For a movie called "Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy", this one doesn't really have much of either. There are only two in-ring wrestling sequences; the long one (about 10 minutes), pitting Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi against two female judo experts from Japan, is probably the highlight of the entire film, but the other, a short bout at the start, is actually lifted footage from the first film in the series, "Doctor Of Doom". As for the Aztec Mummy, it doesn't appear until the last 20 minutes, but it does look (and sound) pretty creepy, in a low-budget way of course. Until then, the main villain is a Fu Manchu wannabe who is not nearly as entertaining as the mad doctor of the first movie. Lorena Velázquez and Elizabeth Campbell are still deliciously curvy and satisfyingly strong, but the movie suffers from too much padding (once they find the mummy's tomb, they keep going in & out of it), and although it seems to have higher production values than "Doctor Of Doom", it's not quite as much fun. ** out of 4.
17 Reviews
Probably the best of Las Luchadoras
kevinolzak2 September 2019
1964's "The Wrestling Women vs the Aztec Mummy" was the second in a six film series featuring beautiful women wrestling in the ring like their male counterparts but without masks to hide their identity or their good looks. Lorena Velazquez and Elizabeth Russell return from "Doctor of Doom," and instead of a masked villain dubbed 'The Mad Doctor' we have an Oriental baddie ingeniously calling himself 'The Black Dragon,' his henchmen in search of several parts of a cut up map that will reveal the location of a hidden Aztec treasure. The big bout features Loreta Venus and the Golden Rubi against the Dragon's judo expert sisters (guess who wins?), and then at the 70 minute mark we finally get to the tomb where the valued treasure is guarded by the mummy Tezomoc (Gerardo Zepeda, who played Gomar in the previous entry), his origin resembling that of Boris Karloff in the 1932 original, here a sorcerer able to transform himself into other creatures, cursed to an eternal existence enslaved to the corpse of his virgin beloved wearing the bejeweled necklace. Once Tezomoc exits the tomb he makes quick work of the Dragon's feeble gang (the Dragon is never seen again) before turning into a bat and returning to his sarcophagus at sunrise like a vampire (he also becomes a tarantula in a later scene). For all his scary appearance he kills no one but the villain's henchmen, and earns another burial for his comeuppance, still an improvement over the one introduced in "The Aztec Mummy," "The Curse of the Aztec Mummy," and "The Robot vs the Aztec Mummy." Las Luchadoras will return in four more features by decade's end but only "Night of the Bloody Apes" would see wide distribution outside Mexico.
the definition of "so bad it's good"
Lirazel19 August 1999
I first saw this movie as part of a double video, with Phil Tucker's Robot Monster..needless to say, this bill wasn't put together as two brilliant examples of the best films ever made.This one rules, though..there is nothing like seeing overweight wrestling women, Samson (the masked mexican wrestler) and the WORST EVER mummy costume all together in one feature. Don't bother trying to follow the plot, or searching for the myriad errors in continuity..just lay back with your sense of the absurd in hand, along with something cold and refreshing, and let your troubles melt away in a fine and glorious wash of true silliness.
"Look Loretta, he's a vampire now!!"
richardchatten14 May 2022
About two thirds of the way in someone finally glanced at the title on the script and a mummy looking like Dorian Gray's portrait lumbers on; at which the heroine gasped with considerable understatement "How horrid!"
Up till them it's been mainly talk with the odd bit of aggro thrown in (it's nice to see the girls use their fists since the producers of 'Batman' considered it unladylike for Batgirl to use her's) with the heroines' most formidable opponents being the sisters of the head of the Black Dragon gang whose skills at judo are brought to play against their wrestling.
Up till them it's been mainly talk with the odd bit of aggro thrown in (it's nice to see the girls use their fists since the producers of 'Batman' considered it unladylike for Batgirl to use her's) with the heroines' most formidable opponents being the sisters of the head of the Black Dragon gang whose skills at judo are brought to play against their wrestling.
Female tag-team wrestlers take on an ancient mummy.
michaelRokeefe8 June 2002
Bad. This is a product of Mexico, but I viewed the K. Gordon Murry dubbed version(the one without the rock and roll soundtrack). This is lurid nonsense at best. A tag-team of broad shouldered female wrestlers are troubled by an Aztec mummy seeking revenge. The mummy is wrapped pretty shoddy, but makes some pretty hideous sounds. Never mind that it ends abruptly...hardly an ending at all. Again we have a flick so bad that it is a hoot to watch. Don't worry about your snacking and socializing...there is really nothing for you to miss. Well, the wrestling matches are kinda funny.
It's bad, but at least I didn't see the musical version.
BA_Harrison14 September 2023
I'd be exaggerating if I said I'd rather have my brain pulled out through my nostril than watch another mummy movie, but I'm sure you catch my drift: I find them so boring, doubly so if they happen to be Mexican and have been Americanised by Gordon K. Murray.
The Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy is just that: a crappy combination of crumbling monster madness and lovely luchadoras, repackaged for a US audience, that isn't anywhere near as much fun as it sounds. The main problem with the film is that the mummy, who is actually quite a lot of fun when he's on screen, doesn't appear for well over an hour. The first 69 minutes involve a villain called Black Dragon (Ramón Bugarini) who is attempting to get his hands on an ancient Aztec codex that will reveal the whereabouts of a vast treasure; trying to prevent him from doing so are an archaeologist, his daughter, her fiancé, and two female wrestlers, Loreta (Lorena Velázquez) and Golden Rubí (voluptuous beauty Elizabeth Campbell).
The action is dull and repetitive - even a wrestling match between the luchadoras and a pair of female judo experts is boring, going on for way too long - and René Cardona's direction is, for the most part, unremarkable. I had way more fun trying to work out how Black Dragon's hidden camera was able to track, pan, zoom and change position than I did with the story.
When the mummy finally appears, things do pick up a bit, as the creature tries to find the Aztec breastplate stolen from the remains of his beloved Xochitl: he chases our heroes, takes on the form of a rubber bat and a tarantula, and annihilates Black Dragon's gang, running back to the safety of his tomb when the sun rises. If only there had been more of this throughout the rest of the film...
The Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy is just that: a crappy combination of crumbling monster madness and lovely luchadoras, repackaged for a US audience, that isn't anywhere near as much fun as it sounds. The main problem with the film is that the mummy, who is actually quite a lot of fun when he's on screen, doesn't appear for well over an hour. The first 69 minutes involve a villain called Black Dragon (Ramón Bugarini) who is attempting to get his hands on an ancient Aztec codex that will reveal the whereabouts of a vast treasure; trying to prevent him from doing so are an archaeologist, his daughter, her fiancé, and two female wrestlers, Loreta (Lorena Velázquez) and Golden Rubí (voluptuous beauty Elizabeth Campbell).
The action is dull and repetitive - even a wrestling match between the luchadoras and a pair of female judo experts is boring, going on for way too long - and René Cardona's direction is, for the most part, unremarkable. I had way more fun trying to work out how Black Dragon's hidden camera was able to track, pan, zoom and change position than I did with the story.
When the mummy finally appears, things do pick up a bit, as the creature tries to find the Aztec breastplate stolen from the remains of his beloved Xochitl: he chases our heroes, takes on the form of a rubber bat and a tarantula, and annihilates Black Dragon's gang, running back to the safety of his tomb when the sun rises. If only there had been more of this throughout the rest of the film...
Hilarious
BandSAboutMovies11 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After 1957's The Aztec Mummy, The Curse of the Aztec Mummy and The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy, it would take seven years for Popoca the Aztec Mummy - or some form of him - to return to menace Mexico. That said, U.S. producer Jerry Warren did release the original in the U.S. as Attack of the Mayan Mummy.
Popoca's origins are much the same as Imhotep/Ardath Bey. He loved the wrong woman and paid for it, being mummified and now back alive, looking for his lost love. Except instead of Egypt, he was on the western side of the world. He was stopped with a crucifix - Mexico is incredibly Catholic - and being blown up real good with dynamite - Mexico is incredibly bloodthirsty.
An archaeologist leaves a secret codex with a professor just before he is killed by the Black Dragons. What would you do if you had such an important mythological relic? Well, I would do the same thing as this smart guy. I'd give it to Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi, the wrestling women of the movie's title.
He isn't ready for the Black Dragons to go another step further and kidnap the daughter of the archaeologist they murdered and have her steal the codex, though.
By the end of the movie, of course an Aztec mummy has been freed - we literally wouldn't have a movie without this happening - and the gang, the mummy and our wrestling women must all have a battle royal.
There are really two Aztec mummies in this one: Xochitl, a female mummy, and her lover Tezomoc who can transform into a snake and a bat, which are totally new things when it comes to the mummified undead, at least to me. There are also evil female judo wrestlers because, well, that's what was in the aqua that day.
The tagline for this movie was, "WEIRDOS! We dare you to see it!"
Popoca's origins are much the same as Imhotep/Ardath Bey. He loved the wrong woman and paid for it, being mummified and now back alive, looking for his lost love. Except instead of Egypt, he was on the western side of the world. He was stopped with a crucifix - Mexico is incredibly Catholic - and being blown up real good with dynamite - Mexico is incredibly bloodthirsty.
An archaeologist leaves a secret codex with a professor just before he is killed by the Black Dragons. What would you do if you had such an important mythological relic? Well, I would do the same thing as this smart guy. I'd give it to Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi, the wrestling women of the movie's title.
He isn't ready for the Black Dragons to go another step further and kidnap the daughter of the archaeologist they murdered and have her steal the codex, though.
By the end of the movie, of course an Aztec mummy has been freed - we literally wouldn't have a movie without this happening - and the gang, the mummy and our wrestling women must all have a battle royal.
