One of the only Santo movies to get distribution in the United States, where it was retooled by K. Gordon Murray as Sampson vs. the Vampire Women and years later played on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Of the Santo movies I've seen, this is the one that most qualifies as a "well-made movie" in the traditional sense. There's a story and production design and cool Universal Horror-style atmospherics, at least until the obligatory long wrestling interlude, which looks like a TV broadcast. Jess Franco's The Awful Dr. Orloff is an obvious influence - so obvious that one of the characters is even named "Professor Orlof."

Years ago I remember Justin and I were watching Daughter of Dr. Jekyll and he said, "Ahh, big spooky castle - love it. My kind of movie." I have held this insight in my heart ever since. This is a good Big Spooky Castle movie.

You kind of know what you're getting into with a title and poster like that. There's a great wrestling scene in this where the silver-masked Santo is unexpectedly getting clobbered by a mysterious black-masked opponent in the ring. The fans can't believe it and Santo knows something is up. At one point he tells his trainer, "He's using deadly karate on me." So Santo heroically fights back and manages to tear the black mask off the other wrestler and it turns out to be a werewolf, which is absolutely ridiculous. The fans panic and rush out of the stadium while the werewolf goes bonkers and escapes by turning into a bat. Turns out it was a vampire after all. And Santo drives a little convertible around town. Amazing.

Nefarious vampire women are summoned from the depths of hell under moonlight. They have pasty, cracked skin and unruly long hair. By the power of Satan, they are converted into hot babes. Evil is unleashed. Who will save us? Enter Santo, the famed folk-hero wrestler and his iconic silver mask. Bat transformations, suplexes, blood-curdling screams, and bloodless corpses abound. SANTO VERSUS THE VAMPIRE WOMEN is a beautiful tale that unites Earth’s favorite luchador with coffins, creepy music, and decrepit dungeons. The plot is simple, but the mood that unfolds is transfixing. (Annie Choi)

Dusty castles filled with spider-webs in which beautiful women in long cloaks and spiky fangs walk around slowly. Heaven.

Oh, Santo is here too. Not very much. But he's here.

"I have to go on the way my ancestors did...to eliminate evil of all kinds!"

You know what. I'd let them drink my blood.

The vampires in this run like the kids from Weapons but it's actually cool in this movie.

Every second spent in the sexy bloodsuckers underground lair is pure gothic ecstasy. The other stuff going on here is pretty fun but I'd still rather stay in those torch lit caverns being swallowed by evil atmosphere and incredible set pieces. Definitely going to have to check out the MST3K episode for this one.

Santo Vs. The Vampire Women is a fun and fantastic blend of luchador wrestling and gothic vampire horror. The vampire women and their well-muscled vampire goons transform into bats and werewolves. The flick is filled with swooping capes and flapping bats, a few wrestling matches with excellent flips and throws and rope action, and many mesmerizing closeups of impeccably mascaraed vampire hypno-eyes. Silver-masked Santo cruises around in a little sports car. Wrestling moves cause vampires to vanish in a puff of smoke.

The movie is admittedly slow in spots, like with the scientists and the police. But the vampire and wrestling sections are frequent and fantastic, making Santo Vs. The Vampire Women (guess who wins) very enjoyable indeed.

This fulfills Criterion 17 in Lord Slaw’s Incredibly Strange Films Moviewatching Challenge: Watch a Santo movie.

I wouldn't have thought it possible for a movie about a luchador that fights sexy vampire ladies to be boring, but by god, they managed to pull it off.

The Letterboxd Season Challenge 11: Week 27