The Curse Of The Crying Woman (1961)

Starring Rosita Arenas, Abel Salazar, Rita Macedo, Carlos Lopez Moctezuma, Enrique Lucero

Directed by Rafael Baledon

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A witch descended from the legendary Crying Woman plots to use her niece to resurrect her ancient ancestor.

Based on a Mexican legend, this film amps up its horror elements as the evil witch Selma murders to fulfill a prophecy that will gain her absolute power if she can get her niece to fulfill her end.  Played by Rita Macedo, her evil doings are given heightened menace by the actress wearing black contact lenses giving her a very creepy spider-like visage.  Niece Amelia and her husband get drawn into her web, and also must contend with Selma’s insane husband and Juan, her scarred clubfooted partner in crime.  Baledon and his crew pack lots of dark imagery into the tale and creepy sights like rats and decaying corpses.  I’m not sure all the elements come together to make a unified whole and I thought the Crying Woman’s backstory was given too short shrift within the tale, but it’s still a worthwhile picture.

The Witch's Mirror (1960)

Starring Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona, Dina de Marco, Carlos Nieto
Directed by Chano Urueta

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When she learns her goddaughter has been targeted for murder by her husband, a witch calls upon demons to try and protect her, and when that fails, plots revenge on him and his new bride. 

An engaging horror film from Mexico features a great deal of atmosphere, from the billowing smoke conjuring visions in the witch's mirror, to the shadowy photography, and the quality musical score, anchored by a piano piece played by the doomed de Marco before her death.  Although an original tale, the film nods to other horror pictures as it progresses, particularly The Hands Of Orlac in its final act.  The performances serve the story well, with Arenas as Calvo's new wife acceptable of his home and the memories left behind by de Marco, until her spirit begins haunting the place, which slowly drives Arenas and Calvo into a reasonable hysteria.  Corona, playing the witch who also is Calvo's housekeeper, makes for a unique character, not overtly evil, nor fitting the typical imagery of a witch, but dedicated to helping de Marco by performing arcane rituals.  All this makes for a fine horror film with some familiar subject matter but also some atypical touches. 

Neutron The Atomic Superman Vs. The Death Robots (1962)

Starring Wolf Ruvinskis, Rosita Arenas, Julio Aleman, Armando Silvestre, Roberto Ramirez Garza
Directed by Federico Curiel
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Masked wrestler Neutron tries to thwart the evil plans of Dr. Caronte, who has survived his apparent death, and is working on assembling a powerful bomb with the aid of an army of zombies. 

This was one of a series of Neutron films, starring Ruvinskis as the masked hero, who per Wikipedia, was an actual professional wrestler at the time.  He doesn't have any scenes in the ring in the film, but has plenty of action-packed fights with the zombies, leading to a fiery showdown in Caronte's lab with the villain, who is also masked throughout the movie.  The zombies, or "death robots," as alluded to in the title, are really just men in melted-face masks, but still offer plenty of menace, and are led by Caronte's assistant, a unibrowed squeaky-voiced midget named Nick, adding an off-the-wall character to an already wacky story.  Better paced and with less exposition than some other entries in the genre, the filmmakers add some lovely songs and the subplot of Neutron's true identity being one of three men vying for the attentions of the lovely Arenas, making for an entertaining film.

Face Of The Screaming Werewolf (1964)

Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Yerye Beirute, George Mitchell, Fred Hoffman, Rosa Arenas
Directed by Gilberto Martinez Solares & Rafael Portillo
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist discovers two mummies in an Aztec pyramid, one of which when restored to life transforms into a werewolf.

Jerry Warren, the infamous director who made a series of horror movies incorporating footage from foreign films and padding them with lengthy exposition sequences is behind this travesty, which combines scenes from the Mexican thrillers The Aztec Mummy and House Of Terror.  Neither of those films were tremendously exciting pictures to begin with, though House Of Terror did have the hook of Lon Chaney Jr. once again playing a werewolf.  His transformation sequence is the best part of this movie, copying the time-lapse photography used in Universal's Wolf Man films, and rather effectively so.  But Chaney never speaks and neither do any other characters in his segments, making the plot hard to follow, and Warren's setup of his mummification and entombment along with the Aztec mummy is never explained.  The final product is a disjointed film that jumps between scenes, and is awkwardly unified by Warren, making it a real chore to sit through.

The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy (1958)

Starring Ramon Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado, Luis Aceves Castaneda, Jorge Mondragon
Directed by Rafael Portillo
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The greedy Dr. Krupp tries again to take the breastplate and bracelet from the ancient mummy who protects them, planning to defeat him this time with a powerful robot.

Third in a series of Mexican horror films to feature an ancient monster based on the legends of Aztec mythology, following The Aztec Mummy and The Curse Of The Aztec Mummy, this effort doesn't stand on its own very well, with over half its running time devoted to presenting clips from the previous two films.  Nonetheless, the battle between robot and mummy at the film's climax is probably the most exciting sequence in all three movies, but that's not saying a great deal, as the films are as lumbering and slow as the titular monster.  However, I can't quite say I didn't enjoy the picture at all, as Castaneda's crazed scientist and the bulky robot with its human head fit the bill for another loony Mexican horror film experience.

The Aztec Mummy (1957)

Starring Ramon Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado, Luis Aceves Castaneda, Jorge Mondragon
Directed by Rafael Portillo
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After probing his fiancee's mind, a scientist discovers she was a virgin sacrifice to the Aztec gods in a past life, and goes in search of her tomb, where he unwittingly brings an ancient mummy back to life.

Mexican horror that borrows more than a few elements from the Mummy films of the 1930s and 1940s, this effort pales in comparison to those classics, with murky photography, badly lit night scenes, and little opportunity for the monster to emote or gain audience sympathy.  It's not all bad, featuring a fairly well staged hypnosis experiment, and some authentic looking Aztec ruins, but remains a misfire in my mind.  Nevertheless, according to IMDB, the monster did pop up again in a number of sequels.