El fantasma del convento

In the early days of the sound era, Mexican movie industry was still suffering the consequences of the Mexican Revolution. As the political climate was very unstable, very few movies were made in the 20s and only in the 30s the young Mexican film industry was able to grow up. Director Fernando De Fuentes was one of the most important filmmakers of that difficult period and a pioneer who set the basis for many of the characteristics of Mexican cinema. "El Fantasma del Convento", one of the two first horror movies made in the country (first one was "La Llorona" a year earlier), is a terrific Gothic horror that showcases his natural talent for storytelling and his great understanding of cinema as a visual art.

The film is the story of Alfonso (Enrique del Campo), his best friend Eduardo (Carlos Villatoro) and Eduardo's wife Cristina (Marta Roel); three friends who on a field trip get lost in the forest by night. They find a monk who offers to take them to the ancient monastery where his Order lives. At the monastery, strange things begin to happen as the haunting atmosphere and the mystery surrounding the monastery's inhabitants seem to play hideous tricks on the group's minds, particularly Alfonso's as his hidden affair with Eduardo's wife and the guilt he feels for betraying his best friend will come at play in a nightmarish night.

"El Fantasma del Convento" is a very atmospheric movie that combines the influence of Universal Studios' Gothic horror films of the time with the very rich tradition of Mexican ghost stories to create an original creepy story of mystery and horror. Co-written with Juan Bustillo Oro (who would also become a legendary filmmaker on his own right), the plot is more a character study than a horror film, and most (if not all) of the scares and suspense is based on the characters' psychology and the relationships between them. The bizarre events happening in the monastery are just the catalyst (or metaphor) for Alfonso's descent to hell and back.

Visually, the film showcases not only the afore mentioned influenced of Universal Studio's horror films, but also the big influence that Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein left in Mexico after his stay in the country. While the plot is mostly character-driven (with some lengthy monologues), the camera-work is surprisingly dynamic for its time, and the ominous and claustrophobic imagery builds up a haunting atmosphere of dread that has its peak in the overtly surreal climax of the film. De Fuentes makes a great use of shadows as well as of his primitive special effects to create a powerful film of a supernatural beauty.

The acting is kind of a mixed bag, as while the three main characters are very well portrayed, the supporting ones seem to be played by actors without real training. Enrique Del Campo is quite effective as Alfonso, the brave and extroverted young man trapped in a love triangle with the his best friend's wife. He is very convincing and carries the film with power and dignity. Marta Roel as Cristina is also very good as the tempting Cristina, more than happy with the idea of abandoning her shy and coward husband for his brave friend. Finally, Carlos Villatoro gives a fine performance as Eduardo, the most introverted of the group and unaware of his wife's unfaithfulness.

For a film of its time, "El Fantasma del Convento" is a remarkably good film with a well-written story and excellent cinematography. While its low-budget is evident, director De Fuentes makes the most of what he has and is successful in his venture. The film's main problem is in the way the actors playing the monks deliver their lines, as most of them (with the exception of Paco Martínez as the Father superior) seem to be reading the lines from cue cards. Also, the film's ending may feel weak after the very powerful climax, however, it was an appropriate ending for its time and while a bit disappointing, it doesn't hurt the overall result.

Along with "La Llorona", "El Fantasma Del Convento" gave a Mexican face to the horror genre and while still took many years for the genre to develop in Mexico, they were of great importance for future filmmakers. While he is probably more remembered for his later work, Fernando De Fuentes constant exploration of many diverse themes makes him the most important of the pioneers of the early days of Mexican film-making. 8/10

This was a movie that I discovered when looking for horror movies from 1934. What perked my interest was seeing that this movie was from Mexico. I'm a fan of movies from this country, especially ones from this era. They have a unique perspective on how religious the people there are. I wondered originally if this was a play on The Phantom of the Opera, but we get a different tale all together. I came into this one blind outside the title, year and confirming the copy I found on YouTube had subtitles.

Synopsis: a trio gets lost when visiting a forest. A strange monk takes them to an ancient monastery. They suffer personality changes that coincide with a story they're told and other macabre happenings during their night.

We get a simple premise here to start us off. Eduardo (Carlos Villatoro) is missing. He is calling out to his wife, Cristina (Marta Roel), and best friend, Alfonso (Enrique del Campo). He slipped into a ravine and hurt his ankle so he needs help being pulled up. It is dark out and they don't know their way out. Alfonso brings up a story about an old monastery in the area, but Eduardo doesn't want to go there.

That is when a strange monk appears before them. He is with a dog named Shadow. He offers them a place to stay at the nearby convent. They follow him and arriving at the place, he disappears. They knock. At first, there is no answer but then the door opens. A monk informs them that this is the Monastery of Silence. All the monks have taken a vow of silence. They are admitted, giving rooms to stay the night.

