Reel Bad Cinema: The Ship of Monsters (1960) review

LA NAVE DE LOS MONSTRUOS 1960 (THE SHIP OF MONSTERS)

Lalo Gonzalez "Piporro" (Lauriano), Ana Bertha Lepe (Gamma), Lorena Velazquez (Beta)

Directed by Rogelio A. Gonzalez

The Short Version: Ai yai yai. This overstuffed burrito is the perfect meal for those days when you want to try something different. Spanish speaking Venusians search the galaxy for donors to breed Venusian males (I thought they were from Mars?) after atomic tests somehow managed to wipe them all out. By now, we all know Venus is too hot to handle, and so is voluptuous Ana Bertha Lepe and the sultry Lorena Velazquez. This wild west set SciFi-Comedy-Horror-Musical is reminiscent of Gene Autry's serial singing cowboy science fiction fantasy THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (1935), and stars Mexican singing-comedy sensation Eulalio Gonzalez "Piporro". Spectacularly silly, audaciously bad, yet wholeheartedly entertaining, fans of Mexi-mad movies should welcome SHIP OF MONSTERS to invade their DVD players.

Gamma and Beta are two Venusian women in search of male specimens throughout the galaxy to repopulate their planet after atomic bombs have inexplicably wiped out all males on their home world. After appropriating four alien species from other planets, they're forced to land on Earth for repairs. The two women discover lots of men, and take particular notice to singing, tall tale-telling cowboy, Lauriano. Both girls go gaga for their manly troubadour, a conquest is plotted, several song and dance numbers are belted out, monsters are unleashed, and love is found among the stars between a robot and a jukebox. Can you prove that it didn't happen?!

Unlike the interplanetary mantra of Larry Buchanan's MARS NEEDS WOMEN, it turns out that Venus Needs Men. Judging by some of the prospects our scantily clad space girls pick up, Venus needs men so badly, there's a willingness to mate with anything that can plant a seed. There's been quite a few science fiction films with a sexist slant depicting alien women either desiring to kill men, or to mate with them. The latter (and a bit of the former) applies here, and it's quickly surmised these lunar lovelies have (mostly) lousy taste in mates. Among their gallery of potential populators are four monsters; actually, four of the most bewildering concoctions you'll ever see this side of a Japanese Tokusatsu series. Apparently bestiality is okay on Venus when it comes to rebuilding a civilization.

To call THE SHIP OF MONSTERS one of the most bizarre films to emerge from Mexico would seem redundant, but accurate. It's one of the most bizarre films, period; and that might sound like an understatement when describing this B/W oddity as a SciFi-Western-Monster-Musical. It's one of those movies you just have to see for yourself to experience it in all its ludicrous glory. Clearly a product with 'For Domestic Use Only' stamped all over it, it's still a load of fun, and the constant stream of wacky elements gives Ed Wood and his ilk a run for their money.

The plot, what little there is, is an excuse to trot out SciFi movie stock footage, assorted monsters and robots at regular intervals, and also to showcase the comic and singing prowess of Mexican idol Eulalio Gonzalez "Piporro"; so nicknamed for a sidekick character from a popular radio show he made famous in the late 40s that blossomed into a big screen career by 1951. 

As the lovelorn Lauriano, this singing cowboy would feel right at home with other musical men of the prairie like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter. Speaking of Autry, it would appear this motion picture was heavily influenced by his first lead role in 1935 with the serial THE PHANTOM EMPIRE. In it, Autry plays a modern day singing cowboy whose dude ranch is invaded by the subterranean residents of the Mu Empire! Encounters with laser guns, robots and an evil queen ensues. 

Eulalio Gonzalez (billed here as Lalo Gonzalez "Piporro") had a similar career trajectory to guys like Autry. He was a radio performer in addition to being an actor, singer and songwriter. His immense popularity and impressive slate of awards left a greater impression on the Mexican populace than the famous singing cowboys of yesteryear had on these shores. Out of 69 feature films, THE SHIP OF MONSTERS seems to be his only monster movie. It's easy to see why he was so well regarded. He's got an enormous amount of energy, a fine actor and singing voice, and he delivers his lines with gusto.

The monsters, as crude as they are in design, are definitely unique. Apparently the film crew were proud of their creations as these creatures get their own billing in the credits! Still, to see multiple suits for monsters in a Mexican horror film was a rare occurrence; and some of those seen here cropped up in later films such as SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS (1970). The rogues gallery of galaxy invaders are: Uk (a hulking, cyclopean beast); Utirr (a hairy, bug-like monster); Tagual (an alien short in stature, but with an enormous, bulbous brain); Tor (the multifaceted robot helper to Gamma and Beta); and Zok (a living, talking skeleton with fangs).

The monster suits for Uk and Tagual were reused for SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS (1970), while Tor the robot had already been seen in 1958s anemic THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY. Unlike the two monsters, the robot has been slightly modified with some new features including a viewing screen on his faceplate and the ability to teleport. 