There are really two Aztec mummies in this one: Xochitl, a female mummy, and her lover Tezomoc who can transform into a snake and a bat, which are totally new things when it comes to the mummified undead, at least to me. There are also evil female judo wrestlers because, well, that's what was in the aqua that day.
The tagline for this movie was, "WEIRDOS! We dare you to see it!"
You'll be pinned to your couch watching this!
evilskip13 September 1999
There are 2 versions of this film.There is the Rhino release called "Rock And Roll Wrestling Women Vs The Aztec Mummy".The dialogue was removed and it was turned into a musical. It is also missing about 30 minutes of film. Skip that and watch this one.
To be short there is a gang of Oriental baddies led by the Black Dragon and his 2 Kung Fu sisters(long before the Kung Fu genre exploded).He wants the code of a map to an Aztec Pyramid that contains a golden breast plate.So using violence, hypnotism and a great closed circuit tv he attempts to gather all of the code.(If ol' skip had a closed circuit tv like that it would have been in the Wrestling Women's shower room hubba hubba).
The Wrestling Women are a couple of hot babes that can seriously kick your arse.They square off against the kung fu sisters in a duel to obtain the code.The kung fu sisters get their butts handed to them.Our intrepid band hustles to the pyramid to grab the treasure.
The Aztec Mummy is awakened when the golden breast plate is removed from his long dead sweetie. This boy is ugly,mean and sounds really scary.He moans and howls like he has a serious case of intestinal distress.He can also change into a bat and a spider.Everyone is in some serious trouble as the Mummy begins to slaughter seeking the breast plate.
As usual the comic relief in these movies really grates on you.He does have some cool lines but you would like to see the Mummy remove his pea sized brain forcibly. Some of the Wrestling scenes drag on but that is worshipped in Mexico and a main part of the plot.The Mummy doesn't show up until an hour into the film and that is too bad.He is pretty scary and vicious.
But this movie is better than average and deserves a look when you're in the mood for something not too taxing.
To be short there is a gang of Oriental baddies led by the Black Dragon and his 2 Kung Fu sisters(long before the Kung Fu genre exploded).He wants the code of a map to an Aztec Pyramid that contains a golden breast plate.So using violence, hypnotism and a great closed circuit tv he attempts to gather all of the code.(If ol' skip had a closed circuit tv like that it would have been in the Wrestling Women's shower room hubba hubba).
The Wrestling Women are a couple of hot babes that can seriously kick your arse.They square off against the kung fu sisters in a duel to obtain the code.The kung fu sisters get their butts handed to them.Our intrepid band hustles to the pyramid to grab the treasure.
The Aztec Mummy is awakened when the golden breast plate is removed from his long dead sweetie. This boy is ugly,mean and sounds really scary.He moans and howls like he has a serious case of intestinal distress.He can also change into a bat and a spider.Everyone is in some serious trouble as the Mummy begins to slaughter seeking the breast plate.
As usual the comic relief in these movies really grates on you.He does have some cool lines but you would like to see the Mummy remove his pea sized brain forcibly. Some of the Wrestling scenes drag on but that is worshipped in Mexico and a main part of the plot.The Mummy doesn't show up until an hour into the film and that is too bad.He is pretty scary and vicious.
But this movie is better than average and deserves a look when you're in the mood for something not too taxing.
A sad attempt at a cash grab.
13Funbags26 April 2017
This movie is terrible on multiple levels.No story,terrible dialogue and even worse actors make for a true crap-fest but the real disappointment lies in the unoriginality. Although they waste a third of the movie with actual wrestling footage,they still manage to rip off the earlier movies. Let's say you can buy into the plot of a bunch of white people trying to foil the plans of a Japanese warlord in Mexico,then you'll hardly notice that a random guy asked women he didn't know to do all this. The warlord has cameras all over the world so he can always watch everything and it makes no sense. Anyway the last half of the movie is basically stuff they stole from the first 2 movies. A horrible movie indeed but it does have some bright spots.They say lots of ridiculous stuff that doesn't make any sense,the mummy looks even less like a mummy this time and the fights are almost realistic. Watch it if you saw the other 2,if not pass on it
The Mexo-babes wrestle Mexicans playing orientals
macabro35717 July 2003
(aka: WRESTLING WOMEN vs. THE AZTEC MUMMY)
Our two wrestling babes from DOCTOR OF DOOM are back, ready to kick some more ass.
This time it's a oriental villain called the Red Dragon who is having his gang kill off a group of archeologists who have stumbled on to code that will lead them to an Aztec treasure. The Red Dragon needs the last surviving member of the group, a Dr. Tracy, in order to get it. And of course our two wrestling babes are called in to help.
This one is so laughingly bad, it had my sides splitting. I love the scene where they encounter the Aztec mummy in the tomb and he looks like he's wearing a Halloween mask.
