Doctor of Doom


1h 17m 1965

Brief Synopsis

A mad scientist terrorizes a city by kidnapping young women with his ape-man Gomar and then using them as subjects in sadistic brain transplant experiments. A female wrestler whose sister was one of the victims swears vengeance against the Mad Doctor.

Film Details

Also Known As
Las luchadoras contra el médico asesino
Release Date
Jan 1965
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Cinematográfica Calderón
Distribution Company
K. Gordon Murray Productions; Trans-International Films
Country
Mexico

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 17m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White

Synopsis

A scientist's obsession with brain experimentation drives him to transplant a gorilla's brain in a man's head. The doctor then places an ape's brain in the head of an intelligent woman wrestler, whose death is eventually avenged by her sister, also a victim of the doctor's experiments. Other women wrestlers, assisted by several detectives, locate the doctor's residence. The doctor's laboratory and his victims are destroyed in an explosion. The fiend escapes, only to fall to his death during a struggle with a detective.

Film Details

Also Known As
Las luchadoras contra el médico asesino
Release Date
Jan 1965
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Cinematográfica Calderón
Distribution Company
K. Gordon Murray Productions; Trans-International Films
Country
Mexico

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 17m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White

Articles

Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy - Female Wrestlers, Mad Scientists and Monsters


How can you beat a combination like that? You can't and independent producer K. Gordon Murray knew a gold mine when he saw one. Well known among horror/fantasy buffs for his specialty - taking low-budget international movies, redubbing them into crude English language versions, and exploiting them as kiddie matinee fare or grind house filler - Murray moved into the Mexican horror/fantasy market in 1959 when he bought a package of 28 horror movies and 8 children's films. Eventually, Murray sold this library of titles to television in a package known as "The World of Terror" and now Something Weird Video is busy re-releasing the whole shebang under the moniker "The K. Gordon Murray Collection." Their first release is the double threat combo of Doctor of Doom (1962) and The Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy (1964). More double features are forthcoming but for starters, this disk is a great introduction to Murray's lunatic concoctions, which were more obsessed with seamless lip synchronization than accurate translations of the Spanish dialogue. As a result, you get hilariously implausible lines like "The villain had that little weapon locked in his teeth and had to bite down to fire it" or "I am awakening from a long sleep. The Black Dragon is my only friend. I must hate those who hate him."

Of the two movies featured on this disk, Doctor of Doom rates a higher score if only because it was the film that set the standards for all the wrestling women vs. monsters sequels that followed. A mad doctor exerts his power over a hulking, ape-man assistant named Gomar who kidnaps women for brain experiments. When the operations fail repeatedly, one of the surgeon's minions concludes that the women's "IQs were extremely low....we'll achieve better results from a superior brain with a high IQ from a young and intelligent woman." But where can you find an intelligent woman? In the wrestling ring, of course. Pretty soon Gloria Venus and her tag team partner, Golden Rubi, are being stalked as the most logical choices for the next batch of experiments. Before the madness comes to an end, Gomar's brain gets transplanted into the body of one of Gloria's gal pals who is rechristened "Vendetta," and challenges our heroine to an arena death duel.

In a formula that would be copied repeatedly over several decades, wrestling sequences alternate with scenes of monster mayhem, resulting in a unique horror hybrid exclusive to Mexican cinema. There's no denying that Doctor of Doom is nuttier than a fruitcake, even without Murray's over-the-top English dubbing, and it's guaranteed to kill more brain cells than a six-pack. But if you're a confirmed horror fan, you'll sit transfixed in slack-jaw amazement at this south-of-the-border novelty. From the tacky sets (Gomar lives in a basement cell surrounded by storage crates, bric-a-brac and slabs of beef hanging from the ceiling) to the incongruous use of music (light cocktail jazz accompanies Gomar's abduction of the two female wrestlers), Doctor of Doom is unlike any American genre film you're likely to see. Among the long list of favorite scenes, however, one stands out. When a police inspector goes to the telephone to warn his almost deaf grandmother of a killer on the loose, he yells into the receiver at full blast, "GRANDMA DEAR, DON'T GO OUT TONIGHT!" Was this the original inspiration for the "News for the Hard of Hearing" skit with Garnett Morris on Saturday Night Live? In 1974, Doctor of Doom was remade as Night of the Bloody Apes (also available from Image Entertainment) though it's a much more explicit version with female nudity, rape scenes, and real heart transplant surgery footage.

The co-feature, The Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy, is just as demented as Doctor of Doom and reunites most of the cast from the latter feature. This time around Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi are battling "The Black Dragon," an Asian archvillain who is killing off any archaeologist who stands in the way of a coveted Aztec treasure. Of course, the tomb in question carries a curse, one that involves a mummy named Xochitl. It's hard to decide which is more hilarious, the tattered, dissipated-looking mummy or the oversized rubber bat it transforms itself into during battles against the female wrestlers. And for eye candy, you've got the luscious Lorena Velazquez (Gloria) and Elizabeth Campbell (Rubi) in an ever-changing wardrobe of tights and leotards.

