Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 44 – Classic Mexican Gothics

May 31, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Abel Salazar, Black Pit of Dr. M, Curse of the Crying Woman, El Vampiro, Mexican Horror | Leave a comment

El Vampiro (1957), The Black Pit of Dr. M (1959), and The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963). Any horror fan worth their weight in blood knows their fair share about the classic monster films from Universal from the 30s and 40s before they died a slow death. But do you know that in the late 50s and early 60s, there was a bunch of classical looking horror films made in Mexico? Looking a lot like their Universal brethren, these Mexican films cranked up the atmosphere (and the fog machines) to 11, using some of the traditional monsters, as well as developing some from their own heritage.

Mexican horror films from this era don’t seem to get the credit and notoriety that they should. We’re hoping to help change that by covering 3 that we think are pretty damn good. So, buckle up, get your pen and notepad ready and get ready to start down a very foggy path into a highly underrated sub-genre.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Must Have Box Sets

February 24, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Black Pit of Dr. M, Brainiac, Curse of the Crying Woman, Danza Macabra, Indicator, Lady Frankenstein, Mexico Macabre, Scream of the Demon Lover, Severin Films, The Monster at the Opera, The Seventh Grave, The Witch's Mirror | Leave a comment

You got to give some major props to these smaller boutique labels like Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse Films, and so many more, that keep putting out some rare titles that are either out-of-print on DVD or maybe never even been released in a digital format before. Today saw the announcement of two different box sets that I’m pretty excited about. One of the sets, I already all the titles, but upgrading to Blu-ray, especially with all the extras, it’s a no-brainer.

But let’s get to the first one that I’m most excited about. Today Severin Films announced Danza Macabra: The Italian Gothic Collection – Volume 1! For someone that is a huge Euro-Horror fan, especially the gothic horror titles, I’m very excited about this one. Coming out at the end of May, this box set will contain 4 features: The Monster of the Opera (1964), The Seventh Grave (1965), Scream of the Demon Lover (1970), and finally, Lady Frankenstein (1971), each one packed with extras.

The Monster of the Opera has a new 2K scan from the original negative, and will include audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters of Darkness. It will also have interviews with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, Italian film devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth, and an archival interview with director Renato Polselli.

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Horror History: Abel Salazar

February 18, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged Abel Salazar, Black Pit of Dr. M, Curse of the Crying Woman, El Vampiro, La maldición de la Llorona | Leave a comment

abelsalazar Abel Salazar
Born: Sept. 24th, 1917 Died: Oct. 21st, 1995

In the world of the Mexican horror genre, Salazar was the equivalent to someone like Peter Cushing or Vincent Price. Okay, maybe he didn’t have the same acting chops as Cushing and Price, but he loved these films and not only appearing in quite a few of them, he also was the producer of many of them.

In the late ’50s and ’60s, he appeared in films like El vampiro (aka The Vampire, 1957), El ataúd del Vampiro (aka The Vampire’s Coffin, 1958), Misterios de ultratumba (aka The Black Pit of Dr. M, 1958), and my personal favorite, La maldición de la Llorona (aka The Curse of the Crying Woman, 1963). One of the most famous titles, though usually because it is laughed at, is El barón del terror (aka The Brainiac, 1962), which he starred as the title creature!

While some may consider these films a little silly, especially The Brainiac, most are filled with so much atmosphere and creepy sets, that if you’re a fan of the old Universal classics, I think you’ll love these as well.