‘Santo Vs. Dr. Death’ Lives Up to the Role of Being Lucha Libre’s Best Film [Blu-ray Review]
The impact El Santo had on Mexican cinema is gargantuan. Not only did the world-famous luchador lead the luchador subgenre for two decades, but he also influenced many other filmmakers and luchadors to follow suit. While the subgenre is essentially dead in terms of contemporary cinema, El Santo’s legacy is making its way to United States film fans thanks to the multiple boutique labels keeping it alive. In 2022 alone there have been releases from VCI, Indicator, and Vinegar Syndrome. Out of all of these three releases, my most anticipated of the year had to be Vinegar Syndrome’s Santo Vs. Dr. Death, which is considered by Santo and many fans as the best Lucha Libre film the subgenre has spawned.
Santo Vs. Dr. Death strays away from Santo’s typical camp monster movies and into the world of a spy thriller. The film follows Santo as he is preparing to leave Mexico for a world championship match in Spain. Just before his venture, multiple world-famous paintings were counterfeit in Spain. Santo is hired by Interpol and upon arriving in the country, he is met with Agent 9004 (Carlos Romero Marchent). They team up to put a halt against these art thieves.
Given Santo Vs. Dr. Death was released in 1973, well over a decade into his acting career, I was pretty impressed with the energy Santo brought to the film. His wrestling grapples were just as stylish and energized as his earlier films such as Santo Vs The Zombies. But on top of this, Santo brought power behind each punch when he was out of the ring and his only goal was to survive the multiple ambushes. The violence, although minimal by today’s standards, is fairly intense compared to other Santo films at the time. While there were limitations to other Santo films due to Mexico’s censorship practices, Spanish director Rafael Romero Marchent was able to avoid them by making the film a co-production with Spain. This is why we see more knife fighting, gun action, and slightly more blood on screen.
The film brings plenty of hard-hitting action. With sequences involving car and boat chases, El Santo performed each and every one of his own stunts. One of the more dangerous and awe-inspiring stunts includes Santo holding onto a ladder attached to a helicopter as it flies across the ocean to chase a perpetrator. The scene is so memorable that Vinegar Syndrome loops it for the title screen of the Bluray.
Outside of the action-packed sequences and luchador matches, Santo Vs. Dr. Death still manages to bring in an old horror trope that involves the mistreatment of women due to the actions of a villainous male. The presence of any kind of beast or paranormal entity is absent but the true monster lies within the villain Doctor Robert Mann (George Rigaud). Dr. Mann’s need for women’s blood in order to complete his artistic experiment is terrifying as he enslaves and tortures them for a certain period of time then expels their bodies into a pool of acid. The doctor is easily one of the most horrific characters El Santo has encountered during his film career.
Santo Vs. Dr. Death is a 2K restoration from its 35mm camera negative. And just like every release I’ve seen from Vinegar Syndrome, I have no quarrel with the presentation of the film. It is available in English dub and in Spanish audio with English subtitles. I went with the Spanish audio per usual and again there were no issues that came across. As for the special features, we do get an alternative English title sequence, a promotional image gallery, the theatrical trailer in English and Spanish, and a video essay presented by film historian Orlando Jimenez. Like all Vinegar Syndrome Archive limited edition releases, Santo Vs. Dr. Death comes with a sturdy bottom-loading VHS-inspired slipcase and a double-sided poster.
