A
criminal in a black luchador mask known only as “Magnus” appears on television
and broadcasts himself kidnapping a young woman. El Santo naturally pitches in to help bring
the mysterious masked villain down. Meanwhile,
an ambitious reporter, set firmly in the Lois Lane mold, wants the scoop and
begins investigating Magnus’ whereabouts.
When she winds up kidnapped too, it’s up to El Santo to rescue her.
Santo
vs. the Television Killer has a good hook, but the follow-through is
inconsistent. Overall, it’s a serviceable
entry in the long-running series and features a villain with just enough flair
to be memorable. It’s just a shame the pacing
bogs down severely whenever El Santo isn’t on screen. There isn’t a ton of action either and what action
we do get doesn’t rank highly compared to El Santo’s other adventures. (It’s obvious they used a much thinner stunt
double for El Santo in some scenes.)
At
least the wrestling scenes are lively. In
the first match, El Santo fights as part of a tag team in a crowded arena. His second match takes place in a much
smaller venue, but the action is briskly paced.
It’s in this sequence in which the filmmakers fall back on the old cliché
of having the villain ordering an assassination attempt on El Santo while he’s
wrestling in the ring. As far as the
musical numbers go, El Santo watches a blond country singer perform two songs,
both times backed by a not-bad mariachi band.
It’s
worth mentioning that the lady reporter character handles herself capably during
the action scenes. She even rides a
motorcycle at one point. It’s far from
progressive or anything, but it’s nice seeing a character like that who isn’t
merely a damsel in distress (although she does get kidnapped in the finale).
AKA: Santo vs. The T.V. Killer. AKA:
Santo vs. the Killer of T.V.
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