The evil Dr. Satan (Joaquin Cordero) has perfected a serum that not only resurrects the dead but turns them into mind-controlled zombies. Of course, you don’t come up with a fancy formula in your swanky lab without a little help. Turns out the doc has financial backing from an international crime syndicate who occasionally ask him to run errands for them, like aid them in their counterfeiting ring. Naturally, Interpol is on his case, and the good (bad) doctor has to think fast to stay ahead of their crafty agents.
This oddity from South of the Border has some nice black and white atmospheric touches, but it feels like it can’t decide if it wants to be a crime thriller or a straight-up Mexican horror movie. You can probably already guess the stuff with the secret agents and shit are the weakest parts. It also doesn’t help that Dr. Satan himself is more of a suave antihero than a typical horror villain. That might not have been a bad thing if he had been a memorable character. As it turns out, he’s mostly a dullard. It doesn’t help that Cordero’s performance is somewhat lacking. Add to that the fact José Galvez, who plays the agent on the case, has even less screen presence, and you soon find yourself with no one to root for. At least Gina (Santo vs. Frankenstein’s Daughter) Romand provides some fireworks as Dr. Satan’s saucy moll.
The coolest scene is when Dr. Satan consorts with the real Satan in a foggy graveyard. That begs the question, why would he have to spend so much time working for the criminal underworld when he already has the backing of the actual king of the underworld? The devil himself is far and away the coolest thing the movie has going for it, but unfortunately his appearances are fleeting. And while the idea of having mindless zombies at your disposal is cool, they wind up being less effective than your average hired goon or henchman.
The sequel, Dr. Satan and Black Magic, was a slight improvement.
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