Samson Vs. The Vampire Women

Mexico / 1962 Directed by Alfonso Corona Blake Starring El Santo Ofelia Montesco Lorena Velázquez B&W / 90 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R0 - NTSC) Beverly Wilshire Filmworks

Hold your mouse pointer over an image for a pop-up caption

			Home Reviews Links

7     3   10 = Highest Rating

This Mexihorror wrestling opus was the basis for one of the funniest editions ever of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (episode # 624); thus I have a nostalgic fondness for the film. Samson Vs. The Vampire Women ("Santo Contra Las Mujeres Vampiros") still provides loads of action and laughs, even without Mike and the robots cavorting in the corner of the screen.     In a moldy Transylvanian-style castle, the Vampire Women have risen from their coffins after 200 years of hibernation. Led by their high priestess Tandra (gorgeous Ofelia Montesco), the first order of business is to secure human blood to restore their power and beauty. To aid them, Tandra resurrects three strapping male vampires who favor sleeveless black muscle shirts to complement their Dracula capes. (This trio of undead slaves happen to be experts in wrestling moves and karate, causing our hero Samson a great deal of trouble later on.) Second on Tandra's agenda is the kidnapping of a young woman — the direct descendent of a sacrifice victim who escaped her clutches two centuries earlier — in order to fulfill the commandments foretold in some vague vampire prophecy. The young woman, Diana Orlof, carries a bat-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. She is to participate in the Vampire Women's dark ritual on her 21st birthday. Once initiated into the unholy rites of the undead, the victim will then take the place of the Vampire Women's queen, Zorina (Lorena Velázquez of Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy), so that Zorina may return to Hell and join her husband Lucifer (who actually makes a couple of cameo appearances via a horned silhouette cast on the wall).     Unfortunately for Tandra and company, their target is the daughter of Professor Orlof, an academic who has very good connections with local superheroes and law enforcement officials. (Played by Augusto Benedico, a tall guy who resembles Vincent Price.) He's already deciphered part of the vampire prophecy and is aware that Diana is in grave danger. On the eve of her 21st birthday party Orlof asks his friend, police inspector Andrews, to provide security at Diana's soiree, refusing to tell the lawman of his true suspicions. He also enlists the aid of crimefighting wrestler Samson (masked Mexican pro wrestling legend El Santo) to help combat the vampires. Time to open a can of whup-ass on the undead!     Though Santo doesn't appear until the 25 minute mark, there's plenty to keep you amused: Prof. Orlof's histrionic, disjointed dialog (atrociously dubbed, naturally); rubber bats that hover in formation; attacks on nightclub patrons hilariously staged as vampire "wildings". (Are they after blood or wallets?) Santo only gets two wrestling matches in this feature but the second one is a doozy. In the highpoint of the film, our hero finds himself facing a masked opponent who's incredibly strong, using vicious karate chops that Santo tells his trainer "could kill me with one blow." (He takes scores of them nonetheless.) At a moment when he gains the initiative, Santo tears the mask off his foe to reveal... a werewolf! It's one of the three vampire musclemen, who's suddenly sprouted hair — only on his face for some reason — along with pointed ears and fangs. The hirsute horror then goes berserk, wailing on Santo and an entire squad of cops with wild abandon before making his escape by changing into a bat!     With scenes like that you're guaranteed a kneeslapping good time. Samson Vs. The Vampire Women is jalapeno-flavored Cheese Whiz that's tasty from start to finish. Viva Santo!

Like their other El Santo DVD, Samson In The Wax Museum, Beverly Wilshire Filmworks' disc is a bargain basement affair. The 16mm print used is in pretty rough shape, with plenty of jumps, scratches, lines and dirt in evidence. It's also rather dark in most of the outdoor night scenes. Only 6 chapter stops are listed in the menu though there are actually 8 total. None of them are logically queued to the major Santo action. In the middle of Chapter 2 (in reality # 4) the picture is suddenly lost to electronic snow for about 2 seconds. Sound is a hissy, though intelligible, mono, with some of the music waxing and waning in volume. The packaging is certainly less generic than that of the Wax Museum disc (there are actually photos from the movie on the back this time), but BWF forgot to place the movie's title on the "spine" of the cover sleeve insert. The DVD does not come with any bonus features.     This all sounds worse than it truly is given the discs aren't terribly expensive. Truth be told, the experience is very much akin to seeing these movies on late night UHF TV thirty years ago... minus the tacky commercials, that is. For this — and principally the fact that no one else is likely to ever offer El Santo flicks for American audiences — I give the disc's DVD rating an extra star. 5/17/01

UPDATE Beverly Wilshire Filmworks went out of business in 2001. However, even two years later I spotted this disc in the bargain bin of a Sam Goody's store, and it seems that copies are still available via Amazon and other web merchants such as Creepy Classics.

• Home | Reviews | Top •