And then he changes into a bat, too!
(laughs)
The Something Weird video is doubled up with DOCTOR OF DOOM and has tons of extras including many trailers for other Mexican horror films they have in their library. Although the b/w print shows it's age, it's far better than the old grainy VHS tape.
6 out of 10 for giving it the old college try
(more laughs)
Our two wrestling babes from DOCTOR OF DOOM are back, ready to kick some more ass.
This time it's a oriental villain called the Red Dragon who is having his gang kill off a group of archeologists who have stumbled on to code that will lead them to an Aztec treasure. The Red Dragon needs the last surviving member of the group, a Dr. Tracy, in order to get it. And of course our two wrestling babes are called in to help.
This one is so laughingly bad, it had my sides splitting. I love the scene where they encounter the Aztec mummy in the tomb and he looks like he's wearing a Halloween mask.
And then he changes into a bat, too!
(laughs)
The Something Weird video is doubled up with DOCTOR OF DOOM and has tons of extras including many trailers for other Mexican horror films they have in their library. Although the b/w print shows it's age, it's far better than the old grainy VHS tape.
6 out of 10 for giving it the old college try
(more laughs)
A strange and unsatisfying combination that still manages to bore...
planktonrules7 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very strange blending of genres. On one hand, it's a Mexican wrestling movie with lots of buxom babes who love to tumble. On the other, it's a Mexican variation on THE MUMMY. Oddly, however, neither of these story lines actually are integrated into each other--like two small crappy films stuck together.
The film begins with some baddie (the head of the Black Dragons) trying to get the last clues to discover the whereabouts of an Aztec treasure. Of course, he has sisters who are Judo champs who have come to kick the butts of two pretty wrestlers in order to get this information! To make things weirder, he and the judo ladies are supposed to be Japanese--though they look amazingly like Mexicans.
Later in the film, after LOTS of filler consisting of wrestling matches, the good guys are able to discover the treasure but accidentally unleash a nasty mummy. The mummy actually helps them at first by destroying all the Black Dragons in a slow-motion fight that looks like it shouldn't have hurt them...let alone kill them. But, after killing these folks, the mummy comes looking for the good guys. Who will win? Who cares?!
Overall, both segments of the film are relatively poorly made, but the mummy part is worst because it ends so badly. This mummy is part vampire (I kid you not) and can turn into bats (the cheesiest and least realistic type I've ever seen) and tarantulas. And, in the end, he's amazingly easy to destroy. In fact, this is so anticlimactic that you are left wondering if they just ran out of film.
Some bad movies are so badly made and stupid that they are oddly watchable on a camp level. This one, however, is bad but never quite bad enough to be fun--just bad. Watch it if you want, but it will not be a particularly enjoyable experience unless you are a die-hard bad movie fiend. If you want to see a better Aztec mummy film (believe it or not, there are several more), try watching THE HUMAN ROBOT VERSUS THE AZTEC MUMMY--it is terrible but quite enjoyable at the same time.
By the way, this film and DOCTOR OF DOOM (1963) are included on the same DVD. Interestingly, BOTH films share many of the same scenes and it appears as if they basically created one movie and filmed a few extra scenes in order to make two films! While cheap and crappy, it also made for many incomprehensible moments and a lot of repetition.
The film begins with some baddie (the head of the Black Dragons) trying to get the last clues to discover the whereabouts of an Aztec treasure. Of course, he has sisters who are Judo champs who have come to kick the butts of two pretty wrestlers in order to get this information! To make things weirder, he and the judo ladies are supposed to be Japanese--though they look amazingly like Mexicans.
Later in the film, after LOTS of filler consisting of wrestling matches, the good guys are able to discover the treasure but accidentally unleash a nasty mummy. The mummy actually helps them at first by destroying all the Black Dragons in a slow-motion fight that looks like it shouldn't have hurt them...let alone kill them. But, after killing these folks, the mummy comes looking for the good guys. Who will win? Who cares?!
Overall, both segments of the film are relatively poorly made, but the mummy part is worst because it ends so badly. This mummy is part vampire (I kid you not) and can turn into bats (the cheesiest and least realistic type I've ever seen) and tarantulas. And, in the end, he's amazingly easy to destroy. In fact, this is so anticlimactic that you are left wondering if they just ran out of film.
Some bad movies are so badly made and stupid that they are oddly watchable on a camp level. This one, however, is bad but never quite bad enough to be fun--just bad. Watch it if you want, but it will not be a particularly enjoyable experience unless you are a die-hard bad movie fiend. If you want to see a better Aztec mummy film (believe it or not, there are several more), try watching THE HUMAN ROBOT VERSUS THE AZTEC MUMMY--it is terrible but quite enjoyable at the same time.
By the way, this film and DOCTOR OF DOOM (1963) are included on the same DVD. Interestingly, BOTH films share many of the same scenes and it appears as if they basically created one movie and filmed a few extra scenes in order to make two films! While cheap and crappy, it also made for many incomprehensible moments and a lot of repetition.
