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Santo vs. Doctor Death – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Mexico/Spain, 1973
Director: Rafael Romero Marchent
Writers: Rafael Romero Marchent, José Luis Navarro
Cast: Santo, Carlos Romero Marchent, Helga Liné, George Rigaud, Antonio Pica, Mirta Miller, Maribel Hidalgo, Frank Braña, Lorenzo Robledo

Release Date: November 25th, 2022
Approximate running time: 97 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.98

"Famed Mexican wrestler and secret agent, Santo "The Silver Mask," is back in action! This time, Santo is sent to Madrid not only for a big wrestling event, but also to investigate an international case involving counterfeit art. Shortly after arriving in Madrid, Santo is partnered with an Interpol Agent named Paul (aka. "Agent 9004") and the two are quickly greeted by a number of trigger-happy assassins sent to keep them from uncovering the truth behind the art forgeries. However, the case becomes even more complicated when Santo and Paul learn that beautiful models have been going missing and that it all may be linked to an art restorationist named Dr. Mann. Santo and Paul are sent to assist seductive Special Agent Susan who is sent undercover as a model to infiltrate Dr. Mann's castle. The three soon uncover Dr. Mann's elaborate plot to use the models as test subjects in a macabre experiment to perfect his art restoration process." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Santo vs. Doctor Death comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.3 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

The sources used for this transfer look excellent. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well represented and sound robust when they should. The differences between these two tracks are minimal. Included are removable English and removable English SDH subtitles for the Spanish language track, and a second removable English SDH subtitle track for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a promotional image gallery with music from Santo vs. Doctor Death playing in the background, alternate English language titles (2 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Spanish language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English subtitles), a video essay by film historian Orlando Jimenez (14 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, a double-sided poster, and a specially designed, bottom loading VHS inspired slipcase.

Summary:

By the time Santo appeared in Santo vs. Doctor Death, he had already appeared in forty-five Santo films. Though the character had been well established by Santo vs. Doctor Death. The result is arguably one of the best Santo films.

Directed by Rafael Romero Marchent (Curse of the Black Cat), who also co-wrote Santo vs. Doctor Death's screenplay. And though there had been Santo films made outside of Mexico, Santo vs. the Evil Brain and Santo vs. the Infernal Man were both made in Cuba. Santo vs. Doctor Death would be made in Spain, giving it a eurocult vibe that differs from other Santo films.

The narrative revolves around a criminal organization that is making counterfeits for priceless paintings. Unable to make heads or tails of how they are able to switch the priceless paintings with counterfeits. Interpol teams with a masked crime fighter named Santo, aka The Silver Mask.

The performances are best described as serviceable. With no one standing out. The cast features several faces recognizable to those familiar with eurocult cinema, like George Rigaud (The Case of the Bloody Iris) in the role of Dr. Mann, Helga Liné (Horror Rises from the Tomb) in the role of Dr. Mann’s assistant, and Mirta Miller (Count Dracula's Great Love) in the role of an interpol agent who goes undercover as a model.

The main attraction of Santo vs. Doctor Death is Santo doing what he does best: wrestling and fighting crime. Though the bulk of his screen time in the first hour is mostly him wrestling. He really gets to shine in the last thirty minutes, which are action-packed. During this part of the film, Santo and an interpol agent sneak into the bad guys hideout and take them out one by one.

Content-wise, Santo vs. Doctor Death has all the elements that one would expect from a 1970s Eurocult film. Notably, a wild premise in which women’s estrogen is used to help make counterfeit paintings. The narrative does a good job maintaining momentum, and an action-packed finale neatly wraps everything up. Ultimately, Santo vs. Doctor Death is a highly entertaining film that also makes a great starting point for anyone interested in the films of Santo.

Santo vs. Doctor Death gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome Archive, highly recommended.

Note: This release is limited to 5,000 units.