90's Mexican Horror Part One

MASACRE NOCTURNA

(1990)

Dir - Gilberto de Anda

Overall: MEH

 

A crudely budgeted anthology film from writer/director Gilberto de Anda, Masacre nocturna, (Slaughter Night), suffers from the usual issues with such cheaply made movies, but it gets by on some of its ideas.  Having no linking segments, narrative through-line, or narration, it simply presents three different stories that start up immediately after the previous one has ended.  For those going in blind, this is off-putting before realizing that we are onto a completely separate scenario, but it is still easy to adjust to the rudimentary framework.  The opening tale concerns a bitter yet wealthy actor who is desperate to learn the stagecraft of a veteran Lon Chaney type who seems to have the ability to physically transform into any role.  The second answers the question of what would happen if a group of thugs tried to rob a famous, noble vampire and the final story features a bickering husband/wife duo who venture into the woods so the former can hunt a Big Foot.  While some of the segments have a more predictable outcome than others, they all offer up enough surprises to get past the bare-bones presentation which is sluggishly paced, unremarkably shot, and features less convincing make-up and special effects than would be preferable.

 

COLMILLOS, EL HOMBRE LOBO

(1993)

Dir - René Cardona III

Overall: MEH

This wolfman movie by prolific director René Cardona III is formulaic as far as the plot goes for anything of the lycanthropian variety, yet is has some unique ingredients and acceptable atmosphere.  Colmillo, el hombre lobo, (Colmillos sangrientos), upholds the usual trope where a man transforms into a beast by way of a curse and ends up dying while his love interest cries over him, but the specifics at least have seldom been seen before.  Here, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez works at a horse race track and is of a lower social class from the woman that he fancies and fancies him back, plus there are some power dynamics at play between him and a wealthy douchebag who deems him unworthy to even shake the hand of.  Then a lovely sorceress in a white robe who is also a gross skeleton shows up, Rodríguez steals her statue and sells the gems on it to not be a broke schlub, and he finally turns into a werewolf halfway through.  Likely due to the noticeably inadequate budget, we are given only brief glimpses of Rodríguez in his bestial form ala An American Werewolf in London, yet also like said John Landis' masterpiece, the transformation sequences are fun and come equipped with gnarly sound effects.  The schlock-less approach is admirable, but the story is not fetching enough to keep one engaged and the gruesome moments are too few and far between.

LAS NUEVE CARAS DEL MIEDO

(1995)

Dir - Christian González

Overall: MEH

What begins as a Mexican version of the UK's Ghostwatch quickly turns into a left-of-center haunted house movie with a rambling plot line and plenty of gasp-worthy gore.  Las nueve caras del miedo, (The Nine Faces of Fear, El hotel del horror), is one of a handful of horror films from writer/director Christian González who specialized in exploitation in his native country.  His premise here is promising to a point before its more interesting, mockumentary angle is abandoned for wild, music video cinematography, Dutch angles, and characters endlessly screaming at each other.  Everyone is committed performance wise, but the people that they play are unlikable to the point where it becomes difficult to buy into some of their inconsistent behavior and motivation.  This is even before the demonic possession starts taking turns on whoever is left standing, with Roberto Ballesteros insisting on filming his TV special and being an unrepentant asshole to everyone.  On the plus side for genre fans who like their bloody limbs on full display, there are some exceptionally ridiculous moments of violence where eyeballs, spinal columns, scalps, and vaginal components are forcibly ripped out by hand.  Unfortunately, such over-the-topness also contributes to the movie's uneven tone where it is primary spooky and dreadful, yet throws in what appear to be darkly comedic moments that land awkwardly.