This is where things get weird. I'm not sure if it was set up before arriving here, but I got the idea that Cristina and Alfonso are having an affair. Eduardo doesn't know. She makes passes at him while he's not around and Alfonso has feelings but rebuffs her. The group is invited to dinner where they meet the leader of this convent, Prior (Paco Martínez). He tells them a story that mirrors their situation.

Things aren't what they seem though. Eduardo wants to leave. The other two just want to get through the night. They also find a room that is blocked off, with a cross over the door, barring entrance. This belonged to the monk who was in the story that they were told, Rodrigo. He is supposed to continue to appear in this room, despite being dead and buried. Decisions that our group makes could influence their lives forever as they try to discover the truth of this monastery.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the story. Where I'll start is that I've already said that we have a simple premise here. It works though. Something else is that this feels like it is from Mexico as well. There is the idea of religion. This takes place in a convent, obviously. It is interesting to have three people from the modern world and meeting these monks who seem to be lost in time. Part of that is the isolation from the world in this location. They live a meager and pious life so that's another part. This also explores one of the ten commandants with adultery, which is the focal point of this story.

Now that is set up, let me delve deeper into our group. I've already alluded to the fact that I'm not sure if Cristina and Alfonso were having an affair, but it seems like it. He wants to be more secretive and show discretion due to being friends with Eduardo. It bothers me that they're seeing each other behind his back. He doesn't seem to notice. I know that part of the reason is that he's too caution. We see that where he doesn't want to come to this convent where Alfonso and Cristina are pushing for it. These feelings get amplified when they arrive. She is brash about coming on to Alfonso, in front of him and the monks. Eduardo doesn't seem to see it. There is an interesting idea here though, she doesn't act out as much before hearing the story about Rodrigo and why he was punished. That adds an element to the story.

Let me then go over the monastery and the monks living here. I've already said that they have a timeless feeling. It almost seems like they've been lost in time to be honest. There are good, subtle hints that they might not be alive that we get as things go on. It made me wonder if they were going to be zombies or ghosts. What is intriguing here is that it never gets explained. I love what gets revealed at the end. I want to share the last line, or the gist of it, 'Did we die and cross over last night or did the dead come back to life'. We don't know the answer, but it makes it eerie for things that we saw over this fateful night.

Since we're getting a simple story here that is a cautionary tale, let me shift to the acting. Roel, del Campo and Villatoro carry this. They should though as well. I like that Roel is the most affected by this place. She wants Alfonso and when he rejects her, she becomes upset. She doesn't believe that this place is changing her, which is good. Del Campo is good, but I dislike him for entertaining this idea with his friend's wife. I do like him as our brave character. Villatoro is solid as this husband who doesn't realize what is happening. Martínez works as this leader of the monastery and the monks with him are good to help round this out. What is great there, they don't talk due to their vow of silence. This annoys Alfonso, who needs more information.

All that is left then is filmmaking. Being that this is from 1934, the techniques are limited. That's not an issue though. The best part here is the atmosphere. This isolated convent is good. It feels like time has forgotten it and has fallen into disrepair. That would make me uncomfortable. I'd also say that the soundtrack was fine there without standing out. They do well with the design though for this strong wind that blows or knocks at doors, which fits the story told by Prior. Other than that, we get limited effects. What we did though was good as it helps present more of the story.

In conclusion, this is a solid early horror film from Mexico. It is interesting to see this country's style this early as we have a religious based story. That makes sense. I thought that the acting was to bring the characters to life. This was made well enough. No glaring issues there. The strongest part being the cinematography to capture this old convent and the sound design helping with the atmosphere there. Not one that I can recommend to everyone. If you want to see early Mexican horror cinema, check this out. Those that are interested in the history of horror in general, this is a solid one to watch.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

This is one of a kind movie. The story is very simple, 3 friends get lost during a storm and end up in a haunted convent. Although the movie is a little predictable and somewhat moralistic, it keeps you at the edge of your seat all the way long. The movie is intentionally slow and sometimes you wish the characters get out of the tomb - like convent running as fast as they can. As with all the old horror movies, this one depends on acting and atmosphere rather than FX to reach its goal, and it does deliver. You almost can see the shadows walking off the wall and going after the main characters. The monks are quite unnerving, specially the laconic and authoritarian abbot. Although this film is no roller coaster, still is an unforgettable experience

Although I had seen one of de Fuentes's films (THE TIGER OF YAUTAPEC) many years back, THE PHANTOM OF THE CONVENT looked very intriguing. Despite a rather rough copy, it held the attention throughout and delivered a good many scares and creepy moments in its eighty minutes or so. In its atmosphere reminded me a little of VAMPYR or WHITE ZOMBIE, and deserves to be much better known. Well worth seeking out.

It is rather slow but still wonderful especially with the three stars, on the way to become much more, the clever locations and of the coffins and the seeming mummified bodies. It is an early Mexican talkie horror and really splendidly done of the gothic atmosphere and those strange unnerving monks.