Mexploitation Cinema: A Critical History of Mexican Vampire, Wrestler, Ape-Man and Similar Films, 1957-1977

by Doyle Greene

Thanks in large part to an exploitation film producer and distributor named K. Gordon Murray, a unique collection of horror films from Mexico began to appear on American late-night television and drive-in screens in the 1960s. Ranging from monster movies clearly owing to the heyday of Universal Studios to the lucha libre horror films featuring El Santo and the "Wrestling Women," these low-budget "Mexploitation" films offer plenty of campy fun and still inspire cult devotion, yet they also reward close study in surprising ways. This work places Mexploitation films in their historical and cultural context and provides close textual readings of a representative sample, showing how they can be seen as important documents in the cultural debate over Mexico's past, present and future. Stills accompany the text, and a selected filmography and bibliography complete the volume.

Genres: Film, Horror, Nonfiction

202 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2005

Reviews

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

آدم زیر فشار و ترس کارهای عجیبی می‌کنه.

مثلا من چند روزیه دارم به این فکر می‌کنم که اگه موشک بخوره تو سرم چی می‌شه و چه کارهایی رو نکردم. متاسفانه فرصت نیست بیشترشونو انجام بدم، ولی هنوز می‌تونم اطلاعاتم از لوچالیبره رو بیشتر کنم. این کتابم در همین راستا بود.

[Octavio Villalpando · Rating 4 out of 5]

En lo particular, una cosa que siempre busco en un film de género, es que cuente con las señas de identidad adecuadas de acuerdo a su nacionalidad. Aún y cuando hay detalles que no alcanzo a comprender, me gusta exponerme a los atisbos culturales nacionales que se pueden mostrar. Como mexicano, desde siempre he estado expuesto al cine del país, y en específico, la etapa del cine clásico de luchadores y de horror de los cincuentas y sesentas, es de mis favoritas de siempre, aún y cuando siempre haya un cierto todo de sorna cuando se habla acerca de las cintas deesas décadas.

El pueblo mexicano es muy curioso, es difícil de entender por los extranjeros y aún por nosotros mismos. Aún prova un cierto sentido malinchista bajo el cual, solemos denigrar de inmediato muchas de las manifestaciones de nuestra cultural, sin tratar de explorar los motivos de la forma en la que esta se manifiesta. Del cine de luchadores y de horror de esas décadas (y de siempre, en realidad), siempre solemos decir que se trata de algo "chafa", tildándolo de basura casi en forma automática. Y bueno, no voy a decir que se trata de una equivocación y que en realidad se trata de muestras de lo más delicado que el séptimo arte puede ofrecer, pero tiene lo suyo. Particularmente, tiene las señas de identidad suficientes para saber que se trata de un cine que solo pudo haber sido producido en el país en un periodo histórico muy determinado, y como tal, adquiere incluso un valor antropológico que muchas veces tratamos de negar.

Pocos libros hay en el país, escritos por autores mexicanos, que toquen con seriedad el tema. Me resulta muy curioso como es en otros países donde nuestra filmografía se estudia más a fondo, llegando incluso a ser más apreciada que por nosotros mismos. En el caso de "Mexplotaition Cinema", así como de su "The mexican cinema of darkness", encontramos claros ejemplos de esto. Doyle Greene se toma con seriedad absoluta algunos de los ejemplos más representativos de nuestra cinematografía de género y los analiza de un modo bastante competente, empleando un rígido sistema metodológico. De este modo, logra desentrañar algunas de las claves de nuestro cine. Acaso el único detalle que puede empañarlos, es que Greene a veces "sobre-analiza" las cosas, pues es claro que una de las señas de ciertas de las producciones de nuestro país, es el flagrante descuido por parte de los realizadores, entonces, ciertos errores, como los de continuidad o incluso fallas muy evidentes, no encierran en si ningún tipo de metáfora ni nada, y constituyen solo eso, errores, fallas ocasionadas por muchos factores, pero sin ningún valor adicional que las justifique. Si quitamos eso, el trabajo de Greene es muy interesante, y no dudaría en recomendar su trabajo para cualquier interesado en el cine de nuestro país.

[Mark Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an A to Z Encyclopaedia ‘film guide’ kind of book. Instead, it’s an attempt by the author to place these very unusual films in a historical and cultural context. That may sound like a dry, academic study, and also faintly ridiculous, given the bizarre content of the films, but it’s actually a valid exercise.

