SANTO ATTACKS THE WITCHES (1964)
(a.k.a. ATACAN LAS BRUJAS)
Article #1045 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-24-2004
Posting Date: 6-22-2004
Directed by Jose Diaz Morales
Featuring Santo, Maria Eugenia San Martin, Lorena Velazquez

Santo takes on a coven of witches and their demon servants.

When I watch a Santo movie, I’m not expecting CITIZEN KANE, but I do hope for a certain level of quality, and IMHO this one falls short. The problem is that it really doesn’t have any story; it has some exposition to set up the situation, and then a series of repetitive events; basically, the heroine is kidnapped, Santo gets into a fight with the bad guys and is captured, and then Santo escapes and rescues her just in the nick of time. This sequence is repeated until the movie’s end. For those who want to know about the movie’s earthier aspects, here’s a quick summary; lots of low cut gowns and cleavage, miniskirted nighties on the big-legged minions of Satan, and somewhat sluggish fight scenes with Santo. For those into the wrestling, there is one wrestling match in the middle of the movie, and even that is edited so that it jumps to the final submission hold without any lead-in. Other notes: there’s a hilarious scene here in which Santo is attacked by the cheesiest looking poison spider ever, and then he proceeds to give the worst performance ever of a man sucking the poison out of a wound (Santo, screen presence aside, wasn’t much of an actor) followed by the careful application of a band-aid to the wound. The best line in the movie (via subtitles) “I have to be alert and get out of here. I’m being subjected to an infernal seduction.” And remember, kids, public displays of affection aren’t allowed in front of Santo.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on that cross that Santo acquires in the final scene…