100 CRIES OF TERROR (1965)
aka Cien gritos de terror
Article 3026 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-20-2009
Posting Date: 11-26-2009
Directed by Ramon Obon
Featuring Ariadno Welter, Joaquin Cordero, Ofelia Montesco
Country: Mexico

Two tales of terror are presented. In the first, a woman with a weak heart moves into a new house with her husband, but rumors persist that the place is haunted. In the second, a man is trapped in a crypt and rescues a woman who has been buried alive. Together they must face a long night of terror.

This is a strange one. The first story comes off initially like a GASLIGHT variant, but it dispenses with that story arc so quickly that it doesn’t allow it to become tiresome. It’s rather fun to second guess this one, because each new twist the movie leads into a new albeit familiar direction; the biggest surprise comes at the end when an event that had been set up earlier in the movie DOESN’T happen, and you’re left wondering if it’s bad plotting or if you’ve been faked out. The second one is a real humdinger; it starts out in premature burial territory, but never quite goes the way you think it will, and ends it all with a twist that shouldn’t work but does, if for no other reason than it allows you to reject it. Still, this one is a bit trying on occasion; between the endless bizarre philosophizing and the hysteria there’s a number of opportunities to get bored and/or annoyed. Nevertheless, this one sticks with you, and the weird montage scenes add to the unsettlement. I suspect K. Gordon Murray’s dubbing doesn’t help this movie put its best foot forward, and I’ve never warmed up to jazz soundtracks in horror movies, but this one is worth a look; like many of the great Mexican horror movies, it never walks the straight and obvious path.