SANTO CONTRA EL CEREBRO DIABOLICO (1963)
aka Santo vs. the Diabolical Brain
Article 2744 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 11-10-2008
Posting Date: 2-16-2009
Directed by Federico Curiel
Featuring Santo, Fernanado Casanova, Ana Berthe Lepe
Country: Mexico

Santo and friends take on some sadistic criminals in a western town.

That’s about all I was able to figure out of the plot based on watching it, and Robert Cotter’s “The Mexican Masked Wrestler and Monster Filmography”, which I usually turn to for help in cases like this, is of little help. Apparently, this makes the third in a trilogy of films that includes SANTO VS. THE KING OF CRIME and SANTO AT THE HOTEL OF THE DEAD. I’ve seen both of the latter, and they’re sorely lacking in fantastic content, as is this one; about the only thing I could spot is that there’s a wristwatch that can be used to contact Santo, and the wrestler has some gadgetry in his lair. Other than that, this one mostly plays like a western, with horses, fistfights in saloons, etc. There’s some interesting moments; there’s a scene in which two women have a heartfelt and emotional conversation while a singer croons a sad song in the background. This scene definitely feels out of place in a Santo movie, but then, Santo himself doesn’t appear in it much either. He does have the best scene, though, in which he singlehandedly prevents a small plane from taking off. This is not to be confused with Santo’s first movie, SANTO CONTA CEREBRO DEL MAL, or SANTO VS. THE EVIL BRAIN. Incidentally, despite the title, the brain remains firmly in the head of the main villain.