Fun Mexican B movie.
MonsterVision992 November 2017
This second entry in the Wrestling Women saga isn't as entertaining as the first one (I remember liking the first one a lot) but delivers a good amount of fun. This is also the fourth entry in the Aztec Mummy saga, I will say that this is probably the best one in that series.
René Cardona knows how to make quality low budget cheesy horror films, this movie didn't show the mummy until like an hour in, but I didn't care, it was so entertaining I would have been fine if there was no mummy after all, but there is a mummy that appears 20 minutes before the movie ends and its great, this is a very memorable monster, its a mummy with huge crazy eyes that screams and turns into animals, like bats and tarantulas. The backstory for the mummy is the same one we saw in the previous films, but this time they shot new footage instead of reusing the same one from the other movies, I am very grateful for that, the backstory was even better shot and better made overall.
There is also this villain who resembles Fu Manchú, hes also very fun to watch and he has two fighting sisters who eventually fight the wrestling women in the ring, great stuff.
Our main characters are still as charming as in the previous installment, the effects aren't the best but Cardona makes up for it by making the best out of what he has, he gives us likable characters, an attractive plot, some comedy and lots of fight scenes. It started pretty interesting and eventually became a bit dull at points but it becomes fun again once the mummy is on screen.
I may enjoy the Wrestling Women movies more than El Santo movies or the Blue Demon ones, even more than The Aztec Mummy movies, its almost like Cardona knows me and wants me to have a good time with fun schlock while still making them good enough to be genuinely entertaining.
René Cardona knows how to make quality low budget cheesy horror films, this movie didn't show the mummy until like an hour in, but I didn't care, it was so entertaining I would have been fine if there was no mummy after all, but there is a mummy that appears 20 minutes before the movie ends and its great, this is a very memorable monster, its a mummy with huge crazy eyes that screams and turns into animals, like bats and tarantulas. The backstory for the mummy is the same one we saw in the previous films, but this time they shot new footage instead of reusing the same one from the other movies, I am very grateful for that, the backstory was even better shot and better made overall.
There is also this villain who resembles Fu Manchú, hes also very fun to watch and he has two fighting sisters who eventually fight the wrestling women in the ring, great stuff.
Our main characters are still as charming as in the previous installment, the effects aren't the best but Cardona makes up for it by making the best out of what he has, he gives us likable characters, an attractive plot, some comedy and lots of fight scenes. It started pretty interesting and eventually became a bit dull at points but it becomes fun again once the mummy is on screen.
I may enjoy the Wrestling Women movies more than El Santo movies or the Blue Demon ones, even more than The Aztec Mummy movies, its almost like Cardona knows me and wants me to have a good time with fun schlock while still making them good enough to be genuinely entertaining.
Female Tag-Team Fights A Musty Mummy
kikaidar27 September 2000
By 1962, the lucha libre genre -- chiefly made up of low budged actioners pitting masked wrestler heroes against spies, gangsters, monsters and other assorted lowlifes -- was beginning to attract a wide and loyal following. In the next decade, numerous films starring the likes of Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras would rake in considerable profits for enterprising producers.
Looking to capitalize on this new trend, the first pair of four films featuring Las Luchadoras were lensed (in 1962 and 1964). As were their male counterparts, the Luchadoras were depicted as successful wrestlers suddenly thrust into mysterious and dangerous circumstances. Unlike the more established lucha heroes, the girls did not wear distinctive masks. Equally significantly, the team was specifically created for the movies. In the first two films, Lorena and The Golden Rubi were played by actresses Lorena Valezquez and Elizabeth Campbell. Much of their in-ring footage was achieved through the use of stuntwomen (likely actual wrestlers).
The second of the early Luchadoras films, MOMIA is a fun if minor outing which benefits from generally gloomy photography and a sometimes frenetic pace. Initially released to American television by import auteur K. Gordon Murry, the title is currently available on prerecord, with a newly-added rock "score" added in the 1980s. In this form, it's an ideal "party tape," in spite of a notorious non-ending on this print.
Deep in the heart of Mexico, archaeologists are being abducted and killed by the wicked Black Dragon and his all-oriental gang. The missing men were all members of a scientific party which had earlier entered an ancient tomb, and the Dragon is after something they had found there.
Briefly evading his pursuers, one of the two remaining survivors of the party takes refuge in the Luchadoras' dressing room. When they discover him, he reveals he's looking for Mike, Lorena's secret service agent boyfriend (in the American dubs he's identified as being with the police). He explains the Dragon and his men are after the sections of an Aztec codex which offers a clue as to where their legendary treasure is concealed. One of the Dragon's men eliminates him before he can reveal more.
Charlotte, the daughter of one of the dead researchers, is staying with the lone surviving scientist. Kidnapped and brainwashed by the Dragon, she's placed back with the heroic group to act as his spy.
