Blood Thirst
Adam Rourke [Robert Winston], a wise-cracking sex-crime specialist from New York, who
talks to himself and carries an old, lifesize dummy named Harvey in his
suitcase, is called to Manila by old friend and chief inspector of
homicide, Captain Miguel Ramos [Vic Diaz]. Girls have been turning up dead, found
hanging upside down from trees with their wrists cut and their bodies
drained of blood. The only lead is that the latest victim (Maria Cortez)
was working at the Barrio Club. Adam suggests that a good way to approach
the investigation would be for him to go undercover, posing as an American
writer. Miguel agrees, but only on the condition that he and Adam have no
contact with each other while Adam is undercover. Miguel's London-educated
sister Sylvia [Katherine Henryk], however, takes an instant dislike to Adam's cavalier
attitude, particularly his poohpoohing the "unsophisticated" rumors that the
killings might have something to do with voodoo or vampirism.The next night, Adam visits the Barrio, asking to see the club's
owner, Mr Calderon [Vic Silayan]. He doesn't get very far with his cover about wanting
to write a story about Maria's murder. Calderon agrees only to think about
it. While discussing his article with Calderon, Adam's attention is drawn
to the bellydancer Serena Brioso [Yvonne Nielson]. Later that night, as Adam prepares to sleep, he is attacked
by a man with a machete. Hehehe. The man didn't know it, but the machete
just killed Harvey the dummy. Adam was standing in the shadows with his
loaded gun and killed the killer. A bit later, Adam goes for a walk and is
confronted by a one-legged beggar named Herrera [Eddie Infante] who turns out to be
Miguel's contact (and also the guy who took care of the machete-wielder's
body). Herrera will be watching Adam and will never be too far away, he
says. On his way back into the hotel, Adam sees Sylvia drive up. She tells
him to get into her car and drives him several miles outside of the city,
where she kisses him, then slaps his face and drives off, leaving Adam to
walk back to his hotel. [This is payback for Adam stealing a kiss the
night before.] On his walk back, Adam notices Theresa, a girl from the
Barrio Club, being dropped off.The next morning, Theresa turns up dead. [Clue: Both Teresa and Maria
were attacked by the same person, whose face looks like an advanced case
of neurofibromatosis.] That evening, Adam returns to the Barrio Club to
get an answer from Calderon regarding the article he wants to write. While
they chat, Serena does her bellydance again. In the middle of the dance,
however, she stumbles, feels her face, and runs out. [Clue: Serena is
using the blood of the murdered girls to sustain her beauty.] Adam
attempts to follow Serena but the club's bouncers toss him out.The next time Adam goes to the Barrio Club, Serena takes him aside
and asks him to meet her at the club the following evening when Calderon
is planning to be away on business. Calderon is charming, Serena warns,
but he can be strange and violent. While walking back to his hotel, Adam
meets up with Herrera who informs him that another waitress (Elena Munoz)
from the Barrio Club has disappeared. Adam informs Herrera about his
planned meeting with Serena and tells him to relay the message to Miguel
that he should be ready to move when he gets a telephone call. When Adam
returns to his hotel room, he is immediately aware that he's not alone. In
the dark, he tackles the intruder. It turns out to be Sylvia bringing news
from Miguel, who has been checking on Calderon's background. It seems that
Calderon and Serena fled to Manila from Peru where Calderon was involved
in the murder of a wealthy plantation owner. Calderon and Serena have been
together for about three years. Now aware that she's in love with Adam,
Sylvia boldly solicits a kiss.The next evening, Adam meets Serena as planned. She tells him that
Calderon is a maniac and is planning to kill both her and Adam. She asks
Adam to meet her later that night, one hour after the club closes. In the
meantime, she orders him a drink, which is served to him by none other
than their newest waitress -- Sylvia. I wanted to help, Sylvia explains to
Adam. Adam berates her for getting involved, not knowing that Serena is
listening to their conversation. Sylvia calls Adam's attention to the
armbands that Serena always wears. I saw them once in a London museum,
Sylvia says. They're Aztec or Incan and very expensive.Cut to Elena Munoz. She is currently tied to a table down in a cellar
somewhere, and neurofibroma man is wielding a knife. He slits Elena's arms
and collects the blood in a big cauldron. The cauldron then rotates in a
circle, stopping at a chair where Serena is seated. Her face has turned
haggard. She opens a locket, takes out a pinch of magical herbs, and
tosses it in the blood. Immediately, a lot of fog covers her. When it
clears, her face is young again.An hour after the Barrio Club closes, Adam shows up as planned.
Serena picks him up and drives him to her house. Adam pours himself a
drink, but the liquor is drugged and he passes out, but not before Serena
spins a tale of how Calderon killed his wife, killed Maria and Theresa,
and threatened to kill her, too, should she ever leave him. When Adam
comes to, Serena haughtily explains that she is a Golden Goddess, chosen by
her people to be immortal, existing on the blood of young women. As she
raises a knife to kill Adam, Elena Munoz's father steps out from behind
the tree. Serena runs, and Munoz cuts Adam free. Unfortunately, as Adam
and Munoz make their getaway, Serena runs down Munoz and kills him. Adam
is forced to make his way back to the club on foot, but not before he
stops at a roadside stand and telephones Miguel.Meanwhile, Sylvia was snooping around the club. She made her way down
into the cellar where she was seen and caught by neurofibroma man. As he
now prepares to slit her arms and collect her blood, Adam and Miguel break
open the door. They shoot neurofibroma man, but he keeps coming. He tries
to strangle both Adam and Miquel, but Herrera knocks him out with his
wooden leg. Adam and Miguel cut Sylvia free. Serena, who has been sitting
in her chair waiting for blood, tosses the magical herbs into the cauldron
of blood, but something goes wrong. First, she turns into an old Filippino
woman, then she disintegrates into dust.Epilogue: Miguel and Sylvia are saying goodbye to Adam at the airport. As
a gift, Miguel presents Adam with a nicely-dressed and freshly-painted
Harvey. Sylvia asks Adam whether he'll come back to Manila, and Adam
answers by kissing her. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]
cult, murder