Disc One, Side A
Night Of The Bloody Apes (1969) - Directed by René Cardona - This motion picture is the epitome of goofy.  For all accounts and purposes, it’s a remake of Cardona’s own Doctor Of Doom (see Disc Three) only a little racier (since it was the 70s and all).  A kindly old physician (José Elías Moreno) opens up a large can of Whoops! when he transplants the heart of a gorilla into the body of his dying son.  Naturally, havoc ensues. 

Cardona also shot additional footage consisting of mucho sex and gore for the International market (good move, as Americans and Europeans like to see boobies - it’s a known fact).  As if that weren’t enough, an American distributor added even more outrageous content at some point in time and the resulting mess preys on your very sanity including actual open heart surgery footage…complete with a third pair of hands (despite the fact that there are only two people performing the operation).  A superb example is when a woman runs screaming away from the monster and  footage from the original “clothed” version is used.  Then, we inexplicably switch to the (poorly) spliced-in “nekkid” footage…and in each scene, the woman runs past the same location.  If that doesn’t whet your appetite for absurdity, try the bizarre cutaway shots of a painted canvas meant to resemble the flashing, panning colors used to go from one scene to another (à la “Batman” or “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”)!  Originally released Stateside in 1972.

Luigi’s Useless Information: If you want the perfect “tilt-your-head-to-the-side-and-squint” movie for you and your friends on Bad Movie Night, this is it.  I think the most disturbing part of this movie (for me) was when it finally dawned on me that actor Moreno played Santa Claus in that famous Mexican oddity from 1959 (and was featured on MST3K). No, Santa, no!

Disc One, Side B
Curse Of The Doll People (1961) - Directed by Benito Alazraki - Lacking the funds to do any “location” shooting (or to purchase any stock footage, I guess), our story here begins with a group of archaeologists telling (as opposed to showing via flashbacks)their friends and families about their journey to Haiti and how they sort of, er--borrowed a sacred idol from its resting place  Everyone seems either mystified, bored, or frightened by the story (particularly the black maid - I didn’t know Mexico was pro-Slavery!) and then, suddenly, BAM - the first victim!

Curse Of The Doll People is actually a well-done, creepy little flick with some dwarves (or children?) portraying the dreaded title characters (they wear some disturbingly emotionless masks - which makes it all the more eerie).  RamÛn Gay (the hero from the Aztec Mummy series) heads up the cast.  The movie also features QuintÌn Bulnes as the Voodoo Priest behind the whole mess and Jorge MondragÛn.

Luigi’s Useless Information: This film is one of many that cult icon K. Gordon Murray picked up and distributed to AIP TV (it was released in 1964) and features many of the same silly voices that we all know and love from The Brainiac and The Vampire (1957).  Enjoy the surreal screaming which takes place after the first murder: it sounds like a small group of people from a game show audience is standing off-camera to the left or something!

(Okay, time out here, kiddies: I would like to point out that BCI also issued the last two films in another Crypt Of Terror set.  If you are in the market for either one of those titles, I would strongly suggest you pick that version up as it contains the original Spanish language versions with optional English subtitles as well as the American cuts.  Neither version, however, features an uncut English-language version of Curse Of The Doll People and the only complete dubbed print out there is the inferior grey market Beverly Wilshire release.  Also, the print used for Night Of The Bloody Apes is the same one from the Image Entertainment/Something Weird Video double-bill with Feast Of Flesh from 2002.)

Disc Two, Side A
Spiritism (1962) - Directed by Benito Alazraki - I think the best way to describe Spiritism would be to call it a Catholic Propaganda film.  Following the death of her friend, Mary (Nora Very·n) begins to dive deeper and deeper into the world of séances, spirits, and other non-Church approved methods of communicating with the dead.  Her husband (José Luis JimÈnez), curious as to what she sees in all of this mumbo-jumbo, attends one of the meetings (the group leader actually calls it a “cult” in the dubbed version…something that would never happen!) and behaves like your average religious freak that criticizes everything he doesn’t understand.

Things go from bad to worse when Mary accidentally calls that Satan feller during a séance, begging for his assistance in helping her son Rudolph (René Cardona, Jr. - himself an exploitation master in Mexican cinema much like his old man), who is having financial difficulties.  The next night, a strange man (who actually implies that he may be Judas) appears at the door and delivers Pandora’s Box.  Yes, the real Pandora’s Box, folks.  From this point, the film switches into another variation of The Monkey’s Paw: Mary is given the opportunity to have her wishes fulfilled by opening the box…but at very heavy costs.

Luigi’s Useless Information: While is may be slow moving at times, this K. Gordon Murray import offers a few atmospheric scenes…I just can’t get past the whole pro-Catholicism message that underlines the movie throughout (I was half expecting a big “And remember to go to church this Sunday!” caption at the end of the film).