A key delivered in the lining of a sombrero puts the girls and their boyfriends (passably heroic Mike and comic relief Tommy) on the trail to a part of the codex. Escaping a trap at a nearby hotel, they locate the missing paper in a locker. The dragon's men, however, possess inside information. They arrive in time to start a second fight (which they again lose, when Mike threatens to burn the codex). The Dragon proposes a deal: the girls will compete against his two judo girls and the winners of the match will take all of the segments of the codex. The Luchadoras naturally win, but the Dragon doublecrosses them when Mike tries to arrest him.
The group manage to translate the codex and learn that the secret to the treasure is to be fond on a golden breastplate in a hidden tomb beneath one of the pyramids. Also buried in the chamber is Tezamoc, a warrior with supernatural powers who had been cursed to be the piece's eternal guardian.
Going after the breastplate, they break into the tomb. The Dragon gang is on hand, but wait outside, where they assume it's safe (later events prove them to be literally dead wrong in this assumption).
Tezamoc revives and the party barely escape with the breastplate. The next morning, a newspaper announces that the Dragon's thugs were found dead at the site. Charlotte and Tommy decide to end the curse by returning the breastplate. This only gets Charlotte captures by Tezamoc, who plans on sacrificing her.
Reluctantly guided by Tommy, the others return. The mummy transforms into a bat and a spider, trying to stop them, but they finally cover his eyes and manage to chain him to a stone pillar while they escape. Tezamoc brings down the roof.
He's not stopped, though. That night, the remaining gang members arrive to steal the relic. Tezamoc also arrives and kills them all.
He then flies into the professor's apartment in bat form. According to the clock in the apartment, this all happens at 10:15 at night, but a cock crows as Tezamoc approaches the sleeping Charlotte (it must have been a very long fight). Turning back into a bat he flies away (the footage of the arriving prop bat is reversed so it flies backwards out of the room).
This effectively ends his participation in the film -- at least the US print. The film abruptly ends with another wrestling match.
Cutting may have been somewhat confused in making the domestic print. In the scene before the gangster/mummy battle, we see the Dragon briefing everyone. They are all dirty, though there is not explanation offered. There's also that bewildering ending. Did Tezamoc go up in smoke en route back to his tomb, or did he just decide to let the breastplate go?
Give it a 5 out of 10.
Looking to capitalize on this new trend, the first pair of four films featuring Las Luchadoras were lensed (in 1962 and 1964). As were their male counterparts, the Luchadoras were depicted as successful wrestlers suddenly thrust into mysterious and dangerous circumstances. Unlike the more established lucha heroes, the girls did not wear distinctive masks. Equally significantly, the team was specifically created for the movies. In the first two films, Lorena and The Golden Rubi were played by actresses Lorena Valezquez and Elizabeth Campbell. Much of their in-ring footage was achieved through the use of stuntwomen (likely actual wrestlers).
The second of the early Luchadoras films, MOMIA is a fun if minor outing which benefits from generally gloomy photography and a sometimes frenetic pace. Initially released to American television by import auteur K. Gordon Murry, the title is currently available on prerecord, with a newly-added rock "score" added in the 1980s. In this form, it's an ideal "party tape," in spite of a notorious non-ending on this print.
Deep in the heart of Mexico, archaeologists are being abducted and killed by the wicked Black Dragon and his all-oriental gang. The missing men were all members of a scientific party which had earlier entered an ancient tomb, and the Dragon is after something they had found there.
Briefly evading his pursuers, one of the two remaining survivors of the party takes refuge in the Luchadoras' dressing room. When they discover him, he reveals he's looking for Mike, Lorena's secret service agent boyfriend (in the American dubs he's identified as being with the police). He explains the Dragon and his men are after the sections of an Aztec codex which offers a clue as to where their legendary treasure is concealed. One of the Dragon's men eliminates him before he can reveal more.
Charlotte, the daughter of one of the dead researchers, is staying with the lone surviving scientist. Kidnapped and brainwashed by the Dragon, she's placed back with the heroic group to act as his spy.
A key delivered in the lining of a sombrero puts the girls and their boyfriends (passably heroic Mike and comic relief Tommy) on the trail to a part of the codex. Escaping a trap at a nearby hotel, they locate the missing paper in a locker. The dragon's men, however, possess inside information. They arrive in time to start a second fight (which they again lose, when Mike threatens to burn the codex). The Dragon proposes a deal: the girls will compete against his two judo girls and the winners of the match will take all of the segments of the codex. The Luchadoras naturally win, but the Dragon doublecrosses them when Mike tries to arrest him.
The group manage to translate the codex and learn that the secret to the treasure is to be fond on a golden breastplate in a hidden tomb beneath one of the pyramids. Also buried in the chamber is Tezamoc, a warrior with supernatural powers who had been cursed to be the piece's eternal guardian.
