La momia azteca contra el robot humano (1958)

A mad doctor builds a robot in order to steal a valuable Aztec treasure from a tomb guarded by a centuries-old living mummy.

Director:

Rafael Portillo

Writers:

Guillermo Calderón (original story) (as Guillermo Calderón S.), Alfredo Salazar (original story)

Stars:

Ramón Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ramón Gay	...	Dr. Eduardo Almada
Rosita Arenas	...	Flor Almada / Xochitl
Crox Alvarado	...	Pinacate
Luis Aceves Castañeda	...	Dr. Krupp
Jorge Mondragón	...	Dr. Sepúlveda (archive footage)
Arturo Martínez	...	Tierno
Emma Roldán	...	Maria, the housekeeper
Julián de Meriche	...	Comandante (as Julien de Meriche)
Salvador Lozano
Jaime González Quiñones	...	Pepe Almada (as Jaime Quiñones)
Ángel Di Stefani	...	Popoca, the Mummy (as Angelo De Steffani)
Adolfo Rojas	...	The Human Robot
Jesús Murcielago Velázquez	...	El Murciélago (as Murcielago Velazquez)
Enrique Yáñez	...	Esbirro del Murciélago
Guillermo Hernández	...	Esbirro del Murciélago (as Lobo Negro)

Storyline

A mad doctor builds a robot in order to steal a valuable Aztec treasure from a tomb guarded by a centuries-old living mummy.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | mummy | telephone | telephone call | mausoleum | 

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Taglines:

See the relentless machine battle the gruesome corpse

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinematográfica Calderón S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point a character causes the mummy to retreat by showing the mummy a cross. This suggests that a mummy which has been entombed for centuries knows the significance of a crucifix.

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Goofs

A gun is clearly discharged several times in the fight scene near the end, but it makes no sound.

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Alternate Versions

There are two different US versions of this film: One is the American International Pictures print with the original atmospheric music score (complete with classical music pieces), and during the climactic fight between Popoca and the Human Robot, Popoca had a scary, menacing voice (ie. groaning and roaring). Another is the 1964 rerelease by Young Horror Club of America, with a completely redone (and loopy) music score, somewhat different title cards, and the voice of Popoca (in said climactic fight) was replaced with a faint high-pitched voice (which sounded more like he was yawning). This latter version was seen in the public domain. Both versions had the exact same dubbing done for US producer K. Gordon Murray by Manuel San Fernando (intended for AIP's version).

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Connections

Featured in Spooks A-Poppin' (1992)

User Reviews

Very goofy and very boring

It's hard not to laugh at this movie. It's hard not to laugh knowing that somewhere, someone sat down and thought that having a robot fight a mummy would make for a good picture. And it might have been if the two title characters combined for more than 5 min of screen time. Unfortunately, most of the film consists of flashback scenes and some scientist's encounters with "The Bat". The robot, built out of sturdy cardboard and headlights, isn't even introduced till the movie is practically over and their monumental confrontation (the premise the movie is supposedly centered around) lasts about 30 sec.

I have a lot of questions for this movie. Why is the bad guy referred to as "The Bat"? Why does the mummy sound like a gorilla? Why did the robot need to have a human head? Why was there an endless Aztec dance scene? Why?