User Reviews

Fans of the golden period of Mexican horror, looking for new films, would be wise to give THE PHANTOM OF THE RED HOUSE a wide berth as it doesn't really offer the same entertainment value as, say, THE VAMPIRE or THE BRAINIAC from the same period. Instead, this is a lame comedy masquerading as an old dark house mystery, where the laughs are very much diluted and the bad dubbing is a handicap the viewer is left struggling to contend with. The dubbing is particularly noticeable in a moment near the end, where a female victim screams constantly for ten minutes – a totally annoying segment that will have you reaching for the remote control. Similarly, the heavy atmosphere often seen in such productions is at a bare minimum here, with only a few moments of lightning to add to the thrill of the piece.

Most of the "entertainment" comes from incessant periods of Mexican song-and-dance, all taking place at the Devil's Inn or El Infierno, a place where the waitresses dress in skimpy red devil's costumes and there's a greasy Hispanic chap burning the dishes. After introductions are out of the way, we move to the Red House and the various swarthy relatives each hoping for his own cut from the dead man's will. The usual clichéd types are present – the women prone to fainting, the old flame, the sinister secretary, the wizened housekeeper with her predictions of death, and the nervous doctor.

The dialogue is typically trite and overdoes some weak humour. But this is nothing compared to the arrival of Clavillazo, a Mexican comedian from the period, playing the dumbest detective I've ever seen on screen. I won't go into the ridiculous antics that Clavillazo gets into, other than to say that they're childish in the extreme and sadly unfunny. Perhaps this is what Mexicans found funny at the time but it has dated badly apart from a few interchanges.

The Phantom of the title was what interested me in the first place and I'm pleased to say that he doesn't disappoint, one of the film's strong points. Dressed in a long cape, a fedora, and a wrestling mask apparently stolen from Neutron, the Atomic Superman, the Phantom is a sight to be seen. The various shots of him creeping about and knifing relatives are pretty sinister and there are a few good chase sequences to behold. Unfortunately there's also a never-ending chase round a table at the film's finale which quickly becomes tiresome and the unmasking at the end is also underwhelming.