Santo en el museo de cera

SANTO IN THE WAX MUSEUM (1963) **1/2 (D: Alfonso Corona Blake, Manuel San Fernando) Not bad as far as Santo films go. The masked man goes up against a mad doctor who kidnaps people and turns them into wax figures for his museum. Decent story, although (as usual) there are needless wrestling matches padding it. Similar to HOUSE OF WAX.

1963's "Samson in the Wax Museum" ("Santo en el Museo de Cera") was the fifth entry in El Santo's starring movie series, 'The Silvermask Man' (as he's listed in the dubbed AIP-TV print) already a comic book hero since 1951 and by this time was doing the caped crime fighter thing in cinemas as well, director Alfonso Corona Blake previously at the helm for "The World of the Vampires" and "Samson vs the Vampire Women." As usual Santo/Samson has a secret lab where he collects evidence when not throwing opponents around the ring during his three bouts, the obvious inspiration here being Vincent Price's "House of Wax," Claudio Brook a poor substitute as a mad surgeon disfigured by Nazi atrocities (discussed, never shown), whose creations are hidden in underground catacombs, figures of Frankenstein, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wolf Man and Dr. Hyde, who sadly don't come to life until the final reel. Only two ordinary henchmen do all the kidnapping, the doctor planning to feature a Panther Woman in his exhibit but that never comes to pass. Aside from the frequent fisticuffs it's pretty dreary, not so much fun as "Invasion of the Zombies," but at least our hero has no use for a double to distract from his prowess in the ring (can't say the same for the Wrestling Women from "Doctor of Doom"). Claudio Brook is underwhelming as the villain, showing off his scarred hands but little else, and worked with Lon Chaney in 1955's "Daniel Boone Trail Blazer," William Shatner in 1974's "The Devil's Rain," and John Carradine in 1978's "The Bees," before doing a cameo as a bank president in the 1989 James Bond thriller "Licence to Kill" (as the cop, Madrid-born Ruben Rojo had previously featured in "The Brainiac," later playing opposite Boris Karloff in 1967's "Cauldron of Blood").

The luchador (wrestler) movies of the 1960s to the present are an interesting genre...and to the casual observer they might easily be dismissed as campy or bad...especially since the often involve wrestlers saving the world from various monsters and megalomaniacs...as well as aliens! Well, they are campy and bad...but also very entertaining. There's a lot to be said about this...much like the American horror/sci-fi films of the 1950s. Most of these also were far from great pieces of art...but folks enjoyed them...much like Mexicans enjoyed these wrestling films.

"Samson In the Wax Museum" ("Santo en el Museo de Cera") is most unusual in that an American production company, American International, bought the rights to it and dubbed the film into English. In addition, they inexplicably renamed Santo....here he's Samson*. I can assume this happened because American International also dubbed some Italian Hercules or Maciste films and renamed the character Samson in these films as well.

In this installment, the most famous Mexican luchador, Santo/Samon, battles an evil man with a wax museum, as Dr. Carroll is kidnapping folks and turning them into his evil army. The plot is a bit like "Mystery of the House of Wax" and "House of Wax" because the museum owner is turning living people into his wax figures or using them to kill, that's original to this film.

The quality of this film is pretty much what you'd expect from a Santo film, though its make-up is a good bit better (for example, the Frankenstein actually looked like Frankenstein). The only gripe I have about the dubbing is Samson's voice...it seemed pretty weird and nothing like his original Mexican voice. Enjoyable and a bit better than usual.

*Listen carefully when the wrestling match begins at about 25 minutes into the film. The crowd is chanting "Santo, Santo, Santo" repeatedly despite him otherwise being dubbed as Samson.

To the people that say this is garbage, it just shows how ignorant you are in the subject of film and societies around the world. Your Anglo-centric point of view does not allow you to appreciate other takes and reactions to modernity.

This movie shows a reaction to modernity and science in a culture that was previously homogenized by the Golden Age of cinema through comedias rancheras, catholic ideals, morals, and the like. The Santo films are reactions to such stipulated foreign horrors that came and made wax dummy hybrids out of people who blindly believed in the name of progress. The Santo movies are about Good vs. Evil, inclusion vs. exclusion. They were a way to show banned lucha libre fights on television. They were a mode of resistance and a middle finger to culture snobs, who think anything that they do not understand is camp and below them. Get off your high horse and take a real film analysis class. Learn.

I have a fondness for most south of the border horror movies.This really isn't one of them.Masked wrestlers were very popular in Mexico from the mid fifties to the mid eighties.Santo was the most popular of them.Only three movies were imported and dubbed into English.This sad one, the much better Samson And The Vampire Women and Invasion Of The Zombies (which I haven't seen).

Okay for some reason Santo is called Samson in this movie.What is goofy is when he is in the wrestling arena (which is too often) the crowd is chanting"Santo!Santo!Santo!"Samson battles for the good of mankind when he isn't wrestling with other sweaty guys.Everybody has to have a hobby.

The plot boils down(if I may pun)to this:The mad Dr Karol runs a wax museum.With some sort of mad scientist formula he has live exhibits that obey his commands. There is a Frankenstein type monster, a werewolf, a pig man and a caveman.Karol was disfigured in an explosion(but only his hands). Therefore he wants to make the world feel pain and ugliness.(Maybe he should make them watch this movie, eh?)Well he kills a friend of Samson's and makes it look like someone is also out to kill him.So old droopy drawers, I mean Samson is on the case.

Now we have to fill 90 minutes here kids.So we get endless wrestling scenes not to mention the endless mad scientist chortling over his helpless victims scenes.Samson takes nearly the whole film to figure things out.He has to face Dr Karol's army of wax zombie/critters.Will anyone survive?

You won't care.While this movie is better than the absolute bottom of garbage heap films (say New York Ripper for instance)it is well below average.So if you have 90 minutes to kill and want to inflict pain and suffering onto yourself or share that agony with others, this film may do it for you.