The Aztec Mummy

La Momia Azteca
Original Mexican release poster
Directed by Rafel Lopez Portillo
Produced by Guillermo Calderon
Written by Alfredo Salazar
Guillermo Calderon
Starring Ramón Gay
Rosita Arenas
Crox Alvarado
Luis Aceves Castañeda
Jorge Mondragón
Arturo Martínez
Ángel Di Stefani
Jesús Murcielago Velázquez
Music by Antonio Díaz Conde
Cinematography Enrique Wallace
Edited by Jorge Bustos
Production
company
Cinematográfica Calderón S.A.
Distributed by Azteca Films Inc.
Release date
  • November 13, 1957 (1957-11-13)
Running time
 80 minutes
Country Mexico
Language Spanish

La Momia Azteca (lit. trans. The Aztec Mummy), also known simply as La Momia,[1] is a 1957 Mexican horror film produced by Guillermo Calderon from his own story idea, scripted by Alfredo Salazar, and directed by Rafael Portillo.

It was the first in a trilogy of Mexican mummy films all featuring Popoca, the Aztec Mummy. The other two films were The Curse of the Aztec Mummy and The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy. The three films were all shot in 1957, one after another without a break in the production schedule.[2]

The film was later re-edited and distributed in the U.S. in 1963 by producer Jerry Warren as Attack of the Mayan Mummy.[3][4][5][6]

Plot

In ancient times, Aztec warrior Popoca (Angel Di Stefani) is buried alive after being caught having an affair with the temple maiden Xochitl (Rosita Arenas), who is put to death for her sin. Popoca must forever guard the tomb within the Great Pyramid of Yucatán where his lover's remains and the treasures of the Aztec are kept.

In the present day, Dr. Eduardo Almada (Ramon Gay) decides to experiment with hypnotic regression on his fiancée Flor Sepúlveda (Rosita Arenas in a dual role). Through hypnosis, Eduardo discovers that Flor is in fact a reincarnation of Xochitl, and uses her past memories to find the Aztec tomb of Popoca.

The explorers steal a gold breastplate from the tomb, awakening the sleeping mummy, who pursues them endlessly trying to reclaim the stolen artifacts. The group flees to Mexico City with Popoca in pursuit. Meanwhile, Dr. Krupp (Luis Aceves Castañeda), one of Almada's colleagues who is also a master criminal known as The Bat, discovers the existence of the treasure and sends his thugs after Dr. Almada and Flor in order to retrieve the golden breastplate, which contains a key to the great Aztec treasure. Krupp's men converge on Flor's house in order to retrieve the treasure and run afoul of the mummy.

The mummy retrieves his stolen items and returns with them to his tomb, taking his beloved Flor (Xochitl) with him as a prisoner. Dr. Krupp is captured by the police and taken to prison. In the end, the scientists return to the pyramid and battle the mummy, holding him at bay with a crucifix. The leader of the expedition, Dr. Sepulveda (Jorge Mondragón) sacrifices his life to destroy the mummy with dynamite, collapsing the tomb onto the both of them. Flor is released from the hold her past held on her. The story is continued in the two sequels that followed, The Curse of the Aztec Mummy and The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy, both also filmed in 1957.[2]

Cast

Production

Development

Development for La Momia Azteca began in early 1957. At this point in Mexican cinema, there was a wide range of films being released that were similar in plots to the old Universal Pictures horror movies, but differed enough to avoid a lawsuit from Universal.[7] Variations on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and other classic monsters, were especially popular with Mexican audiences. So it is not surprising that Guillermo Calderon and Alfredo Salazar chose a topic similar to Universal's films The Mummy, The Mummy's Hand and its sequels.[7][8][9]

Filming

La Momia Azteca was filmed in Mexico City, Mexico in 1957 in Estudios CLASA studio, along with its two sequels shot back-to-back.[2]

Release

The first film in the trilogy was released theatrically in Mexico on November 13, 1957[10][11] by Peliculas Nacionales.

The film was released on DVD by BCI on December 26, 2006 as a part of "The Aztec Mummy Collection".[12] It was later released by VCI Entertainment on December 9, 2014.[13]

Reception

La Momia Azteca was not widely reviewed by mainstream critics. Reviews that exist on the film have been mostly negative.

On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called it the strongest in the series, while noting that those unfamiliar with the series might have a harder time with it.[14] TV Guide awarded the film no stars out of 4, calling the film "Completely bizarre and cheaply made," but further stated that the film was engaging and worth taking a look at.[15] David Maine from PopMatters gave the film a mixed 5/10 stars. Maine concluded his review by stating that the film was "Dull in spots, but quirky and moody enough to be worth a look."[16]

Regardless the film and its sequels have gained a following over the years and is now considered a cult classic.[17]

Sequels

References

  1. ↑ Ray, Fred Olen (1991). "The New Poverty Row". McFarland and Co. Inc. ISBN 0-89950-628-3. Page 11
  2. 1 2 3 Hardy, Phil (1995). "The Overlook Film Encyclopedia Horror. Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-624-0. Page 109
  3. ↑ Weldon, Michael (1983). "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film. Ballantine Books. ISBN 345-34345-5. Page 27
  4. ↑ "Attack of the Mayan Mummy (1963) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  5. ↑ O'Neill, James (1994). "Terror on Tape. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7612-1. Page 19
  6. ↑ "Attack Of The Mayan Mummy". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  7. 1 2 Wheeler Winston Dixon (24 August 2010). A History of Horror. Rutgers University Press. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-0-8135-5039-8.
  8. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1989). The Encyclopedia of Monsters. New York, New York: Facts on File Inc. p. 15. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ↑ Tom Weaver,; Michael Brunas; John Brunas (1 April 1990). Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 462. ISBN 978-0-7864-9150-6.
  10. ↑ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/attack_of_the_aztec_mummy?
  11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141020064157/http://www.dbcult.com/movie-database/momia-azteca-1957/
  12. ↑ "Amazon.com: The Aztec Mummy Collection: Ramón Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado, Luis Aceves Castañeda, Jorge Mondragón, Arturo Martínez, Emma Roldán, Julián de Meriche, Salvador Lozano, Jaime González Quiñones, Ángel Di Stefani, Adolfo Rojas, Enrique Wallace, Rafael Portillo, Jorge Busto, José Li-ho, Guillermo Calderón, Alfredo Salazar: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Amazon.com: La Momia Azteca : Original Mexican Classic!: Various, Rafael Portillo: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Sindelar, Dave. "The Aztec Mummy (1957)". FantasticMovieMusings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Aztec Mummy - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  16. ↑ Maine, David. "Don’t Open That Door! #61: The Aztec Mummy aka La Momia Azteca (1957) - PopMatters". Pop Matters.com. David Maine. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Momia azteca (1957)". DB Cult.com. DB Cult Film Institute. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
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