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The Man and The Monster (El Hombre y el Monstruo) The Living Coffin (El Grito De La Muerte) The first thing that strikes you with these two films is the absolute care and attention to detail Casa Negra gives to these almost forgotten treasures of Mexican cinema. The design work of the packaging is impeccable, including double sided inserts with English on one side and Spanish on the other. It is such attention to detail that makes it obvious that this is a labor of love. In The Man and The Monster Abel Salazar (who also produced the film) plays Ricardo Souto, a music reporter turned investigator, who finds himself thrust in the middle of bizarre circumstances when he comes across a wounded girl by the side of the road. Ricardo is in town to hear the new protégé (Roth) of Samuel Magno (Rambal), a famous pianist who mysteriously moved to a remote village after abruptly retiring. Enrique Rambal delivers a solid performance as the neo Jekyll/Hyde, who has sold his soul to become the greatest pianist the world has ever known, unfortunately (as with all deals with the devil) he should have read the fine print. With stunning Wellesian camera work provided by Raúl Martínez Solares (Who had won the Ariel Award for Cinematography (think Mexican Academy Awards) 2 years before for his work on Yambao ) and Carlos Nájera's exquisite lighting, this is a visual treat that at times rivals the Universal classics. A must have for any monster kid's collection! Casa Negra has completely re-mastered both picture and sound, making sure this unsung treat will be around for generations to come. The DVD also includes poster and still galleries, a slideshow of classic Mexican horror movie posters, as well as cast bios. It seems unfair to compare The Living Coffin to The Man and The Monster because they are two very different films with totally different atmospheres, but unfortunately the two films have been tied together through release dates as well as a mutual advertising campaign. When one does compare them The Man and The Monster definitely comes out the superior film, but taken on its own The Living Coffin is a tight little action thriller that does create its own unique western horror atmosphere. This is due in large part to the soundtrack by Gustavo C. Carrion whose pounding rhythms help move the story forward and keep the suspense up. The lighting and camera work is fairly standard fare: long shots, close ups and talking head shots are the order of the day. And even though the screenplay by Ramón Obón occasionally requires a leap of faith and has a plot-line straight out of Scooby-Doo, it still manages to be an entertaining yarn about a town ruled by superstition. The DVD also includes the photo essay “Cowboys & Monsters: The Mexican Horror-Western.” by Robert Scott |
Death of a thousand cuts 
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