Mexico churned out low-budget genre films for
decades, many spotlighting a cross-breed of horror, science fiction,
super-heroes, and wrestling, of all things. To Mexicans, wrestling is a
vital part of their culture and the masked athletes are synonymous with
justice and heroism. During the 1950’s Mexico produced a large number
of horror films and heroic wrestler movies, and it was only a matter of
time before the genres intersected. We can thank (or blame depending on
how you look at it) the popular wrestler, El Santo, often considered the
best and most popular Mexican athlete of his time. Santo first battled
evil onscreen in SANTO VS. THE INFERNAL MEN (1958) and BRAIN OF EVIL
(1958), before venturing into full-fledged horror movies with SANTO VS.
THE ZOMBIES (1961) and SAMSON VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN (1961). A few of
these early films made it to U.S. theater screens in a dubbed version,
however, the majority of his films were never seen on domestic theater
screens or home video. VCI Home Video releases Santo’s 1966 science
fiction/wrestling epic, SANTO CONTRA LA INVASION DE LOS MARCIANOS, or
SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION in the uncut Spanish language version
only (no English dub track exists for this one).
Because of mankind’s capability for nuclear
warfare, the superior humanoid aliens from the planet Mars (who look
remarkably like pumped-up pro wrestlers dressed in peplum regalia)
declare war on planet Earth, and intend to take over for our own good. A
shipful of Martians (led by Wolf Ruvinskis) rocket to Earth and travel
to Mexico of all places and broadcast their intentions via TV signal.
Those silly Earthlings think it’s some kind of comedy show and don’t
take the aliens warnings seriously. The Martians feel that a display of
their power will get the people’s attention, so they send one of their
agents out to disrupt a sporting event in a nearby town. Santo the
wrestler hero just happens to attend the event that day, and tries to
stop the alien from vaporizing the residents. Santo fails of course, but
ultimately defeats the warrior Martian. The other aliens are amazed at
Santos abilities, and intend to capture him and take him back to their
planet for dissection so they can produce an army of Martian Santo
warriors. The Mexican government recognizes the alien threat, but throws
up a shroud of secrecy so as not to instill panic among the populace.
The aliens transform themselves into more human looking shapes so they
can walk among the human race undetected. Then they kidnap a host of
important locals to take back to their planet for dissection and study.
Santo comes to blows with the aliens several times during their Earth
raids. The aliens plan a trap for Santo and his Professor friend. Santo
plans a trap for the Martians. All wrestling havoc breaks loose. Santo
fights against all odds to save Mexico from these narcissistic Martians!
SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION was directed by the
great Alfredo Crevenna, who worked on nearly 150 genre films including
REBELLION OF THE HANGED (1954), CRY OF THE BEWITCHED (1954), THE
INVISIBLE MAN IN MEXICO (1957) and BRING ME THE VAMPIRE (1961). SANTO
VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION is one truly outrageous feature, capably
handled by the director. The scripting is inept, however, but provides
for some truly hilarious and entertaining qualities that will please any
fan of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. Between the crazy dialog, garish
costume setpieces, and constant wrestling action, there is rarely a slow
moment. My only complaint is that the fight scenes go on far too long—but
something has to pad these features out to running time. One hilarious
bit is that right from the beginning the aliens look like humans. Later
on, they go into some metamorphosis chamber with the intent of looking
more human. The female Martians come out of the chamber looking like
stacked Amazonian show girls, complete with coifed hair. They have the
power to entrance horny males (like myself). SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN
INVASION is pure goofy cheese guaranteed to entrance those who
appreciate this stuff.
VCI presents SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION uncut
in the original widescreen ratio of 1.66.1. It appears Kit Parker is in
possession of a mint master copy of this film, as the source print is in
excellent condition. The transfer is clear and sharp, with perfectly
balanced black & white hues. This allows for superior detail
considering the low-budget nature and cheap film stock. The
pseudo-modern science fiction imagery (spaceships, costumes, etc.) are
hilarious and achieves the level of an Ed Wood spectacular. The
removable English subtitles are easily readable, but sometimes go off
the screen depending on the amount of dialog. The soundtrack is Dolby
Digital 1.0, and is a bit weak. The sound is low, but on the bright
side, there is no hiss, pops, or background noise that you would usually
associate with a movie of this era. The Spanish dialog is delivered with
out distortion. VCI’s SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION DVD is billed as
a Special Edition, and there are some truly rare stuff on here that will
be coveted by Santo fans. Besides the essays, biographies, and
filmographies for Santo and Wolf Ruvinskis, there is the original
four-minute trailer for SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION which is nearly
as much fun as the feature itself. There are also trailers for other
Mexican movies, though none of them have anything to do with horror,
sci-fi, or masked wrestlers. Also included is a recent half-hour
interview with the Son of Santo (who has donned his father’s silver
mask). The Spanish speaking interviewers have done their homework, and
Son of Santo politely answers every conceivable question about his
father’s legacy—no facts are left unanswered. All the bonus material
is narrated in Spanish, with readable English subtitles.
SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION is an acquired
taste, that’s for sure. I enjoyed the gaudiness and outrageous of it
all, but folks seeking their first taste of Santo may want to wait for
something else instead. SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION is a rare treat
for Santo diehards, and just the extras themselves warrant a purchase
for masked wrestling fans. We hope that VCI will follow this one up with
some more Santo antics or some other under-appreciated Mexican movie
madness on DVD.
SANTO
VS THE MARTIANS is available from DVDEmpire.com