Going after the breastplate, they break into the tomb. The Dragon gang is on hand, but wait outside, where they assume it's safe (later events prove them to be literally dead wrong in this assumption).
Tezamoc revives and the party barely escape with the breastplate. The next morning, a newspaper announces that the Dragon's thugs were found dead at the site. Charlotte and Tommy decide to end the curse by returning the breastplate. This only gets Charlotte captures by Tezamoc, who plans on sacrificing her.
Reluctantly guided by Tommy, the others return. The mummy transforms into a bat and a spider, trying to stop them, but they finally cover his eyes and manage to chain him to a stone pillar while they escape. Tezamoc brings down the roof.
He's not stopped, though. That night, the remaining gang members arrive to steal the relic. Tezamoc also arrives and kills them all.
He then flies into the professor's apartment in bat form. According to the clock in the apartment, this all happens at 10:15 at night, but a cock crows as Tezamoc approaches the sleeping Charlotte (it must have been a very long fight). Turning back into a bat he flies away (the footage of the arriving prop bat is reversed so it flies backwards out of the room).
This effectively ends his participation in the film -- at least the US print. The film abruptly ends with another wrestling match.
Cutting may have been somewhat confused in making the domestic print. In the scene before the gangster/mummy battle, we see the Dragon briefing everyone. They are all dirty, though there is not explanation offered. There's also that bewildering ending. Did Tezamoc go up in smoke en route back to his tomb, or did he just decide to let the breastplate go?
Give it a 5 out of 10.
Why, oh why do I like movies like these? I know. Because they're fun!
TonyB25946 September 2022
Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy (1964) - I found a beautiful print of this movie online that knocked my socks off.
The plot absolutely blew my mind - meaning that, boy, was it weird.
This is another in a series of Mexican sci-fi movies pitting its beloved wrestling heroes and heroines against various bad guys and/or supernatural beings.
In this case, the title screams out that these wrestling women are battling against an Aztec mummy that's terrorizing... someone, somewhere. And indeed, they do eventually battle a mummy.
But the mummy isn't the real bad guy.
The bad guy is really the leader of a gang of ruthless criminals. His name is Prince Fujiyata (Ramon Bugarini), but he's known as the Black Dragon. In their latest crime spree, he and his gang of ne'er-do-wells are killing archaeologists.
Why are they killing them? The archaeologists have found a map, which leads to a cave, which has the mummified bodies of a guy and his gal, who were interred after a weird Aztec virgin sacrifice ritual gone wrong.
Why should they care? The gal is wearing a breastplate that holds the key to finding a lost Aztec treasure.
The Black Dragon wants that map, so he and his gang are knocking off the archaeologists one by one, hoping to steal it.
The wrestling tag team of Loreta (Lorena Velazquez) and Golden Rubi (Elizabeth Campbell) get involved because that's what the Mexican wrestling gals and guys did back then. When they weren't delivering drop kicks, they were protecting the public from mayhem, especially supernatural mayhem. Plus, there is a family connection in there somewhere, which involves their friend, Charlotte (Maria Eugenia San Martin).
So for quite awhile we see Loreta, Golden Rubi and Charlotte getting kidnapped by and/or fighting against bad guys.
We also see an interesting wrestling match pitting our heroines against the Black Dragon's sisters - who are martial arts experts. And if you think that's weird, wait.
The Aztec mummy is one of the most bizarre-looking creatures you'll ever see. Well, maybe not. Almost all of the creatures in those Mexican horror/sci-fi films are anatomically hilarious. I say that with respect, by the way. I love the Mexican horror monsters.
But what is truly weird about this mummy is that he isn't always a mummy. Sometimes he turns into a bat. Sometimes he becomes a tarantula. Yep, he's a shapeshifter. Pretty snazzy for a bag of bones.
To enjoy this, you sort of have to go along with the flow. The wrestling women, aside from being easy on the eyes and likeable, are actually very talented with their wrestling and fighting skills. They'd give Emma Peel a run for her money.
The Aztec mummy makes hilarious noises, and overall is very cool.
What else do you need? Some beer. A snack of your choice. It's a fun time.
The plot absolutely blew my mind - meaning that, boy, was it weird.
This is another in a series of Mexican sci-fi movies pitting its beloved wrestling heroes and heroines against various bad guys and/or supernatural beings.
In this case, the title screams out that these wrestling women are battling against an Aztec mummy that's terrorizing... someone, somewhere. And indeed, they do eventually battle a mummy.
But the mummy isn't the real bad guy.
The bad guy is really the leader of a gang of ruthless criminals. His name is Prince Fujiyata (Ramon Bugarini), but he's known as the Black Dragon. In their latest crime spree, he and his gang of ne'er-do-wells are killing archaeologists.
Why are they killing them? The archaeologists have found a map, which leads to a cave, which has the mummified bodies of a guy and his gal, who were interred after a weird Aztec virgin sacrifice ritual gone wrong.
