Review
by Scott Lefebvre
My interest in
Mexican Masked Wrestlers was first inspired by an independent film called
"Enter Zombie King" in which the actors do their entire performance in
Mexican style wrestling masks. When I was a kid, I had a passing
interest in "professional" wrestling and I knew a bit about it for a
while, but my enthusiasm was never so intense that I ever went to see a live
show or bought merchandise.
Josh Gravel purchased a few books from a horror convention we attended and since he is not nearly as avid a reader, he let me borrow a few of his new acquisitions for reading and review.
Beginning this book, I was not completely unfamiliar with the concept of Mexican Masked Wrestlers but I soon realized that I had not seen any of the films mentioned in the truly comprehensive overview of the genre. I was in for quite the adventure.
Upon first opening the book, perhaps one notices the Table of Contents whose list of chapters are almost as colorful as the titles of the films they discuss. Chapters include: "The Bat Flies South: Early Mexican Fantasy and Horror", "Who Was That Masked Man?: The Spirit of the Serials", "Universal Con Carne: New Lives for the Old Undead", "Santo and Son: The Legend of the Silver-Masked Man", "Devil with a Blue Mask On: The Life and Films of Blue Demon", "Man of a Thousand Masks: The Life and Films of Mil Mascaras", "Glorious Luchadoras of Wrestling: The Lives and Films of the Wrestling Women", "The Undercard: Second-Banana Masked Men", "Vampires Not Named Dracula, and Other Assorted Creatures: The Wide, Wide World of Mexican Monsters", and "Men Can Die but Legends Live Forever: The Legacy of the Silver-Masked Man".
The usually brief, and mostly entertaining synopses style reviews reflect the author's genuine enthusiasm for and knowledge of his subject. The brevity of the reviews make this book a pleasure to read providing convenient stopping points on every page. Perhaps this is why it took so long for me to finish this book. Not for lack of pleasure, but because it was so easy to pick up this book and read a few reviews between the events that occur during one's everyday life.
The reviews respectfully present the varying degrees of excitement and comprehensibility of the stories and characters portrayed in the films, and even indulge in humor when the psychotronical surreality of the films become too much for even the most enthusiastic enthusiast of this unique film genre. The world of Mexican Masked Wrestlers and Monsters is indeed a weird one. On the back cover the synopses of the book includes this paragraph: "Add a few half-naked vampire women, Aztec mummies, mad scientists, evil midgets from space, and a goateed Frankenstein monster, and you have just some of the elements of Mexican masked wrestler and monster movies, certainly among the most bizarre, surreal and imaginative films ever produced.". Indeed. I can not easily put it any better.
This book is perhaps unique that with the exception of very rare spelling and grammatical errors I can't think of a single negative thing to say. The length is comfortable and not unsatisfying or overburdening, and the writing is clear and enjoyable to read.
The only letdown I experienced was not a result of the book, but a result of the films themselves. After reading a few chapters, I became so enamored of the idea of Masked Wrestlers fighting Universal Monsters that I made it a point to obtain some of them for my own viewing pleasure. I got about halfway through the first one, and it completely lost my attention, and I didn't end up watching any others before returning them to the friend from whom I borrowed them.
This is one of the rare occasions when reading about a genre of films was actually more fun than watching them. The production values of these films, though better than the films of Edward D. Wood Jr., fall short of the production values of most of the Italian giallo films. Sure it was hilarious to watch Santo pick up and throw a fucking Jaguar, but that doesn't make up for two hours of shoddy sets and locations, static shots and wooden acting.
So although I would be hard-pressed to recommend the films that this excellent and truly comprehensive genre film guide contains, the book is great fun for any enthusiasts of cult or camp films and a must own for those with even a passing fancy for Mexican Masked Wrestlers or the many films they helped to make infamous during their brief yet impressive reign.
Josh Gravel purchased a few books from a horror convention we attended and since he is not nearly as avid a reader, he let me borrow a few of his new acquisitions for reading and review.
Beginning this book, I was not completely unfamiliar with the concept of Mexican Masked Wrestlers but I soon realized that I had not seen any of the films mentioned in the truly comprehensive overview of the genre. I was in for quite the adventure.
Upon first opening the book, perhaps one notices the Table of Contents whose list of chapters are almost as colorful as the titles of the films they discuss. Chapters include: "The Bat Flies South: Early Mexican Fantasy and Horror", "Who Was That Masked Man?: The Spirit of the Serials", "Universal Con Carne: New Lives for the Old Undead", "Santo and Son: The Legend of the Silver-Masked Man", "Devil with a Blue Mask On: The Life and Films of Blue Demon", "Man of a Thousand Masks: The Life and Films of Mil Mascaras", "Glorious Luchadoras of Wrestling: The Lives and Films of the Wrestling Women", "The Undercard: Second-Banana Masked Men", "Vampires Not Named Dracula, and Other Assorted Creatures: The Wide, Wide World of Mexican Monsters", and "Men Can Die but Legends Live Forever: The Legacy of the Silver-Masked Man".
The usually brief, and mostly entertaining synopses style reviews reflect the author's genuine enthusiasm for and knowledge of his subject. The brevity of the reviews make this book a pleasure to read providing convenient stopping points on every page. Perhaps this is why it took so long for me to finish this book. Not for lack of pleasure, but because it was so easy to pick up this book and read a few reviews between the events that occur during one's everyday life.
The reviews respectfully present the varying degrees of excitement and comprehensibility of the stories and characters portrayed in the films, and even indulge in humor when the psychotronical surreality of the films become too much for even the most enthusiastic enthusiast of this unique film genre. The world of Mexican Masked Wrestlers and Monsters is indeed a weird one. On the back cover the synopses of the book includes this paragraph: "Add a few half-naked vampire women, Aztec mummies, mad scientists, evil midgets from space, and a goateed Frankenstein monster, and you have just some of the elements of Mexican masked wrestler and monster movies, certainly among the most bizarre, surreal and imaginative films ever produced.". Indeed. I can not easily put it any better.
This book is perhaps unique that with the exception of very rare spelling and grammatical errors I can't think of a single negative thing to say. The length is comfortable and not unsatisfying or overburdening, and the writing is clear and enjoyable to read.
The only letdown I experienced was not a result of the book, but a result of the films themselves. After reading a few chapters, I became so enamored of the idea of Masked Wrestlers fighting Universal Monsters that I made it a point to obtain some of them for my own viewing pleasure. I got about halfway through the first one, and it completely lost my attention, and I didn't end up watching any others before returning them to the friend from whom I borrowed them.
This is one of the rare occasions when reading about a genre of films was actually more fun than watching them. The production values of these films, though better than the films of Edward D. Wood Jr., fall short of the production values of most of the Italian giallo films. Sure it was hilarious to watch Santo pick up and throw a fucking Jaguar, but that doesn't make up for two hours of shoddy sets and locations, static shots and wooden acting.
So although I would be hard-pressed to recommend the films that this excellent and truly comprehensive genre film guide contains, the book is great fun for any enthusiasts of cult or camp films and a must own for those with even a passing fancy for Mexican Masked Wrestlers or the many films they helped to make infamous during their brief yet impressive reign.
Online:
Mcfarland & Company Inc., Publishers: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/
The Book: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-2022-3
Mcfarland & Company Inc., Publishers: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/
The Book: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-2022-3
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