Halfway through, the film adds another monster when it's discovered Beta is actually a vampire! Yes, just when you thought this movie couldn't get any kookier, they throw a vampire into an already crowded recipe. But on Venus, like on Earth, vampirism is punishable by death, so Beta escapes and releases the monsters to do her bidding, and this is where the zaniness kicks into overdrive.

Being cooped up in suspended animation makes a monster horny, and they each begin putting the move on Beta after she coerces them to help her conquer the Earth. So they each are intent on conquering her, too; yet Beta secretly longs for her singing cowboy even though he has eyes for the not so duplicitous Gamma. What is essentially a kids movie has this uneasy sexual subtext simmering underneath the films cheap exterior.

This less than stellar invasion culminates in a four way battle royal that ends in moderately gruesome fashion; Lauriano gets the girl, and Tor the robot gets the jukebox of his dreams. The two machines break out in song as they leave Earth's atmosphere, and that's the end.

Director Rogelio Gonzalez would strike again the same year with another stock footage enhanced science fiction comical opus with the slightly less bonkers, but no less ambitious CONQUISTADOR DE LA LUNA (1960).

The curvaceous Ana Bertha Lepe can also be seen as Virginia, the spunky reporter in three Santo adventures all shot in 1961, SANTO VS. THE KING OF CRIME, SANTO IN THE HOTEL OF DEATH, and SANTO VS. THE DIABOLICAL BRAIN. The middle portion of her career is dotted with all sorts of campy genre credits that include two Yeti movies -- EL MONSTRUO DE LOS VOLCANES and EL TERRIBLE GIGANTE DE LAS NIEVES (both 1963), and NEUTRON TRAPS THE INVISIBLE KILLER in 1965. She died October 24th, 2013.

The stunning beauty of Lorena Velazquez does not go to waste in THE SHIP OF MONSTERS. She and Ana Bertha appear to enjoy themselves swapping out slinky outfits and swimsuits from one scene to the next. Winning the Miss Mexico Pageant in 1960, she was soon off to a busy career in Mexi-horror cinema. She's played luchadora super heroine Gloria Venus in at least three 'Wrestling Women' movies; the Queen of the vampires battling Santo in SANTO CONTRA LAS MUJERES VAMPIRO (1962); and versus Santo again as the Queen of the witches in ATACAN LAS BRUJAS (1964). She also co-starred in the elaborate Santo fantasy-adventure EL HACHA DIABOLICA (1965). Velazquez again played an alien beauty in EL PLANETA DE LAS MUJERES INVASORAS (1966). Her younger sister, Tera Velazquez had a long career in the industry, but did few genre pictures.

As impoverished as the whole enterprise is, there's a bounty of imagination on hand that surpasses other Mexican films with a SciFi slant (SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION for example). THE SHIP OF MONSTERS would never be mistaken for a good movie, but while it's terrible, it's terribly fun at the same time. It's really hard to not be entertained by this film. It's 83 minutes of sheer nuttiness backed by a shoestring budget, yet it succeeds on ambition alone. The performances are entertaining -- "Piporro" gets into his role, as does Lorena Velazquez, who is highly sensual even when she's not trying to be. The significance of this films star will be lost on most viewers, but a good time is assured for those who can appreciate these sorts of low budgeted movies. 

This review is representative of the Lionsgate DVD paired with EL RATA (1966).

Santo vs. the King of Crime (1962) review

SANTO CONTRA EL REY DEL CRIMEN 1962 (SANTO VS. THE KING OF CRIME)

Santo (as himself), Fernando Casanova (Fernando Lavalle), Ana Bertha Lepe (Virginia), Beto el Boticario (Conrado Gonzalez), Guillermo A. Bianchi (Don Cosme), Rafael Munoz Aldrete (assistant to Don Cosme), Augusto Benedico (Matias), Francisco Curiel (young Roberto de la Llata), Rene Cardona (de la Llata, Sr.)

Directed by Federico Curiel

The Short Version: After battling zombies, Santo tackles more down-to-earth opponents in the rotund gangster Don Cosme and his gambling syndicate. In between wrestling bouts more heated than normally seen, the busy Santo finds time to play a bit of Jai Alai to trap Cosme and his men. The real fascination with this early entry in the long running Santo series is that the Silver Masked One is given an origin, and a Batman styled persona replete with a big mansion, a caretaker, and a secret lab completing his superhero ensemble. A monsterless movie, KING OF CRIME is kinda talky, but kinda fun. Recommended for serious Santo fans.

Standing up to bullies to protect a little girl and her puppy, the young Beto de la Llata's valiance makes his father proud. This prompts the patriarch to reveal to his young son that his former identity was that of Santo, a protector of the people from the forces of evil that has been a family tradition for decades. Entrusting his son to one day don the silver mask, upon winning Mexico's coveted wrestling championship belt, Roberto unsheathes his father's silver mask, ready to battle criminality. His first task is to bring a ruthless gangster syndicate to justice.

