Las momias de Guanajuato

THE MUMMIES OF GUANAJUATO may not be the BEST of the "Masked Wrestlers vs. The Supernatural" genre, but it's by no means the WORST, either. For one thing, it boasts not one but THREE Masked Men: Mil Mascaras, Blue Demon, and El Santo himself. If you count Blue Demon's doppelganger, you've got FOUR Heroes for the price of one. Throw in some VERY photogenic locations and some Real World mummies and you just can't go wrong. (Well, you CAN, but the filmmakers don't...) Like most of these movies, THE MUMMIES OF GUANAJUATO is a (clearly) Low Budget affair, with all that that entails- but it's nonetheless Entertaining; and that's what it's all about.

The following review is an extract from the book "Santo, the Wrestler with the Silver Mask: A guide to all his films", which is now available on Amazon.

"The cemetery of Guanajuato is a real tourist attraction. There, mummies are exhibited (...) The guide enjoys scaring tourists with terrifying legends. One of them tells that the largest mummy, belonging to a gigantic 2.20-meter individual, was not dissected by natural procedures or embalmed by human hands. Its almost perfect state of conservation (except for the face) is due to the fact that the above mentioned made a satanic pact. The giant was in the past century a professional wrestler, known as "Satan" because of his proclivity towards the dark. Satan fought against an ancestor of Santo, the Silver Masked Man, and was defeated. But he swore vengeance, assuring that he would return from the dead just 100 years later, to take revenge on the Saint's successor and his followers.

(...) This is one of Santo´s best known films, and paradoxically the Silver Masked Man is not the protagonist. His role is quite secondary; he doesn't appear until well into the film, being Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras the wrestlers with the greatest acting weight in the film.

(...) The revenge of a being from another era, who was defeated by an ancestor of Santo and now seeks revenge, is a recurring theme of the saga. An analogous plot is found in "Santo against the Vampire Women" (Alfonso Corona Blake, 1962).

(...) Without a doubt, "The Mummies of Guanajuato" is one of the most remembered and enjoyable films in Mexican wrestling."

I was part of a family audience in Guanajuato when I saw this. Great scenes of the city, great mummies with decomposing faces. Almost a spoof, none of the children around me seemed scared. Includes scenes of the seamy side of Guanajuato. Techniques borrowed from all over the place, technically good for a low budget film. After reading the other review, I know why lucha libre played such a prominent part in the film.

The one child actor wasn't up to snuff but his presence probably adds to the appeal of the plot for children.

Two beautiful Mexican actresses of very different physical types and a midget guide to the museum stood out in the cast.

When a strange curse brings the mummified remains of a group of warriors back to life in a small Mexican town, a group of masked wrestlers are called upon to save them from the ever-growing menace.

This here is an immensely enjoyable and entertaining Mexican luchador film, this time graced by a triplicate of popular heroes as the three biggest stars in the genre band together to save the town, and that in turn leads to a lot of greatness in the film. From the opening scenes in the museum where the mummies are on display to their eerie rampages through town and a series of rather fun and impressive stalking scenes with their victims, this one manages to compile a nice atmosphere at times from the situation, since the central storyline and what goes on are a lot of fun from time to time. There's also a never-ending series of action in here, with the wrestlers called upon to brawl and fight with the creatures pretty constantly, and by utilizing their wrestling moves against the lumbering creatures, there's a lot of good cheesy fun to be had from the situation and that is well-served in the finale, where it's highly enjoyable and packed with action as the three unite together to fight off the invading horde with more than just fists, which is cheesy-heaven. The look of the mummies might be the only flaw here, since they obviously look pretty bad and easily-discernible as fakes, but the designs are cool enough to be overlooked. All in all, this turned out to be a fairly enjoyable entry.

Rated Unrated/PG-13: Violence and Language.

Classic example of a Z grade quickie in the luchador genre of films. Featuring Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras and El Santo (for a few moments near the end) this fun mummy flick sure gives you all that you could want.

With its cheap but engaging atmosphere, its use of odd angles and wide angle lens, Mummies of Guanajuato becomes a surreal experience the resembles a strange dream with long wrestling scenes, cheap yet gross looking mummies and plot points that come out of nowhere.

A must watch for luchador fans.