Director: Rafael Lanuza
Year: 1977
Country: Mexico
Alternate Titles: La mansión de las 7 momias
Genre: Luchadore; Mummy
Plot:
Following the death of her father, a woman finds that his death may have been connected to a devilish pact which enacted a curse on a massive treasure and a group of zombified mummies in the area and brings her friends Blue Demon and Superzan to help her put an end to it all.
Review:
This is one of the finest and most enjoyable of the luchador efforts. What really makes this one work is the fact that there's a decided feel towards the serious side rather than the cheesy. Dropping a big cliché featured here, the continuous wrestling matches that interrupt the action, this one plays far more like a traditional horror effort that just so happens to feature the masked wrestlers who can use their skills in the situation. Even more so is the fact that there's a lot to like here with the somewhat complex storyline involving ancient curses and the tribulation she has to undergo in order to finally put an end to it all which is rather fun since it makes for a really intriguing offering mixing it together with the creepy location.
That comes into play rather nicely here with the film offering up plenty of solid action scenes from the start, from the brawl in the crypt that features the two battling with the mummies while she gathers the sacred dagger, a spirited fight against a traitorous accomplice in the middle of the woods while the mummies gather around while the highlight sequence forces them to battle against the creatures in the middle of a swamp riddled with corpses while the target gathers up a floating, still-alive head to end the test. These set the stage for a fun final battle with the creatures in the family crypt, which is where we finally get the answer to the curse and its impact after all this time but also manages to feature some stellar visuals in the Gothic-filled lair while the action is given a wide berth.
From the Satanic ceremony down in the altar to the final mummy battle that takes place outside and spills into the cathedral within where they finally are forced to free her, this one offers up a strong and wholly enjoyable mixture of Gothic set-pieces and luchador-styled brawling as the final confrontation with the Devil takes place. Given that this allows for plenty of chances to showcase the mummies in utterly glorious fashion with their freaky appearance looking far more like zombies than expected considering their rotten, blank features and tattered clothing which leaves a strong impression, this one has a lot to really like about it which holds it up over its minor flaws.
The film's biggest problem is the fact that there's not a real reason for the Devil to sit around waiting for something to happen, as he comes off very lackadaisical in the whole affair plotting and scheming without really being involved in anything. As well, there's the decision to keep the comic relief alive here by actively avoiding him during the encounters instead of attacking him during all the fighting, but otherwise, this one has a lot to like.
Overview: ****/5
An unexpectedly enjoyable and fun cheesy mummy movie, there's a lot to like with this one as it goes through a lot of entertaining aspects in the genre for fans to dive into without much in the way of true flaws. Give it a shot if you're a fan of the style of film or looking for something other than the titles from the main stars in the scene, while other viewers turned off by the flaws or the style might be less likely to look at this one.
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