As usual, this Something Weird double feature comes with an overload of extra features, which total over 3 1/2 hours of viewing time. Among the highlights are an episode from the monster musical kiddie TV show, "Ghoul-A-Go-Go," an accompanying booklet, "The Wonder World of K Gordon Murray" by Charles Kilgore, Rob Craig and David F. Friedman, Chill-O-Rama trailers for Black Pit of Dr. M (1958), Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (1960) and other Murray releases. Although the snapper case claims that the two features are "digitally remastered," don't expect the Criterion Collection treatment. Both films have their share of visual imperfections and the black and white levels often look too soft but overall these defects won't detract from what is a fun viewing experience.

For more information about Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, visit Image Entertainment. To order Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, go to TCM Shopping.

by Jeff Stafford
Doctor Of Doom/Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy - Female Wrestlers, Mad Scientists And Monsters

Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy - Female Wrestlers, Mad Scientists and Monsters

How can you beat a combination like that? You can't and independent producer K. Gordon Murray knew a gold mine when he saw one. Well known among horror/fantasy buffs for his specialty - taking low-budget international movies, redubbing them into crude English language versions, and exploiting them as kiddie matinee fare or grind house filler - Murray moved into the Mexican horror/fantasy market in 1959 when he bought a package of 28 horror movies and 8 children's films. Eventually, Murray sold this library of titles to television in a package known as "The World of Terror" and now Something Weird Video is busy re-releasing the whole shebang under the moniker "The K. Gordon Murray Collection." Their first release is the double threat combo of Doctor of Doom (1962) and The Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy (1964). More double features are forthcoming but for starters, this disk is a great introduction to Murray's lunatic concoctions, which were more obsessed with seamless lip synchronization than accurate translations of the Spanish dialogue. As a result, you get hilariously implausible lines like "The villain had that little weapon locked in his teeth and had to bite down to fire it" or "I am awakening from a long sleep. The Black Dragon is my only friend. I must hate those who hate him." Of the two movies featured on this disk, Doctor of Doom rates a higher score if only because it was the film that set the standards for all the wrestling women vs. monsters sequels that followed. A mad doctor exerts his power over a hulking, ape-man assistant named Gomar who kidnaps women for brain experiments. When the operations fail repeatedly, one of the surgeon's minions concludes that the women's "IQs were extremely low....we'll achieve better results from a superior brain with a high IQ from a young and intelligent woman." But where can you find an intelligent woman? In the wrestling ring, of course. Pretty soon Gloria Venus and her tag team partner, Golden Rubi, are being stalked as the most logical choices for the next batch of experiments. Before the madness comes to an end, Gomar's brain gets transplanted into the body of one of Gloria's gal pals who is rechristened "Vendetta," and challenges our heroine to an arena death duel. In a formula that would be copied repeatedly over several decades, wrestling sequences alternate with scenes of monster mayhem, resulting in a unique horror hybrid exclusive to Mexican cinema. There's no denying that Doctor of Doom is nuttier than a fruitcake, even without Murray's over-the-top English dubbing, and it's guaranteed to kill more brain cells than a six-pack. But if you're a confirmed horror fan, you'll sit transfixed in slack-jaw amazement at this south-of-the-border novelty. From the tacky sets (Gomar lives in a basement cell surrounded by storage crates, bric-a-brac and slabs of beef hanging from the ceiling) to the incongruous use of music (light cocktail jazz accompanies Gomar's abduction of the two female wrestlers), Doctor of Doom is unlike any American genre film you're likely to see. Among the long list of favorite scenes, however, one stands out. When a police inspector goes to the telephone to warn his almost deaf grandmother of a killer on the loose, he yells into the receiver at full blast, "GRANDMA DEAR, DON'T GO OUT TONIGHT!" Was this the original inspiration for the "News for the Hard of Hearing" skit with Garnett Morris on Saturday Night Live? In 1974, Doctor of Doom was remade as Night of the Bloody Apes (also available from Image Entertainment) though it's a much more explicit version with female nudity, rape scenes, and real heart transplant surgery footage. The co-feature, The Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy, is just as demented as Doctor of Doom and reunites most of the cast from the latter feature. This time around Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi are battling "The Black Dragon," an Asian archvillain who is killing off any archaeologist who stands in the way of a coveted Aztec treasure. Of course, the tomb in question carries a curse, one that involves a mummy named Xochitl. It's hard to decide which is more hilarious, the tattered, dissipated-looking mummy or the oversized rubber bat it transforms itself into during battles against the female wrestlers. And for eye candy, you've got the luscious Lorena Velazquez (Gloria) and Elizabeth Campbell (Rubi) in an ever-changing wardrobe of tights and leotards. As usual, this Something Weird double feature comes with an overload of extra features, which total over 3 1/2 hours of viewing time. Among the highlights are an episode from the monster musical kiddie TV show, "Ghoul-A-Go-Go," an accompanying booklet, "The Wonder World of K Gordon Murray" by Charles Kilgore, Rob Craig and David F. Friedman, Chill-O-Rama trailers for Black Pit of Dr. M (1958), Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (1960) and other Murray releases. Although the snapper case claims that the two features are "digitally remastered," don't expect the Criterion Collection treatment. Both films have their share of visual imperfections and the black and white levels often look too soft but overall these defects won't detract from what is a fun viewing experience. For more information about Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, visit Image Entertainment. To order Doctor of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, go to TCM Shopping. by Jeff Stafford

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Produced in Mexico in 1962 as Las luchadoras contra el médico asesino; running time: 90 min. William Calderon Stell is an anglicized rendering of Guillermo Calderón.