Santo and Blue Demon vs. Drácula and the Wolfman is a 1973 Mexican supernatural horror film directed by Miguel M. Delgado (El fantasma de la casa roja; Santo vs. the Son of Frankenstein) from a screenplay written by Alfredo Salazar (The Witch; Doctor of Doom; Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy).
Plot:
El Santo gets drawn into the action by his girlfriend Lina Cristaldi. The family (Lina, the Professor, his daughter Laura, and her young daughter, Rosita) turn out to be the last descendants of a wizard who killed Dracula and the Wolf Man 400 years ago.
Revived in modern Mexico (by a hunchback), the two monsters plot their revenge, planning to kill, seduce, and/or convert the last of the family…
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Reviews:
“Despite Santo and the Blue Demon being the two leads, it is Aldo Monti in the role of Dracula who delivers the most memorable performance. Also, there is an ample amount of eye candy […] Other strengths are a briskly-paced narrative and stylish cinematography. Ultimately, Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man is top-tier Santo.” 10K Bullets
” …quite atmospheric and there are occasional shots that mirror the work of Mario Bava (a nighttime garden sequence recalls the opening of Blood and Black Lace, 1964) and the various Hammer Dracula films […] In terms of action, Santo & Blue Demon vs. Dracula & the Wolf Man doesn’t disappoint and there’s an unforgettable scene where our masked heroes are rescued from being unmasked […] by a gorgeous woman driving a forklift.” Cinema Sojourns
” …there’s lots of fanged women wearing big red negligees as well as several very hairy men, and the two wrestlers take them on near the end. For those of you not into the wrestling films, I’m going to warn you that the movie goes on another ten minutes after it’s essentially over. Why? So we can see Santo and Blue Demon tag team a wrestling match.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“It’s not really atmospheric (being far too brightly-lit and colorful) and it has its faults, but these are certainly outweighed by its advantages […] Certainly in the top 10% of Santo’s pictures in every category: general entertainment value, production values, and Santo-content.” The Films of El Santo
“You get your standard wrestling matches [which are done on a soundstage with no visible crowd for some reason], Santo and Blue Demon fighting off vampires and a group of hairy werewolves over a pit and other silliness to pass the runtime. The film was obviously inspired by the Hammer and/or Paul Naschy films of the era, making this film super colorful and visually polished…” Full Moon Reviews
“For such a wild ride, it’s something of a plod – as if the promise of the title was enough to make up for the lack of real gutsy action or complex plotting. Miguel M. Delgado directs without much interest, shooting everything with a TV-look brightness that lacks the atmospherics of the earlier, monochrome Santo adventures.” The Kim Newman Web Site
” …has enough familiar elements to please fans of the legendary luchador’s cinematic antics. Monti and Solares show a blatant disregard for health and safety by having a giant pit of spikes in their cave headquarters because that seems like a good idea (clue: it isn’t!), and their army of the dead only numbers about a dozen. Mondragón and San Martín are part of this infernal task force because they are now zombies, which makes perfect sense.” Mark David Welsh
” …our heroes are mostly useless. At one point, mobsters nearly defeat them. In spite of that, they fend off like 14-20 henchmen in the finale – at least three of which are werewolves […] This one is pretty fun, if slow at parts. That said, here’s some real horror.” Mondo Bizarro
“Fortunately, the mixture of creatures and lovely ladies makes up for the buff heroes’ blandness, as the film bends over backwards to pit each possible combination of man and monster together in a showdown. The color photography is also extremely stylish and vivid, among the best of its period, though the generic background used during those wrestling scenes was starting to look a little tired by this point.” Mondo Digital
“While the Santo films aren’t exactly high art, they aren’t without moments of genuine atmosphere but more importantly, they’re always a lot of fun. The colorful cast of heroes and villains, outrageous situations, garish costumes and tough guy dialogue, it’s pretty hard not to have a good time when watching a Santo movie. The effects are hokey but fun…” Rock! Shock! Pop!
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Technical specs:
1 hour 34 minutes
