Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault, 1959–1963: Limited edition - Indicator Series (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Mexico, 1959 (The Black Pit of Dr. M), Mexico, 1962 (The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac), Mexico, 1963 (The Curse of the Crying Woman)
Directors: Fernando Méndez (The Black Pit of Dr. M), Chano Urueta (The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac), Rafael Baledón (The Curse of the Crying Woman)
Cast: Gastón Santos, Rafael Bertrand, Mapita Cortés, Carlos Ancira, Carolina Barret, Luis Aragón, Beatriz Aguirre, Antonio Raxel, Abel Salazar, Lupe Carriles (The Black Pit of Dr. M), Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona, Dina De Marco, Carloes Nieto (The Witch’s Mirror), Abel Salazar, David Silva, German Robles, Rene Cardona, Luis Aragon, Ofelia Guilmain, Ruben Rojo (The Brainiac), Rosita Arenas, Abel Salazar, Rita Macedo, Carlos López Moctezuma, Enrique Lucero, Mario Sevilla, Beatriz Bustamante (The Curse of the Crying Woman)

Release Date: June 12th, 2023 (UK), June 13th, 2023 (USA)‎
Approximate running times: 81 Minutes 27 Seconds (The Black Pit of Dr. M), 75 Minutes 34 Seconds (The Witch’s Mirror), 77 Minutes 6 Seconds (The Brainiac), 80 Minutes 9 Seconds (The Curse of the Crying Woman)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Black Pit of Dr. M, The Witch’s Mirror, The Curse of the Crying Woman), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (The Brainiac)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Spanish (All Films), LPCM Mono English (The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac, The Curse of the Crying Woman)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac, The Curse of the Crying Woman)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £59.99 (UK), $79.99 (USA)

"Fernando Méndez’s Black Pit of Dr. M (Misterios de ultratumba) sees a doctor make a pact with his dying colleague in order to learn the secrets of the afterlife. In Chano Urueta’s The Witch’s Mirror (El espejo de la bruja), a murderer is tormented by the ghost of his dead wife, whilst in Urueta’s The Brainiac (El barón del terror), a nobleman executed for necromancy returns in diabolical form to eradicate the lineage of his killers... by sucking out their brains! Finally, in Rafael Baledón’s The Curse of the Crying Woman (La maldición de la Llorona), a young bride visits her aunt's Gothic mansion, where she finds that she is the descendent of one of Mexican folklore's most terrifying figures." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (The Black Pit of Dr. M), 4.25/5 (The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac, The Curse of the Crying Woman)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "The HD remasters of The Black Pit of Dr. M, The Witch’s Mirror, The Brainiac and The Curse of the Crying Woman were supplied by Alameda Films."

The Black Pit of Dr. M comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23 GB

Feature: 17.6 GB

Though it was not as strong as Casanegra Entertainment’s other Mexican horror DVD releases. This new transfer has had some additional work done when compared to Casanegra Entertainment’s DVD. That said, the source used for this transfer is in very good shape. The image looks crisp; black levels and contrast are strong; and compression is solid.

The Witch’s Mirror comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.7 GB

Feature: 19.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong throughout, and compression is solid.

The Brainiac comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB

Though there are some minor instances of print debris, the bulk of the source used for this transfer looks great. The image looks crisp, contrast and black levels are strong, and compression is solid.

The Curse of the Crying Woman comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.9 GB

Feature: 18.7 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong throughout, and compression is solid.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Spanish - The Black Pit of Dr. M, LPCM Mono English - The Witch’s Mirror, LPCM Mono English - The Brainiac), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Spanish - The Witch’s Mirror, LPCM Mono Spanish - The Brainiac, LPCM Mono Spanish - The Curse of the Crying Woman, LPCM Mono English - The Curse of the Crying Woman)

The Black Pit of Dr. M comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Spanish, and included are removable English subtitles. When compared to Casanegra Entertainment’s DVD, the audio used for this release sounds like it has had additional cleanup; there is no longer any background hiss. That said, dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, things sound satisfactory.

The Witch’s Mirror comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Spanish and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, free of any background hiss. Dialog comes through, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. That said, the Spanish-language track sounds more robust than the English-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. Also, there is a four-minute section during the English audio mix that switches to Spanish since these scenes were not filmed in English. Included is a third English subtitle track that translates the Spanish dialog.

The Brainiac comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Spanish and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Spanish-language track sounds more robust than the English-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. Also, there is a one-minute section during the English audio mix that switches to Spanish since these scenes were not filmed in English. Included is a third English subtitle track that translates the Spanish dialog.

