Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Swithin "The Black Pit of Dr. M." is indeed a very special horror film. But I miss the dubbed version -- not because I need to understand every word, but because there was something special about the dubbed version of this particular film. It was a kind of strange, funny, translation, with lines like, "Yes, it's me, I came back in Elmer's body." And the actors sounded kind of odd as well. For years, I thought the violin piece played by Dr. M./Elmer was simply the theme from "The Black Pit of Dr. M." But then at a concert I attended it was on the program! It's called "Csardas," and is by a composer named Monti. You can find it on YouTube.But somebody, give us back that glorious dubbed version we enjoyed on Chiller Theater so many years ago!

Scarecrow-88 Dr. Masala(Rafael Bertrand), the prestigious doctor of a sanitarium, wishes to know what lies beyond life, but wants to return to flesh after death. He, through a séance, summons the recently deceased Dr. Jacinto Aldama(Antonio Raxel)wanting that promise they made in a pact(..that being which ever passed first would provide the other with the answer and return to flesh)fulfilled. The spirit of Aldama informs Mazali that if he goes through with what he desires, certain horrific consequences would occur to him after returning from the death to flesh. Mazali doesn't care so Aldama tells him that certain events will unfold as a chain reaction leading to his wish being accomplished. Aldama visits the daughter he neglected in life(..although, she doesn't know it is him at that moment), the lovely Patricia(Mapita Cortés)and explains to her that a key should be taken to a man named Mazali. Meanwhile, a new student of Mazali's, Eduardo Jimenez(Gastón Santos)has envisioned Patricia in a dream and upon seeing her in a dance hall, he is pretty flummoxed to say the least. Even odder is that she has dreamed about him, also. It's as if they were fated to meet. They meet again at the office of Mazali who had just finished plastic surgery on an orderly named Elmer(Carlos Ancira)whose face was horribly scarred when a wacko goes berserk during an experiment gone awry. Mazali was testing the nutcase's ability of calm with the tune of a music box which accidentally shuts with the result being her violent outburst on the staff. The acid burn on Elmer's face results in his madness which later culminates into violent revenge when he kills the wackjob with a certain knife..this certain knife that is found in a box opened by the key Patricia hands to Mazali! Each event unravels the unfortunate demise of Mazali who is framed by the spirit of Jacinto Aldama himself for the murder of his insane patient. Later Elmer dies and is buried(he has written, however, a confession to the dead woman's murder) After Mazali's is hung by the neck at the gallows, the dead body of Elmer is resurrected and whose spirit fills that corpse risen..Mazali himself! Dr. Gonzalez(Luis Aragón)was Mazali's assistant doctor at the asylum and present to all of his activities. Much to his amazement, Gonzalez realizes that the pact made between two doctors was met and that Mazali is now alive in the scarred Elmer. The tension is ratcheted up when Mazali, growing mad and in love with Patricia, will do whatever it takes to remain alive even as the confession of the one who used to possess his host body is found.The main theme here is the tragedy of Mazali, an atheistic scientist who wished to remain alive yet understand what lies beyond this mortal world. Atmospherically rich with an often pounding, unnerving score(with good use of the organ)really give this Gothic Mexican flick it's flavor. Spooky, with good contrast between shadow and light..not to mention fine photography and the setting around an asylum is perfect for a supernatural story.

insomniac_rod Thank you again CasaNegra. An extremely underrated if not forgotten key piece of Mexican classic Horror finally gets a decent release on DVD. To be honest, I have never found this one even on VHS and I'm from Mèxico damn it. The movie was shown at 11:00 P.M. on local t.v. but it's been a while since it aired for the last time. Oh, and forget about the English title! I has minimal or nothing to do with the plot. In fact, the word "ultratumba" was used in many Mexican Horror movies from that time. "Graveyard Mysteryes" would be a more adequate title.Anyways, this movie perfectly displays how Mexican Horror cinema was highly influenced by Gothic atmospheres and stories. In the likes of "La Maldiciòn de la Llorona", this movie centers it's creepiness on settings and atmosphere. The settings are ahead of it's time because it was very difficult back in the 50's to film on mental institutions; the graveyard setting is also terrifying and macabre. By the way, that setting reminds me of my favorite scene of the movie; the "living dead" doctor returning to play his violin. That's a scene that hasn't vanished from my mind since a child.The plot is very interesting and perfectly displays Mexican culture's opinion for death and how sometimes, we (Mexicans) can't accept or deal with it. Yes, there are some unitentionally funny moments mainly because in Mexican culture there's a high amount of "happiness" and "humor" even on the most difficult and sad moments.The score is another important part of the movie. The orchestra truly created a chilling score that plays an important role in the most important moments. Gastòn Santos and Beatriz Aguirre shine with their performances.Please, track down this movie and you will notice that Mexican Gothic can match anytime European Gothic. If you enjoyed this movie, I urge you to watch "La Maldiciòn de la Llorona". It's truly sad that in my country these kind of movies aren't even known!

bensonmum2 Another Mexican horror winner! Until just recently, I doubt I could have named more than a half dozen Mexican horror films that didn't feature a masked wrestler. As I'm quickly discovering, Mexican horror has much more to offer – especially for fans of Gothic horror. Films like The Black Pit of Dr. M appear to be heavily influenced by the classic Gothic Universal films of the 1930s. They have the same thick atmosphere, similar looking sets, a familiar grand but foreboding score, and common plot themes. In fact, if the actors weren't speaking Spanish and you could replace the main actor with Boris Karloff, you would essentially have a 1930s American horror film.The Black Pit of Dr. M is the story of a couple of doctors who have made what is in essence a death pact. The one who dies first will do whatever he can to comeback to let the another know what the afterlife is like. But Dr. Mazali isn't content with knowing what happens after death, he wants to experience it. His recently departed friend, Dr. Aldama, informs Dr. Mazali that it might be possible him to experience the afterlife, yet return to the living. But is Dr. Mazali willing to pay a heavy price to cheat death? If I have one complaint with The Black Pit of Dr. M it would be with the predictable nature of some of the plot points toward the end of the movie. Maybe I've seen too many similar movies or maybe the movie really is predictable, but a few more plot twists in the films finale would have made this one even better. As it is, The Black Pit of Dr. M is a wonderfully entertaining movie even with this weakness. Fans of Gothic horror are sure to enjoy this one.Casa Negra's new DVD is amazing given the obscure nature of the movie. I sincerely doubt that The Black Pit of Dr. M ever looked better. The DVD includes a warning about some brassy moments in the film's soundtrack, and while I noticed it, the audio weaknesses never distracted or took away from the film's enjoyment. The extras are nice and include a very informative commentary with IVTV founder Frank Coleman. Overall, it's another solid job by Casa Negra.