“I can see the Black Dragon’s plan now! He’s using the process of elimination to get to the one who has the scripture!”
Synopsis:
Female wrestlers Gloria Venus (Lorena Velazquez) and Golden Rubi (Elizabeth Campbell) help their boyfriends (Armando Rios and Chuco Salinas) fight against evil villain Prince Fujiyata (Ramon Bugarini) for the possession of a codex which will lead them to ancient Aztec treasure.
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Amateur Sleuths
- Gold Seekers
- Horror
- Mummies
- Strong Females
- Wrestling
Review:
Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book, this bizarrely-titled Mexican horror film is, unfortunately, a tedious bore. We’re reintroduced to the likable heroines from Doctor of Doom (1963), who once again must use their inimitable wrestling skills to help save the day — but the plot this time around is lame, full of offensive stereotypes of “evil Orientals”, and padded by contrived wrestling scenes. The “Aztec mummy” doesn’t appear until the final section of the film, when things rapidly shift into supernatural mode; fortunately, the cinematography at this point is atmospheric enough to provide a few (laughable) chills at long last. Overall, however, it’s a snooze.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- The atmospheric horror scenes down in the mummy’s crypt
- Awful dubbing
Must See?
No. Although this film is more famous (and has a better title) than its prequel, it’s ultimately much less enjoyable. Only watch this one if you’re a true fan of badly-made female wrestling films.
Links:
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One thought on “Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, The (1964)”
Not a must. It’s as earnest but more ambitious than ‘Doctor of Doom’ (note the DeMille-esque scope in the Aztec backstory scenes) and more complex – but, at only 85 min., it feels a lot longer than the compact 77 minutes of ‘DoD’.
The real plus here is that Velazquez has opted to follow her Liz Taylor look in ‘DoD’ with a Joan Collins/Suzanne Pleshette hybrid. One can certainly understand her popularity. (And little known fact: veteran of over 100 films, she’s still making movies!)