The kindly and creepy giant statue of the god Majin once again comes to life to wreak vengeance in this movie from Daiei, also known as Wrath of Daimajin. This time around, much of the movie is a quest by a few young boys (and one’s sister) to rescue their fathers, who are being held …
La mansión de las 7 momias (1977)
Masked wrestlers Blue Demon and Superzan come to the aid of a young woman trying to obtain a cursed treasure so that she can make restitution to the descendants of those harmed by her ancestor and thus break her family’s curse. To achieve her end, she must pass three tests, including finding a scepter and …
Read the full post →“<em>La mansión de las 7 momias</em> (1977)”
Tôkaidô obake dôchû (1969)
The third entry in Daiei’s Yokai trilogy, also known as Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts, is rather more action-oriented, with a gang in pursuit of a clever little girl who witnessed their murder of her grandfather, and a wandering swordsman (Kôjirô Hongô) taking a hand while the girl searches for her missing father. The supernatural …
Yôkai Daisensô (1968)
The Yokai monsters (Japanese spirits and demons) return in the second of Daiei’s late-1960s trilogy, also known as Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare. Here, the creatures battle an invader, a powerful Babylonian vampire-demon that comes to Japan and slays and replaces a local nobleman. The viewers’ sympathies clearly lie with the defending Japanese creatures in this …
Yôkai hyaku monogatari (1968)
Local Japanese spirits — weird creatures such as an umbrella monster that range from the cute to the creepy — take vengeance on an evil official who even resorts to murder in order to acquire a tenement and a shrine to destroy for his own purposes. Some of the spirits, or monsters, are puppets, some …
Read the full post →“<em>Yôkai hyaku monogatari</em> (1968)”
La bestia y la espada mágica (1983)
This entry in Spanish star Paul Naschy’s series of werewolf films, also known as The Beast and the Magic Sword, is set, unusually, in the sixteenth century. This time around, Count Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy), fleeing from the Inquisition, heads around the world to Japan in search of a release from his curse by means of …
Read the full post →“<em>La bestia y la espada mágica</em> (1983)”
The Throne of Fire (1983)
This tedious sword-and-sorcery flick, originally titled Il trono di fuoco, stars Pietro Torrisi as Siegfried, who must battle the evil Morak (Harrison Muller), son of Satan, and keep the Princess Valkari (Sabrina Siani) from his clutches. There’s little fresh on offer here; Torrisi has little charisma, and the other leads don’t offer much either. Not …
Thor the Conqueror (1983)
This terrible entry in the sword-and-sorcery genre (original title: Thor il conquistatore) has the titular “hero” growing up under the tutelage of a shapeshifting wise man and eventually confronting his parents’ murderer … but the viewer is unlikely to care, as the lead has no appeal, the rest of the characters are awful, and the …
Atacan las Brujas (1968)
Santo squares off against a group of witches to protect a friend and his fiancée, with plenty of action that will appeal to fans of the wrestler and his films. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 228 for 2021.
El hacha diabólica (1965)
Santo battles a devil-worshiping villain from out of the past, in a movie that also provides the viewer the story of the origin and powers of the wrestler’s silver mask. A must-see for fans. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 219 for 2021.