Greene sets the scene by examining both the state of the Mexican film industry in the middle, and latter, parts of the 20th Century and the cultural phenomenon of Lucha Libre.
It seems inevitable that the masked wrestlers of the latter would make the leap to the movies, especially considering the enduring popularity in Mexico of the Hollywood movie serial format and the Universal Monsters. Therefore, it can be no surprise that legendary grapplers such as Blue Demon and Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata (The Man in The Silver Mask) faced off on the big screen against vampires, werewolves, aliens, witches and other assorted creatures of the night.

But, beyond all this wonderful silliness, Greene points out that Mexico was struggling post World War II to embrace the necessary dynamic social and economic changes that were needed to modernise the country and drive progress and stability. He contends that the supernatural forces in the movies represent the superstitious past of Mexico, its outmoded traditions, and to some extent the outsider influence the country was feeling at the time. All these factors were trying to derail the new, progressive Mexico and the victory of the luchador and other heroes over these archaic symbols was a reestablishment of the new, and necessary, Mexican national identity. And if that sounds rather fanciful, it actually fits in quite neatly with the subject matter of many of the films, with the villains often being figures from the nation’s dim and distant past, who have been resurrected to take revenge on the modern descendants of their original enemies. The plot turns up again and again in these films.

If you’ve ever seen any of these movies, you’ll know that the story will be interrupted two or three times on the thinnest pretext imaginable to show one of the luchadores in the ring in a real wrestling match. It’s easy to assume that this was just to pad the run time or to save budget, but this was not the case. Despite its runaway popularity, wrestling was banned on national television from the 1950s to the early 1980s so there were only two ways you could get to see it: attend a match (difficult from a financial and geographical standpoint for much of the population) or watch it on the big screen. Greene suggests that the ‘story’ elements were actually the padding and that these films mainly existed to showcase the wrestling matches, rather than the other way around!

It’s also interesting to consider how the Mexican superhero differs from the American one. You see, Santo and Blue Demon were Santo and Blue Demon 24/7. In other words, these were not secret identities, they did not have alter egos for everyday life. Santo did not have a Bruce Wayne, for example, nor Blue Demon a Clark Kent or a Peter Parker. No, they were just Santo and Blue Demon. There are scenes in the films where they go to restaurants on dates, sunbathe, etc., etc., but always while wearing their masks. And it was the same in real life, the most famous example being that Santo only took off his mask in public once, shortly before his death.

The second half of the book where Greene discusses specific films in detail is a little bit of a letdown though. This is because he is mostly just highlighting examples that support the points that he’s already made, although it's always interesting to chat about classics like ‘The Brainiac’ (1961) and ‘Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis’ (1970), of course.

This is not really an entry level book for those wishing to dive into the wild and wonderful world of Mexican genre cinema but, for the initiated, it’s a welcome addition to their bookshelf.

[Aris Shock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice essay book that covers the first era of Mexican genre cinema and focuses on horror/wrestling/exploitation films. It starts with an introduction, continues with some themes that are common in those movies and then focuses on seven movies (THE BRAINIAC, SANTO VS.THE VAMPIRE WOMEN, SANTO VS.THE MARTIAN INVASION, SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS.DRACULA AND THE WOLFMAN, DOCTOR OF DOOM, WRESTLING WOMEN VS.THE AZTEC MUMMY, NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES). It's quite academic at times but eventually the author shows enthusiasm for the genre, so this is an interesting read for those who like Mexican genre cinema.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was on Horror, Mexican style. A critical inquiry, sex, gender and patriarchy, some fine movie stills of flicks I didn't know, wrestling women, Night of the Bloody Apes and the end of this genre. Very interesting but rather a short lived phenomenon. Recommended!

[Mikey P. Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super informative and an easy read.

[Frank Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a tastefully decorated room (ca 1950), music from the radio playing in the background and a man sitting at a table relaxing and drinking a glass of wine. Who is this man? Why, it's SANTO OF THE SILVER MASK!!! Imagine the above, but the man is bare-chested, wearing a cape and mask. Kraft wishes they made cheese like this. This book places all of these old luchador movies in their proper cultural context and gives you some great background. If you loved Santo vs. the Invasion of the Martians or one of the hundreds of other lucha libre movies - get this book!