Mexican Rancheras films were a wildly popular subgenre beginning as early as the 1930’s. Comparable to the B-Westerns of Republic Pictures and the poverty row productions featuring before-they-were stars like John Wayne and Gene Autry, the films were heavy on formula and light on thespianship—often featuring a sinister plot, a rugged stranger, his trusty horse and a comic-relief sidekick to unravel the cookie cutter mystery on screen. The 1959 film, THE LIVING COFFIN or EL GRITO DE LA MUERTE is no exception to the cinematic rule, but what makes it an interesting spectacle is its use of Mexican folklore and supernatural underpinnings to weave the standard Ranchera formula.
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Gastón Santos—a world famous bullfighter—stars as Gastón. Trading on his fame for a brief film career, Santos would star in several Ranchera-style films with top billing. In THE LIVING COFFIN, Gastón has arrived late in the afternoon to the hacienda of a beautiful girl María (María Duval, SANTO VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN) and her aunt. Gastón has come to inquire about a small stone statue of a crying woman—and thusly begins the mystery surrounding the casa of Clotilde (Carolina Barrett, THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M). It seems the town is haunted by the shrieking cries of the dead matriarch of the estate. Doomed to wander in the swamps pining for the loss of her two young children, the crying woman has vowed revenge on all who have wronged her, taking not only their lives but their buried corpses as payment for her pain.
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THE LIVING COFFIN may have dipped its toe in the well of supernatural cinema to help establish itself as a genre offering, but with a land-grab-Scooby-Doo-styled-explanation coming in the final reels, and the pratfall filled slapstick humor of Pedro de Aguillón as the coon-skin-capped foil Coyote Loco, the film stands resolutely in the B-Western fray. Still, what sets the production apart is its inclusion of the legendary curse of the crying woman—which on its own has seen dozens of gothic interpretations—including the titular 1963 Abel Salazar (BRAINIAC) and Rosita Arenas project LA MALDICION DE LA LLORONA. In THE LIVING COFFIN, the curse is a simple prop and although the townsfolk fear the unknown, the worldly vaquero Gastón carries a secret with him that allows for a lot more skepticism.
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As a horror film, the production suffers slightly from being shot in color—a trade off that allows the broad vista set-ups to shine, but detracts from the usual stark nature of the black and white cinematography that makes Mexican horror films so visually arresting. The terror is sparse, only revealing the crusty corpse of Clotilde on occasion as she strangles those unfortunate enough to cross her path. The majority of the film follows Gastón—the hero—on his quest to unmask the nightmares that have plagued the hacienda. It’s as straightforward a serial western as they come including second and third act shootouts replete with the horse saving the day.
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It’s so rare that a Mexican Ranchera film took on elements of horror that fans of either Hollywood Oaters or Mexican gothic horror cinema would do well to sit up and take notice. With direction by Fernando Méndez (THE VAMPIRE, THE VAMPIRES COFFIN) and a screenplay by Ramón Obón (THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M) the film certainly contains the pedigree to make an enjoyable—if somewhat dusty romp—through Mexico’s version of the old west.