Upon discovering the existence of "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" and being amazed at the high rating and exclusively positive reviews around here, I instantly put the film on top of my must-see list. Thank the heavens for the digital era because there's an impeccably restored version with subtitles freely available on YouTube.
I tried not to get carried away and set my expectations only medium-high, as ratings & reviews can be misleading, but it rapidly became clear that "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" truly deserves all the praising superlatives and love it receives. Especially for a low-budgeted movie from early sixties' Mexico, it's a uniquely original and extraordinarily intelligent combo of pitch-black comedy and atmospheric horror.
It's deeply admirable how writer Louis Alcoriza and director Rogelio A. González toy around with the common horror standards and turn the viewers' logical expectations upside down. When you read the rudimentary premise of a taxidermist who plots to murder his wife, you automatically complete the rest of the film in your mind. But you'll be wrong, I assure you, like everyone else. Protagonist Pablo Morales is not the evil animal-stuffer and wife-slayer that you picture him to be. He loves to have a drink, but he's not a violent drunk. His housemaid idolizes him, but he doesn't take advantage of her. He has a sinister profession, but he's a well-doer to all children in the community. His marriage has ended years ago already, but he keeps hoping to get lucky. In fact, Pablo Morales is one of the nicest and most likeable men to ever appear on screen.
His beautiful wife Gloria, on the other hand, is - hard as it may sound to believe - one of the meanest, most manipulative, and downright loathsome women to ever appear on screen! She's disgusted by her husband's taxidermist activities, she spreads vicious lies about him being an abusive alcoholic and adulterer, and eventually even frames him for domestic violence he didn't commit. To make it all worse and more revolving, Gloria Morales behaves like a martyr and a saint towards the outside world, and obviously the myopic Catholic community in town supports her. When Pablo finally reached his personal limit and develops a plan to murder Gloria, it comes across as a giant relief to the viewer. This might even be one of those rare films where you hope the killer will get away with it.
The performances of Arturo de Córdova and Amparo Rivelles are exquisite, and the entire supportive cast contributes a great deal as well. The script is full of clever, ingenious, and incredibly funny little details, like the lady with a severe bladder issue and the confession moment. The ending is also fabulous. You know in the back of your head that in cinema crime never goes unpunished, but this excellent film nevertheless surprises us once more with a brilliant twist.