Disc Two, Side B
The New Invisible Man (1958) - Directed by Alfredo B. Crevenna - Or The Invisible Man Returns…Again.  Arturo de Córdova fills the transparent shoes that were previously filled by Vincent Price in the 1940 follow-up to Universal’s smash hit.  de Córdova is wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit (this must take place in Texas), but his genius scientist of a brother (Augusto Benedicto, who also appeared in several El Santo flicks, including the epic Samson Vs. The Vampire Women) manages to make him disappear with the help of an experimental serum.

OK, so The New Invisible Man doesn’t really live up to the “new” part of its title, but it does manage to entertain me more than Spiritism did…plus, it has some pretty funny scenes to boot…and with the film and television industries offering us dozens upon dozens of fresh new faces that can‘t act every year, it’s so nice to see an older actor in the lead for once (I‘ll stick to the older stuff, thank you so very much).

Luigi’s Useless Information: I know it’s hard to believe kids, but this is one Mexican film that K. Gordon Murray didn’t purchase and release in the States!

Disc Three, Side A
Wrestling Women Vs The Aztec Mummy (1964) - Directed by René Cardona - Yes, it’s the second thrilling chapter in Cardona’s Las Luchadoras trilogy!  This time, the famed Aztec Mummy series gets thrown into the mix.  Dig this: a group of “Asians” (played by Mexicans) led by the Black Dragon will stop at nothing to retrieve all three pieces of a codex which reveal the location of a hidden Aztec treasure.  Fortunately, lady-wrestlers Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi (Lorena Vel·zquez and American Elizabeth Campbell, respectively) are there to save the day.  After numerous encounters with one another (most of which involve wrestling scenes), the Black Dragon pits his two Kung-Fu fighting sisters in the ring with the luchadoras. When that fails, the baddies finally get around to unleashing Xochitl, the silly-looking mummy entombed for all eternity who also changes into a bat (which the voiceover actors graciously inform us of).

This import, like many K. Gordon Murray imports, was dubbed into English and released to U.S. TV around 1965 or so.  Sadly, the third Las Luchadoras film, Las Luchadoras Contra el Robot Asesino (or Wrestling Women Vs. The Killer Robot, if you will), was never released in the U.S. - nor did it feature any of the same characters or performers…although the monster was named Carfax interestingly enough (he would later go on to form his own used car certification company).

Luigi’s Useless Information: Many of us in the 80s had the “luck” to purchase Johnny Legend’s re-dubbed, re-scored version of this entitled Rock’N’Roll Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy.  If you’ve never seen it, don’t worry: you didn’t miss much.  If you did see it (or still own it), I dare you to think of one of the stupid songs from it. … It’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? … You’re welcome.

Disc Three, Side B
Doctor Of Doom (1963) - Directed by René Cardona - The beginning of Cardona’s Las Luchadoras trilogy.  A pair of stunningly-stacked wrestling babes, Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi team up to battle a masked mad scientist whose horrific brain transplant experiments threaten to break the Goofy Meter once and for all.

Moronic minions aside, the villain of the story also has an ape-man creature on hand named Gomar - a character that would later turn up in Cardona’s uncredited remake, Night Of The Bloody Apes.  The mad scientist takes revenge to a ridiculous new level by transplanting Gomar’s brain into the body of an opposing luchadora (he even poses as her manager) just so he can try to defeat them.

Luigi’s Useless Information: Yet another pelicula K. Gordon Murray released through AIP-TV in the 60s.  It was followed by Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy (which for some reason, is on the “A” side of this disc as opposed to the “B” which would actually make sense).

Presentation
There isn’t a whole lot of consistency here, kids: Night Of The Bloody Apes and Curse Of The Doll People use the same transfers from BCI’s earlier release of the pair; Spiritism is culled from a decent-looking print and I only wish I could say the same for The New Invisible Man (it doesn’t look so hot); both Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy and Doctor Of Doom were taken from the same source as the Image Entertainment/Something Weird Video combo-bill from 2003.  The only thing that is consistent are the aspect ratios: all six films are presented in Full Frame 1.33:1 formats (which is how they were all shot…to the best of anyone’s knowledge, that is).  The backside of the DVD cover claims that all of these films are in Spanish with English Subtitles.  That is incorrect.  All of the features here contain the English-dubbed versions (all of which are Mono Stereo) and the sound quality varies depending on the film print.

Extras
Only the first disc contains any Special Features and (surprise!) they’re exactly the same as the previously-released Night Of The Bloody Apes/Curse Of The Doll People combo disc: Side A features several Outtakes from both the domestic and international versions (as well as the international add-ons), the hilarious U.S. Trailer and an Image Gallery.  I believe most or all of these Features are also present on the Image/Something Weird disc, too.  Side B features a Still Gallery, but it’s hardly worth mentioning as most of the “stills” look like they are screencaps.

None of the other DVDs offer any Special Features.  Bummer.

The Bottom Line
While it isn’t everything it claims to be (originally there was to be a seventh title, as well), Crypt Of Terror: Horrors From South Of The Border, Vol. 2 is an excellent choice for those of you who need a cheap Mexi-Horror fix while perfectionists may want to look elsewhere…particularly for Extras (although I think this is the only commercial release available of The New Invisible Man).