The Curse of the Crying Woman comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Spanish and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, both tracks are satisfactory. That said, both tracks are comparable. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for The Black Pit of Dr. M include an image gallery (41 images - stills/lobby cards/advertisements/posters), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro, academic and author of Fernando Méndez, 1908–1966, who discusses the life and career of the pioneering filmmaker titled Black Pit of Dr Méndez (26 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with Daniel Birman Ripstein who discusses the history of Mexico’s celebrated Alameda Films, and reflects on his relationship with his grandfather, the legendary producer and company founder Alfredo Ripstein, who also made a vital contribution to the preservation of Mexican cinema heritage titled Preserving a Legacy (19 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film programmer, curator and Mexican horror cinema expert, Abraham Castillo Flores.

Extras for The Witch’s Mirror include an image gallery (20 images - stills/lobby cards/posters), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), an episode of Pete Tombs and Andy Starke’s fondly remembered British television series, providing an overview of Mexican genre cinema from the 1950s to the 1970s titled Mondo Macabro: Mexican Horror Movies (24 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a conversation with actress Rosita Arenas and Abraham Castillo Flores titled Rosita Arenas at Mexico Maleficarum (13 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Spanish, Abraham Castillo Flores translates Rosita Arenas’ responses in English), and an audio commentary film historian and Mexican cinema specialist David Wilt.

Extras for The Brainiac include an image gallery (33 images - stills/lobby cards/advertisements/posters), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with academic, author and film scholar Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro who discusses the upbringing and unique path of avant-garde, multi-talented iconoclast Chano Urueta titled ¡Qué viva Chano! (23 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Keith J Rainville, publisher of From Parts Unknown and screenwriter of Los campeones de la Lucha Libre.

Extras for The Curse of the Crying Woman include an image gallery (24 images - stills/lobby cards/advertisements/posters), a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with academic, author and film scholar Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro who discusses the prolific career of actor-writer-producer-director Rafael Baledón titled Daydreams and Nightmares (17 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor, producer and singer Julissa de Llano Macedo and author Cecilia Fuentes Macedo remember the peculiar relationship they had with their mother, Mexican screen icon Rita Macedo titled The Daughters of La Llorona (25 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with academic and Latin American horror specialist, Valeria Villegas Lindvall, also known as Morena de Fuego.

Other extras include a set of five art cards and a one-hundred page booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled The Reinterpretation of Terror: CineMatografica ABSA and Mexican Gothic written by José Luis Ortega Torres, an essay titled The Anonymity of the Mexican Monster Makers written by Abraham Castillo Flores, an essay titled Mexican Monsters Invade the USA written by David Wilt, an archival essay titled Importation/Mexploitation written by Andrew Syder and Dolores Tierney, an obituary of Abel Salaza written by David Wilt, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

The Black Pit of Dr. M: Directed by Fernando Mendez, whose other notable films include The Vampire, The Vampire’s Coffin, and The Living Coffin. Every inch of every frame of The Black Pit of Dr. M is meticulously composed for maximum effect. The lighting and the sets have a German Expressionist vibe to them. His direction is flawless, making The Black Pit of Dr. M one of the greatest gothic horror films ever committed to celluloid.

The premise of a character in search of life after death is superbly realized. The well-executed narrative has just the right amount of surprises to keep things moving, all leading towards an unforgettable finale. That said, there are elements throughout The Black Pit of Dr. M that feel influenced by Edgar Allen Poe. 

The most surprising aspect of The Black Pit of Dr. M is how excellent the cast is in the roles, especially the actress (I couldn’t identify who she was) in the role of a gypsy woman in an insane asylum. Another performance of note is Rafael Bertrand’s portrayal of Dr. Mazali. He delivers a remarkable performance that is accentuated by the moments leading up to his character's demise.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Black Pit of Dr. M does not excel. The visuals are overflowing with atmosphere, the set design is impressive, and it adds grace to the foreboding mood. Also, the special effects are well-executed and never look cheap. And though there are an abundance of amazing moments in The Black Pit of Dr. M. No moment stands out more than the scene with the gypsy woman in the asylum being restrained momentarily by the soothing sounds of a music box. This sequence is wonderfully laid out in such a way that you can feel the opposing tension that is building despite the music trying to do the opposite. Ultimately, The Black Pit of Dr. M is an expositional piece of filmmaking that is beautifully photographed and will have you on the edge of your seat.

