Guanajuato is a Mexican town famous for the natural mummification that happens to those buried in its cemetery, and the macabre exhibition of the mummified corpses of the "Guanajuato Mummy Museum". Sources of legends since its discovery, the Guanajuato Mummies were of course a natural source for a horror film, and by the early 70s, movies starring wrestlers became a very popular sub genre in the troubled Mexican film industry, as the mystique and charm of the well-known athletes suited perfectly a wide range of stories on almost every film genre possible, including of course, horror. Among the many wrestlers that became actors, Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras are probably the best and most famous of them, and "Las Momias De Guanajuato" was the first movie that gathered the three for a horror adventure.
In "Las Momias De Guanajuato", the Mummy of the legendary wrestler Satan awakes 100 years after his death, as Satan was also a powerful sorcerer who vowed to take revenge over the City of Guanajuato before dying. The only witness of Satan's awakening is a tourists guide named Pinguino (Jorge Pinguino), but sadly, nobody believes him, thinking he is drunk again. Decided to warn the City, Pinguino calls his friends, wrestlers Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras, but not even them (who are aware of the legend of Satan) trust him, as they think that the legend of Satan is just part of the wrestler's folklore. Only after a series of murders begins take place, the two warriors realize that Satan may be back after all, but it may be too late for the City of Guanajuato, as Satan's builds up an army of mummies decided to kill everyone in town.
Written by two experts of the sub genre (story by Rogelio Agrasánchez and script by Rafael García Travesi), the film was initially an adventure for Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras as a duo, but the idea of adding Santo to the team became attractive and literally at the last minute the legendary wrestler joined them for the last scenes. The concept of the film is really interesting, as it really uses the Guanajuato mummies in a very original and effective way. Almost like a comic book, the film is action packed and full of good entertainment; sadly, and also like the comic books that originated the wrestlers sub genre, the dialogs tend to be corny and a bit silly at times, creating some unintentionally funny moments.
Apropriately, director Federico Curiel was also a comic book artist, and so his fascination with the fantastic genres becomes very obvious in the film. Unlike other directors of films with wrestlers, Curiel approaches his plot knowing it's not material to be taken seriously, and so he seems to have fun directing his wrestlers in this supernatural adventure. Despite his lack of budget, Curiel makes inventive set-pieces taking advantage of the Gothic look of the City of Guanajuato, although sadly, his work with the actors is often disappointing (it could be said that he was more a visual director). In the end, his work in the film may not be perfect, but his style fits the plot nicely and overall makes an effective direction.
Personally, I always thought that while Blue Demon was an excellent wrestlers, was kind of lacking in the acting department; however, in "Las Momias De Guanajuato" he gives a nice job, considering that his character is arguably the main one, and the most complex of the three. Actor turned wrestler Mil Máscaras fares better, and while his role is more of a sidekick, he fills the screen with his natural charm and easygoing personality. Their female counterparts, Elsa Cárdenas and Patricia Ferrer are good, with Ferrer being the strongest of the two. Santo, the legendary wrestler only has a supporting role in this one, but again he proves that his charm and mystique were enough to make him the most popular wrestler in history. The acting of child actor Jilio Cesar is pretty forgettable.
As with most of the Mexican wrestler films, it would be easy to pick the flaws of the movie, starting with the special effects, that while looking really good in the dark, become incredibly fake under good lighting (which sadly Curiel uses a lot). I could go on naming flaws, but one has to consider that this film was intended to be like an adaptation of a comic book, more and adventure action movie than a serious horror film; and with the intention of being entertaining instead of scary. While never on the level of the Santo films by Alfonso Corona Blake, "Las Momias De Guanajuato" makes good, albeit kitsch, entertainment, and in the end, that's what it counts.
Probably there are better Mexican films to watch, but it's always good to watch "Las Momias De Guanajuato" as it doesn't disappoint when one wants a fun film. Sure, it has every flaw found in the low-budget Mexican films of the 70s, but unlike those movies, this film has heart. 6/10
