Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro is a 1962 Mexican horror film directed by Alfonso Corona Blake (The World of the Vampires; Samson in the Wax Museum) from a screenplay co-written with Rafael García Travesi, Antonio Orellana and Fernando Osés. K. Gordon Murray supervised the American re-edited version, Samson vs. the Vampire Women.
The film stars Santo, Lorena Velázquez, Jaime Fernández, María Duval, Augusto Benedico and Ofelia Montesco.
Plot teaser:
Vampire women are awakened by their leader, The Evil One, in order to find him a bride. Diana, a local professor’s daughter (María Duval) is kidnapped and so he enlists masked wrestler Santo to rescue her…
Reviews:
‘The main problem is that Santo and the vampire film are odd cousins. Santo is a very physical character based around his brute strength and wrestling skill, while the vampire is supernatural in nature. When the two meet, his immediate response is to engage the male vampire slaves in wrestling matches, which only serves to reduce the vampire’s customary aura of mystery to a very mundane level.’ Moria
‘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!’ George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
‘Some of the concepts in the film go from the sublime to the ridiculous. We have a police inspector who, after the first kidnap attempt, believes in vampires (and thus releases the unfortunate cop he had locked up earlier) … We have a Professor who contacts Samson by video phone – oddly sci-fi and very out of place.’ Taliesen Meets the Vampires
Cast:
- Santo [Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta] as Santo/Sampson
- Lorena Velázquez as Thorina, queen of the vampires
- María Duval as Diana Orlof
- Jaime Fernández as Inspector Carlos
- Augusto Benedico as Professor Orlof
- Xavier Loyá as Jorge – Diana’s fiance
- Ofelia Montesco as Tandra, vampire priestess
- Fernando Osés as Vampire
- Guillermo Hernández as Vampire
- Nathanael León as Vampire
- Ricardo Adalid as Detective at Party
Choice dialogue:
“Follow me, we’ll search for human blood!”
