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The Phantom of the Monastery: Limited edition - Indicator Series (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Mexico, 1934
Director: Fernando de Fuentes
Writers: Jorge Pezet, Fernando de Fuentes, Juan Bustillo Oro
Cast: Marta Roel, Enrique del Campo, Carlos Villatoro, Paco Martínez, José Ignacio Rocha, Victorio Blanco, Francisco Lugo, Beltrán de Heredia, Agustín González

Release Date: March 21st, 2022
Approximate running time: 85 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"The Phantom of the Monastery (El fantasma del convento) tells the macabre tale of a troupe of hikers who become lost in a forest and take refuge in a haunted monastery. There, they encounter shape-shifting shadows, ominous sealed doorways, and a cellar crowded with coffins..." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "New 4K restoration from the original negative by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in collaboration with the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project."

The Phantom of the Monastery comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.4 GB

Feature: 18.9 GB

Outside of a few shots, which come from a lower source, the bulk of this transfer looks great. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Spanish. The audio is in good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things tend to be limited. Included are removable English subtitles and removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with Abraham Castillo Flores, head programmer of Mexico’s Mórbido Film Fest titled The Devil in the Detail (18 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English and Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with genre-film experts, film critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, reversible cover art, and a thirty-six page booklet with cast & crew credits, an essay titled Mexican Cinema and its Resistance to Hollywood Style written by Maricruz Castro-Ricalde, an article written by screenwriter Juan Bustillo Oro on the making of The Phantom of the Monastery, an archival production report, a look at the film’s original promotion, an overview of contemporary critical responses, a text piece titled Restoring The Phantom of the Monastery written by Jan-Christopher Horak, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

The Phantom of the Monastery is an early example of Mexican horror cinema that feels like it was influenced by Universal’s monster films of the 1930s. Also, The Phantom of the Monastery has an old, dark house vibe, with its main location being a monastery instead of a house.

The narrative revolves around two men and a woman who are lost wandering the woods when they come across a mysterious stranger with a dog who takes them to a monastery. Once inside, they seek refuge for the night, only to encounter a series of bizarre occurrences that are not easily explained.

The performances are very good, especially the three leads: Marta Roel in the role of Cristina, Enrique del Campo in the role of Alfonso, and Carlos Villatoro in the role of Eduardo. Surprisingly, Carlos Villatoro is the only one of these three to have had a substantial career in acting.

Content-wise, The Phantom of the Monastery has all the elements that one would want from a supernaturally themed horror film. Also, there is a focus on sin as each of the three main characters is tempted by what lurks in the monastery and offers them what they desire.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Phantom of the Monastery does not excel. The premise is well-executed, the narrative effectively builds tension, and a fantastic ending brings everything together. Though the dialog is sparse, this does not matter since there is an abundance of atmosphere that does a superb job reinforcing the foreboding mood. Another strength is Fernando de Fuentes' solid direction. Ultimately, The Phantom of the Monastery is a well-made supernatural horror film that fans of Universal’s classic monster films of the 1930s should thoroughly enjoy.

The Phantom of the Monastery gets a solid release from Powerhouse Films as part of their Indicator Series, highly recommended.

Note: Powerhouse Films has released The Phantom of the Monastery in a standard edition that drops the booklet.