SAMSON
(SANTO) VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN (1962)Director: Alfonso Corona Blake
Beverly Wilshire Filmworks/Telefilms International
SAMSON
(SANTO) VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN (1962)Ah, Saturday afternoon TV viewing will again be like it was in days of old, because SAMSON VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN has arrived on DVD! Long a popular staple of American International's TV package of black & white Mexican horror, this film represents one of the finest the country had to offer (in terms of cheap thrills) and it's one of only several films with Santo that were dubbed in English. Yes, in K. Gordon Murray's (love his signature!) Anglo version, our hero is called Samson, but when he's in the ring, we still hear his loyal fans chant "Santo, Santo, Santo!"
Instantly as the film commences, it recalls the glorious days of Universal as we are visually treated to an old gothic castle (really nice production values here) with wall-to-wall spider webs, rats, bats and other critters crawling about. We are taken to the dungeon where the ugly, ancient Tundra (Ofelia Montesco) awakes to summon an army of equally homely bloodsucking women and a trio of muscular male vampire slaves who are chained to slabs. Tundra and the three vampire men regain their youthful appearance, but they have to seek out fresh blood to revive Zorina ("Wrestling Women" star Lorena Velázquez), their vampire queen.
Killing a couple leaving a local nightclub, Tundra and her brawny pals are able to get the blood they need to replenish Zorina's beauty, as well as the looks of her fellow vampire gals. Zorina now wants to join her lord Satan in hell, and he's represented by a shadow of a big-horned figure on the wall (an effect later seen in Leon Klimovsky's WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN). Zorina's successor must be chosen, and they target the beautiful daughter of a local professor. To rescue his daughter, the professor calls on Samson/Santo through the use of closed circuit TV. The remainder has our hero battling the living dead while trying to maintain his career in the wrestling ring.
There's the usual odd dubbing (one of Santo's opponents talks like Nick Adams), but the special effects (the customary rubber bats notwithstanding) are pretty good, including vampires burning up in flames at the sight of a giant cross or the morning sunlight, or beautiful faces seen as the crusty, aged horrors that they really are when reflected in a mirror. One of the film's most memorable moments has Santo unmasking his karate-chopping wrestling competitor to reveal a wolf-like kisser! After the police and Santo try everything to stop him, he transforms into a bat and flies out of the ring.
Montesco and Velázquez both make very enticing vampire women, and due to films like Hammer's HORROR OF DRACULA and BRIDES OF DRACULA, they get to model some pretty revealing low-cut gowns. Santo runs around in his usual bare-chested manner, wearing nothing else but his mask, cape and tights (though later films would have him in business suits or cheap shirts that he probably bought at the Mexican Woolworth's). Seeing him chase the bad guys in his fancy convertible, or setting fire to the vampires sleeping in their coffins is a real treat, arguably making this his finest celluloid effort.
Beverly Wilshire's transfer source utilizes an American International 16mm TV print, and for a budget release of this nature, the overall effect is pretty satisfying. Aside from a few lines and reel change marks, the black and white image looks pretty good, but several darker scenes get extremely dark and drown out a lot of detail. The mono sound is good but somewhat scratchy, and there is also a messy halfway point intermission, exploding in a few seconds of video snow (it's on all of their Mexican titles so live with it), but collectively, it truly recaptures the feeling of watching it on television many years ago. This one has a better cover than most of their other releases, revealing the eyes of Ofelia Montesco before and after her transformation from ugly to attractive, and there's actually a few shots from the film on the back cover, but again, no cast, credit or date of release information. (George R. Reis)