A cowboy and his sidekick meet a ranching family that is haunted by spirits and vampires.A cowboy and his sidekick meet a ranching family that is haunted by spirits and vampires.A cowboy and his sidekick meet a ranching family that is haunted by spirits and vampires.
Antonio Raxel
- Doctor
- (as Antonio S. Raxel)
José Chávez
- Lencho
- (uncredited)
José Dupeyrón
- Asesino de Lencho
- (uncredited)
Eugenia Galindo
- Clemencia
- (uncredited)
Ana María Hernández
- Ama de llaves
- (uncredited)
Cecilia Leger
- Pueblerina
- (uncredited)
Hernán Vera
- Cantinero
- (uncredited)
Guillermo Álvarez Bianchi
- Don Emiliano
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsReferenced in Fear, Panic & Censorship (2000)
Featured review
First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1967
1958's "The Living Coffin" (El Grito de la Muerte or The Cry of Death) was a sequel of sorts to the previous year's "The Swamp of the Lost Monsters," again scripted by the prolific Ramon Obon and starring the Western duo of Gaston Santos and Pedro de Aguillon. Doing a superior job at the helm than Rafael Baledon was "El Vampiro" director Fernando Mendez, breezing through Old West cliches to highlight the horror in living color, right from the precredits sequence where a dying man collapses next to some skeletal remains. A pair of carved idols puts Gaston and his trusty horse Rayo de Plata on the scent of the sculptor, a recently deceased mother who channeled her grief over losing both sons to the fearsome swamp into their creation. Now her weeping ghost is said to haunt the ranch as 'La Llorona' (The Crying Woman), and indeed reappears to claw a few unsuspecting victims to death, such as the doctor who owned the second idol, his corpse found hanging above the roaring fireplace. This would indicate a more corporeal threat at work, and with villainous Quintin Bulnes among the henchmen, the solution may come off as routine, but careful camera setups coupled with light and shadow manage to overcome script limitations to deliver genuinely atmospheric chills. Bulnes would soon essay his best known genre role as the zombie master in Benito Alazraki's "The Curse of the Doll People," going on to work opposite Boris Karloff in both "Snake People" and "House of Evil," while splendid leading lady Maria Duval balanced a popular singing career with acting in various low budget projects, from early Santo to John Carradine in starring vehicles for Mil Mascaras, "Las Vampiras" and "Enigma de Muerte." Her character initially comes off curt and a little suspicious, but soon sets the action in motion by the removal of a knife held in place to signify the death of her spectral aunt, elements of Poe's "Premature Burial" in place to maintain a level of tension once a second coffin vanishes from the crypt despite its constantly ringing bell to signify catalepsy. The ghastly makeup on the ghost is simple but effective, the attack scenes granting this the edge over its earlier companion piece. Of course there's a barroom brawl where no punch seems to actually land, and a curiously impassive Gaston Santos is easily outshone by his gallant steed, rescuing his master from quicksand after fooling the villains into believing a hidden posse is shooting at them (the less said about the comic relief the better). Rafael Baledon himself would tackle the legend of La Llorona with 1963's "The Curse of the Crying Woman," while Ramon Obon's 1964 "100 Cries of Terror" played off this film's original Mexican title.
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- kevinolzak
- May 17, 2024
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Scream of Death
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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