La Casa del Terror (1960)

Casimiro is a lazy lump, who does little but sleep and eat all day, in-between dates with his exasperated girlfriend, and a night job for a scientist. Little does he know Dr. Sebastian is a madman, who experiments on human subjects! To this end, he steals a newly presented mummy, and successfully brings it back to life, only for it to transform into a werewolf. Now the monster is a threat to all, unless it can get a new brain. And the doctor thinks Casimiro's will fit the bill perfectly...

La Casa del Terror is a Mexican comedy-horror that has a special place in cinema. It was the last time horror legend Lon Chaney Jr. portrayed the character that made him famous-The Wolf Man! Not in a Universal picture, and thankfully not some z-grade trash either.

The film stars comic actor Tin-Tan. Oftentimes you'll watch a horror film with an obtrusive comic relief character, who hogs the screen so much you can't help but think "If you're that funny, go away and get yourself a stand-up show"! Well in La Casa del Terror's case, there's no need. The comic relief IS the lead, and the film is designed for him. It's a good vehicle for his humour and persona. It never overtakes the monster shenanigans, and vice versa.

The plot itself is the weakest link. All the pieces and characters are in place, but the story itself feels a bit lacking. For a comedy like this, it's admittedly not the most important thing, but things just happen here, and it would've been nice to have a little more tissue.

The film makes great use of its wax museum setting, which has its share of uneasy looking figures. The mad scientist's lab is cool, with enough bits and bobs, and shiny lights to convince.

Casimiro is a naughty boy, with a habit of crying wolf...literally. But he has his redeeming qualities. One cute moment was when he demands statue of Paquita. His role in the climax does verge on unbelievable, but fun all the same.

His girlfriend Paquita is way out of his league, which makes for a fun romance. It's interesting seeing relationships like this. She's a great partner. I like how she defends him from others, but criticises him for his faults. She is not blind, and wants him to improve, but also doesn't tolerate anyone insulting him. It shows how much she really cares for him, despite his somewhat slovenly ways.

Despite the wolf man's habit of killing everyone he sees, naturally he only abducts Paquita, because all monsters love a beautiful woman! It is amusing how her aunt goes out at night alone to buy bread, just so her niece can be home alone to be kidnapped by a werewolf.

The wolf man is a fun presence, always attacking people and smashing things up, while also carefully handling and unlocking doors. My only complaint is that he looks nothing like an ancient resurrected mummy. Once he's been steam-cleaned, he just looks like your average dude, in modern clothes, not like an ancient man. Him being a mummy at all is a strange choice. You're getting two monsters in one here!

The villainous Dr. Sebastian is an amusing guy, aided by his henchmen Rito and Nacho. What he's actually trying to achieve almost feels secondary, and it's just his bad luck that the mummy he randomly chose to resurrect also happened to be a werewolf! Good for scientific research, bad for life expectancy, as he finds out.

One weird thing is how he performs a brain transplant to make the wolf man docile. Not only does it not keep the wolf man in check, he still retains his original mind. Also, considering the professor totally got Nacho killed, I can't exactly imagine his resurrected brain being willing to help.

The acting here is good. Tin-Tan (Germán Valdés) is great fun as the lead. Comic relief characters like this can go either way, but he was a beloved comedian for a reason. Yolanda Varela is spunky enough, with a nice streak. The duo get a song too, which is fun, even if the lyrics do repeat a little too much. Yerye Beirute is entertaining as the mad scientist, hamming it up just enough.

Lon Chaney Jr. is a treat in his last turn as the Wolf Man. Despite having limited screentime and zero dialogue, he does a very good job in capturing the desperation of his character! An old 54 due to poor health, there are stuntmen to help pick up the slack, and they're never too noticeable. I always wondered, since the wolf man is sometimes more agile than you expect from a paunchy 50 year old, but the make-up hides this well.

The effects here are very good! The wolf man's make-up is convincing, just as good as the Universal classics, and the transformation is right in front of our eyes (complete with an adorable nose!). The rooftop climb and battle at the end are well done too! Yeah, you can easily spot the rear projection, and it's silly seeing how agile Casimiro is supposed to be, but it entertains, and it never looks bad.

One interesting bit of trivia to discuss before the end is Face of the Screaming Werewolf. Fantastic title, terrible movie! 'Directed' by Jerry Warren, it's a Frankenstein product cobbled together out of a redubbed Casa del Terror and The Aztec Mummy, with some new footage. It's as bad as it sounds, and is what you expect from Warren. I'm actually partial to the guy's works when he's being original, and this certainly has a 'so bad it's good' element, but its very existence is a failure, and doesn't compare to the simple but reliable charm of the original films.

La Casa del Terror is a funny picture, and a good Mexican comedy to check out. It's definitely one of the best films Lon Chaney Jr. appeared in during the twilight of his career, and I'm grateful to it for that...