El fantasma del convento

El fantasma del convento (lit. The Ghost of the Convent; American release title: The Phantom of the Convent) is a 1934 Mexican horror film directed by Fernando de Fuentes, who also co-wrote and edited the film.

The Phantom of the Convent
Original Spanish theatrical release poster
Directed byFernando de Fuentes
Produced byJorge Pezet
Written byFernando de Fuentes
Jorge Pezet
Juan Bustillo Oro
StarringMarta Roel
Carlos Villatoro
Enrique del Campo
Paco Martinez
Jose Rocha
Victorio Blanco
Music byMax Urban
CinematographyRoss Fisher
Edited byFernando de Fuentes
Production
company
Producciones FESA (Films Exchange)
Distributed byRayo Films (Argentina)
Cinexport Distributing (United States)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

Plot

Cristina (Marta Roel), the wife of Eduardo (Carlos Villatoro), tries to seduce their friend, Alfonso (Enrique del Campo). One night, they lose their way and are guided by a mysterious stranger to an eerie monastery. Over a meal, the old Father Superior (Paco Martinez) tells them the story of a monk who seduced a friend's wife: when he died, the monk could not find peace in death and returned to his cursed cell. Alfonso, about to give in to Cristina's advances, finds the fateful cell and enters it. The sinful monk's mummified corpse gestures towards a book dripping with blood and when the cadaver of Eduardo appears to him as well, Alfonso sinks into a delirium. When he wakes, the trio find out that the monastery has been a ruin for many years and the crypt with the mummified monk has become a tourist attraction. During a final meal in the spectral setting, Cristina accuses Alfonso of cowardice.

Cast
  • Enrique del Campo as Alfonso
  • Marta Roel as Cristina
  • Carlos Villatoro as Eduardo
  • Paco Martínez as Padre Prior
  • Victorio Blanco as Monje

Production

El fantasma del convento was co written and produced by Jorge Pezet and directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Development and production for the film began in 1933. Following the success of La Lorona which was based on the legendary spirit of the same name, and was co-written by director Fuentes, the filmmakers quickly decided to follow-up with the film's success with another horror film. The idea for the film came from producer Jorge Pezet. Pezet had recently developed a fascination with the desiccated mummies displayed in Mexico's Museo de El Carmen. Determined to use them for a film, Pezet, along with director Fuentes, and Juan Bustillo Oro developed a screenplay that featured three young adults who are forced to spend the night at a monastery only to discover that their hosts were members of the undead.[1] Filming took place on location in a Teotzotlan monastery.[2]

Reception

On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called it "one of the best of the Mexican horror movies", praising its striking imagery and use of sound.[3]

gollark: They probably only have one copy and want to see if anyone is insane enough to buy it, or something. Or it's been bid up by the weird autopricing algorithms in use.
gollark: Hmm, yes, true. And you won't have to deal with ARM.
gollark: Yes, and the use case is learning clustering, they aren't great for compute-heavy uses otherwise.
gollark: Oh, so *now* an orbital bee strike has been initiated?
gollark: Oh, so *now* you suddenly stop comparing them?

References
  1. Jonathan Rigby (2011). Studies in Terror: Landmarks of Horror Cinema. Signum Books. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-9566534-4-4. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. Steven Jay Schneider (2003). Fear Without Frontiers: Horror Cinema Across the Globe. FAB. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-903254-15-8. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  3. Sindelar, Dave. "El fantasma del convento (1934)". FantasticMovieMusings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 4 April 2018.


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