Shot on location in the Philippines in 1965, the film tells the story of an American detective investigating a series of murders linked to a Manila nightclub.

The killings are carried out by a monster so that a beautiful blonde woman, who is actually hundreds of years old, can use the victim's blood to stay forever young.

New York City detective and sex-crimes specialist Adam Rourke (Winston) has gone to Manila to help his friend, Inspector Miguel Ramos (Victor Diaz), investigate the murders of several young women.

Adam goes undercover as a writer seeking the story of the latest victim, Maria Cortez, a hostess at the Barrio Club, owned by Mr. Calderone (Vic Silayan).

He brushes off a pretty hostess, Theresa (Judy Dennis), and instead watches beautiful blonde Serena (Nielson) dance.

Afterwards, he is stopped by a seemingly homeless man who in reality is Herrera (Eddie Infante), an undercover officer with a prosthetic leg who is Adam's police liaison.

Sylvia (Henryk), Miguel's adopted sister, drives Adam into the countryside and dumps him there, accusing him of not taking the case seriously.

The blood is mixed with the powdered roots of ancient trees and the "electrical energy of the sun harnessed in a small container."

He notes that "by 1965, producing a black-and-white picture, much less an import with no star names, was asking for distribution trouble, and the film sat on the shelf for half-a-dozen years before Chevron decided they needed a co-feature for their British snoozer Blood Suckers.

"[2] The US poster for the films carries a warning which reads "Notice: We are not responsible for your nightmares when you see this blood-curdling gruesome twosome!

Senn writes that "The film's stark black-and-white photography takes an atmospheric turn from the outset, particularly during the nighttime shots of the shadow-filled, deserted streets, the planes of light and darkness becoming almost noirish in their intensity.

"[2] Similarly, internet critic Mdeapo says that "Visually, this film is framed in an artful manner and the black-and-white photography is crisp, adding atmosphere and shadow.

"[6] And critic David Elroy Goldweber describes Blood Thirst as having "unusually good staging of shots and black-and-white cinematography.

Blood Thirst is "an uneven but entertaining mishmash of film noir, Filipino horror, and seedy spy flick,"[2] a "watchable and brief drive-in number that would be a perfect second bill to The Awful Dr. Orloff or Nightmare Castle (...) humorous and exotic enough to keep your interest on a dark and rainy night"[6] and a picture that "might work without sound as a background movie during a party.

"[11] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar indicates that he likes the film, while noting its plot is occasionally clunky and shows obvious cheapness.