Why should they care? The gal is wearing a breastplate that holds the key to finding a lost Aztec treasure.
The Black Dragon wants that map, so he and his gang are knocking off the archaeologists one by one, hoping to steal it.
The wrestling tag team of Loreta (Lorena Velazquez) and Golden Rubi (Elizabeth Campbell) get involved because that's what the Mexican wrestling gals and guys did back then. When they weren't delivering drop kicks, they were protecting the public from mayhem, especially supernatural mayhem. Plus, there is a family connection in there somewhere, which involves their friend, Charlotte (Maria Eugenia San Martin).
So for quite awhile we see Loreta, Golden Rubi and Charlotte getting kidnapped by and/or fighting against bad guys.
We also see an interesting wrestling match pitting our heroines against the Black Dragon's sisters - who are martial arts experts. And if you think that's weird, wait.
The Aztec mummy is one of the most bizarre-looking creatures you'll ever see. Well, maybe not. Almost all of the creatures in those Mexican horror/sci-fi films are anatomically hilarious. I say that with respect, by the way. I love the Mexican horror monsters.
But what is truly weird about this mummy is that he isn't always a mummy. Sometimes he turns into a bat. Sometimes he becomes a tarantula. Yep, he's a shapeshifter. Pretty snazzy for a bag of bones.
To enjoy this, you sort of have to go along with the flow. The wrestling women, aside from being easy on the eyes and likeable, are actually very talented with their wrestling and fighting skills. They'd give Emma Peel a run for her money.
The Aztec mummy makes hilarious noises, and overall is very cool.
What else do you need? Some beer. A snack of your choice. It's a fun time.
A Must for Bad Movie Lovers
Michael_Elliott15 December 2011
Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, The (1964)
* (out of 4)
Notorious Mexican film has a gang of criminals known as The Black Dragons killing off archaeologists so that they can find some ancient Aztec secrets. Soon a group of wrestling women try to stop their evil deeds and it eventually leads to an Aztec mummy who has his own plans. Fans of bad movies have been eating this one up for decades now. There's no question that the performance are horrid, the direction even worse and the story itself makes no sense but thankfully the film is so bad that you can't help but get a few laughs out of it. While watching this movie I couldn't help but wonder who on Earth this thing was made for. I know these Mexican "wrestling" movies were popular in their day but it's really hard to see why. I mean, none of the wrestling matches are exciting and they're so poorly filmed that you can't help but laugh. Even worse is the incredibly stupid story that never really makes any sense. One minute you'll be thinking one thing is happening and then all of the sudden, and out of nowhere, the film will go into a different direction. The final twenty-minutes of the film finally has the mummy appearing and it almost seems as if it was thrown in for no reason and possibly just added after production as a way to get the film into more theaters. No matter the reason, the mummy stuff is pretty funny and especially in the English dubbed version. The heavy breathing and moaning will surely get you laughing but I must say that the actual look of the mummy is quite good. The final moments of the film aren't all that exciting but we at least get the mummy in some decent action including one sequence where he attacks all of the criminals. With that said, the appeal of this thing is only going to be for those who enjoy bad movies. There's really nothing else "good" going on here and it's so cheaply produced you still wonder what the entire point was. I do wonder if those involved realized that they were making something that people would still be watching fifty-years later.
* (out of 4)
Notorious Mexican film has a gang of criminals known as The Black Dragons killing off archaeologists so that they can find some ancient Aztec secrets. Soon a group of wrestling women try to stop their evil deeds and it eventually leads to an Aztec mummy who has his own plans. Fans of bad movies have been eating this one up for decades now. There's no question that the performance are horrid, the direction even worse and the story itself makes no sense but thankfully the film is so bad that you can't help but get a few laughs out of it. While watching this movie I couldn't help but wonder who on Earth this thing was made for. I know these Mexican "wrestling" movies were popular in their day but it's really hard to see why. I mean, none of the wrestling matches are exciting and they're so poorly filmed that you can't help but laugh. Even worse is the incredibly stupid story that never really makes any sense. One minute you'll be thinking one thing is happening and then all of the sudden, and out of nowhere, the film will go into a different direction. The final twenty-minutes of the film finally has the mummy appearing and it almost seems as if it was thrown in for no reason and possibly just added after production as a way to get the film into more theaters. No matter the reason, the mummy stuff is pretty funny and especially in the English dubbed version. The heavy breathing and moaning will surely get you laughing but I must say that the actual look of the mummy is quite good. The final moments of the film aren't all that exciting but we at least get the mummy in some decent action including one sequence where he attacks all of the criminals. With that said, the appeal of this thing is only going to be for those who enjoy bad movies. There's really nothing else "good" going on here and it's so cheaply produced you still wonder what the entire point was. I do wonder if those involved realized that they were making something that people would still be watching fifty-years later.
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