The Witch’s Mirror: Today’s horror films, with their vivid colors, have nothing on the horror films that were shot in stark black and white. My earliest memories of watching horror films were through Universal’s classic monster movies like Frankenstein and Dracula. These films evoked a certain kind of menace and style that no color film could. Also, the violence was more subtle and implied, instead of splashing blood on the screen for no reason at all.

Chano Urueta’s The Witch’s Mirror is a beautifully photographed film that at times is reminiscent of James Whale’s Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Then there is the mirror that plays an important part in the story at hand, which has an odd Mario Bava like quality to it. That said, Chano Urueta is like a magician in the way he plays with imagery in The Witch’s Mirror.

The Witch’s Mirror contains many things that have become staples in the Universal Monster films, like a mad scientist who desperately wants to restore the beauty of his new bride. Just like the grave-robbing Doctor Frankenstein, he likes his corpse recently deceased, or better yet, still alive. and a poetic ending that is ironic. Also, the special effects are pretty good, especially the way they make hands disappear.

The performances were very good. The standout performance is Isabela Corona in the role of Sara "The Witch". She steals every scene she is in with her enthusiasm and her wicked stare. Rosita Arenas, in the role of Deborah, also stars as Amelia in The Curse of the Crying Woman.

Content wise, The Witch’s Mirror is equal parts Eyes Without a Face and The Hands of Orlac, with some Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca thrown in for good measure. Ultimately, if you are looking for classic horror that has an abundance of atmosphere and style, then The Witch’s Mirror is a film you should thoroughly enjoy.

The Brainiac: Directed by Chano Urueta, who also directed The Witch’s Mirror, and who once again delivers stylish visuals that give this low-budget film a more polished look. That said, there is an artificial look to The Brainiac, which often uses photography backdrops behind the actors instead of an actual location.

The narrative revolves around Baron Vitelius of Astara, who in 1661 was accused of witchcraft and necromancy, and for his crimes he was burned alive. In the moments before his death, he vows to return one day and kill the descendents of those who burned him alive. Flash forward three hundred years, and he returns as a brain-eating monster.

Based solely on the premise, you know that The Brainiac is going to be a wild ride. And though there are many moments that will have you scratching your head, including some moments that defy logic, it takes so long before anyone suspects Baron Vitelius, who has only recently arrived in town. Any film featuring a brain-sucking monster is worth watching at least once.

The acting is best described as serviceable. With most of the characters serving as nothing more than props that further the story. That said, Abel Salazar in the role of Baron Vitelius, aka The Brainiac, is the only performance of note. His character is that of a man of few words who has a piercing stare.

The Brainiac is one of the most bizarre monsters in the history of horror cinema. It is a shape-sifting creature that also has the powers of invisibility, and last but not least, it likes to eat its victims' brains. The costume for the brainiac, like the rest of the special effects, looks cheap and crude in its design. Ultimately, The Brainiac is a textbook example of Z-grade cinema.

The Curse of the Crying Woman: This film opens with the iconic image of a woman dressed in black holding three menacing dogs. Director Rafael Baledón, a fan of Mario Bava, is clearly paying homage to Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, which has a similar scene. Rafael Baledón’s direction sets the mood right from the start. There are a few stylized set pieces, like the finale, that give The Curse of the Crying Woman a more polished look. The pacing is well timed, and a few well-placed scares add to the building tension. The lighting and framing of the compositions are nearly flawless.

Gore hounds beware: most of the violence is implied or bloodless. Like all gothic horror films, Aunt Selma has a deformed sidekick. Later in the narrative, we are also introduced to another deformed member of the family. One minor complaint is that early on in the narrative, there are victims who are murdered in the first scene who have had blood drained from their bodies. The reason for this is never fully explained. Outside of a few minor moments when things tend to drag, the rest of the narrative moves along quickly.

The acting actually exceeded my expectations, with everyone of the leads giving well-rounded performances. Actress Rosita Arenas, who plays Amelia in The Curse of the Crying Woman, also stars as Deborah in The Witch’s Mirror. Rita Macedo’s character, Aunt Selma, looks like she was patterned after Italian horror queen Barbara Steele. Her black, soulless eyes solidify the connection between the two. Abel Salazar, who is cast in the role of Amelia's husband, is the most well-known of these actors outside of Mexico. His performance is solid despite his limited screen time. Ultimately, despite its lack of budget, The Curse of the Crying Woman is filled with strong visuals and several great performances.

Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault, 1959–1963 is a fantastic release from Powerhouse Films that gives each film a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended. 

Note: This release is a limited-edition box set of 6,000 numbered units for the UK and US.

Written by Michael Den Boer