-budget monster movies memorable!

With Night of the Blood Beast Special Edition, Film Masters releases a new 4K restoration from original 35mm archival elements in a ’50s double creature feature that’s produced by Gene and Roger Corman and directed by the Emmy-nominated Bernard Kowalski in a special collector’s two-disc edition that’s currently available to purchase!

In Night of the Blood Beast, an experimental rocket crash lands on Earth and the first astronaut sent into space dies upon re-entry. But what could have caused this disaster? Maybe a magnetic disturbance or an equipment malfunction? We may never know for certain, but moments after being medically declared dead and some strange science fiction, Maj. John Corcoran reanimates, but with some fresh wounds.

An extraterrestrial menace is to blame here that’s somehow breeding within the pilot’s body. Impervious to ammunition but fearful of fire, this cautionary Space Race story feels like the great-grandfather to John Carpenter’s The Thing, and that’s not too shabby, since it’s an all-time favorite film of mine.

“You are not ready, but we will still save you…”

Attack of the Giant Leeches makes this double creature feature a nice pair. In the backwoods of the Everglades, it’s assumed that atomic radiation has mutated giant, killer leeches, which are responsible for a string of deaths. These crimes against mother nature are debated between a visiting game warden and a small-town sheriff but finally reveal themselves when a finagling young wife and a cheating friend expose their intentions.

Stranger things have happened than dealing with a nocturnal swamp monster in a black-and-white B-movie, such as the unpredictable rising tide of popularity centered around secondary character, Liz Baby (played by Yvette Vickers). Previously appearing in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and gracing the July 1959 issue of Playboy as the Playmate of the Month, Vickers definitely brought some added publicity to Leeches.

Preying on Cold War paranoia with an added side of Hicksploitation, Vickers steals every scene in which she appears. Her performance is definitely the highlight of the film, which prompted me to research the rest of her career. Sadly, her final days ended in mystery, which only encourages me to watch more of her brief performances in front of the camera.

“I’ve been around here for years. I never saw nothin’ like that before.”

Both movies are centered around ominous creatures of unknown origin which are highlighted by creepy music… and I simply love it all. A new Ballyhoo Motion Pictures documentary, “Born From T.V: Bernard Kowalski as a Director,” defines the filmmaker’s career as he ventured from movies to television and back again, specializing in solving problems with limited budgets and working with difficult actors. He was also the silent man behind the scenes of the original Mission: Impossible, which was quite impressive.

Both films discuss unnecessary hatred and greed and actually receive overdue props, as Mystery Science Theater 3000 highlights each film several decades later, permanently leaving their marks in Geek Culture fandom (both of which are included in this great box set).

This fourth Corman collection by Film Masters, which is available on DVD ($19.95 MSRP) and Blu-ray ($29.95 MSRP), is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, with Beast also available with a TV version of 1.37:1. Both discs are region free and include English SDH.  Audio is DTS-HD/Dolby AC3s.

Special Features in this collection include an 8mm silent digest version​ of Beast, full-length commentaries by Tom Weaver and The Weaver Players, a Yvette Vickers still gallery from the private collection of Weaver, the re-cut trailer of both films using restored elements, a publicity slideshow of both films courtesy of Mike Barnum, a before-and-after restoration comparison of Beast, and a full-color, inserted booklet with essays by Weaver.

When you think about it, the main characters in both of these feature films feel like very early versions of paranormal investigators, which are far too common today on basic cable’s reality TV (which I watch entirely too much). Maybe that’s a big reason why I enjoyed this full set so much: I watched both movies multiple times before writing this review and I look forward to enjoying them many more times in the near future… you can call it the Yvette Effect!

Make sure to get your copy to enjoy multiple times while supplies last!