This Santo adventure is the first of a crime caper trilogy filmed in between SANTO VS. THE ZOMBIES (1962) and the cult favorite SANTO VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN (1962) from Federico Curiel and the Peliculas Rodriguez production company in 1961. The other two films being SANTO EN EL HOTEL DE LA MUERTA (SANTO IN THE HOTEL OF DEATH) and SANTO CONTRA EL CEREBRO DIABOLICO (SANTO VS. THE DIABOLICAL BRAIN). All three starred Fernando Casanova, Ana Bertha Lepe, and Beto el Boticario as Santo's detective colleagues.

Curiel, no stranger to Santo cinema and Mexi-horror in general, wrote the script, and keeps things moving for the most part. The film falters here and there, and the editing could definitely use some tightening up, but the air of a superhero movie is palpable throughout. This is most indicative in that Santo is given an origin story (his first movie, SANTO CONTRA CEREBRO DEL MAL, didn't give him one); we're even given a glimpse of his face, so to speak. A similar stunt is pulled in the Santo film EL HACHA DIABOLICA (1965). What's interesting about this origin is that, unlike other movies, Santo is the alter ego of wrestler, Roberto de la Llata; his "mysterious disappearance" prompting the emergence of the Saintly One, leaving his life as his former self behind.

Famous director of trashy, yet highly entertaining movies, Rene Cardona plays the father of the young man who would be Santo -- in fact, the father WAS Santo, but debilitating health led to his hanging up the mask. His son takes up the mantle of savior of the people to battle evil wherever it may reside. The evil in this case is the title King of Crime. And this Mexican kingpin is a portly, multi-lingual fellow who runs a gambling racket fixing sporting events in both wrestling and Jai Alai (a sport akin to Handball, or Tennis) from half a dozen phones on his desk. 

 
Speaking of which, there's quite a bit of sporting event footage in this one. Most Santo movies contain at least two wrestling matches (some have none at all), and this one has two, plus a few segments of the main characters attending Jai Alai events. Santo even participates in a game; or more precisely, a player of a much smaller build wearing his mask. These scenes are integral to the story, mind you; and while they may feel like there only purpose is to pad out the running time, these scenes are interesting to see how this sport is played.

The attempt at building an arc around the two detectives and the feisty female reporter is a nice touch, and rare for these films. Some of it is unnecessary and out of place (where is the editor?), but it does aid in accentuating Santo's scenes when he shows up out of nowhere to save our intrepid trio of investigators.

Enrico Cabiati's jazzy score is atypical of these movies, although some Santo films have genuinely attractive soundtracks; mostly for the entries with fantastical elements, which doesn't apply here.

The most popular Santo movies are the ones where he battles mad scientists and monsters, and while there's none of that here, some minor SciSpy concepts shine through. The new Saint is shown his fathers secret laboratory where he once conducted his research and tracking of the bad guys. There's all sorts of devices about the room (which was so secretive, Roberto, for his entire life, was unaware even existed) including his father's invention, the X-Alpha, a wristwatch that acts as a communications device.

There isn't wall to wall action like in some Santo flicks, but what's here is well choreographed, and unusually brutal. The two wrestling matches in particular are fast-paced and more creative than most. Santo and Fernando Oses give it all they've got in an exciting display of rapid fire maneuvers that escalates into an all-out war in the ring. Even the ref gets clobbered. Apparently there's no disqualifications in Mexico. It gets so intense, blood is even drawn. Both men look like they're really wailing on each other, too. The second, and shorter, but no less vicious match sees Santo take on Max Stromberg (Eduardo Bonada). This one culminates with an attempt on Santo's life by an assassin with a sniper rifle hidden inside a guitar case.

 
Among the batch of crooks, watch for midget actor Rafael Munoz Aldrete as Cosme's hunchbacked assistant. He appeared in similar capacity in the bonkers Santo-Blue action-monster mash SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS (1970); and he played the Stinky Skunk in the infamous RED RIDING HOOD trilogy released here dubbed from K. Gordon Murray. After a long career in cinema, Rafael died on January 2nd, 2002 after suffering a heart attack. He was 72. 

SANTO VS. THE KING OF CRIME never attempts to take itself too seriously, and this is clearly in evidence during the climax when the ineffectualness of the bumbling crime king and his cohorts reaches its zenith. It's a satisfying finale with some touches of humor, and all the Jai Alai scenes justify themselves.

Compared with other Santo actioners without monsters, KING OF CRIME is one of the best of that lot. Some interested parties might be put off by the absence of any fantastic elements, so be mindful of that if you're a fan. It sometimes feels like it's schilling for the sport of Jai Alai, but the wrestling bouts, brawls, and moderate exposition, not to mention the bonus of an origin for our hero, add up to an entertaining entry in this series of Mexico's most famous luchador.

This review is representative of the RTC-Cinematographica Rodriguez DVD. There are English subtitles.