Darker Than Night (1975)


It is a shame that Mexican horror films have the reputation of silliness that they do.  In a lot of cases one thinks of the black and white films featuring knockoffs of the Universal menagerie battling lucha libre heroes.  Basically, cheap movies cashing in on characters that have cross-border appeal, particularly with ex-pats and immigrants. 

The truth is that Mexico has a long, rich history of cinema, and not just in the horror genre.  One of my favorite films, Macario, is a grand example, as are the movies that Alejandro Jodorowski and Luis Buñuel made in Mexico, the latter when unable to do so further under Francisco Franco's regime in Spain.  However, more and more I find myself interested in the movies made by directors who grew up and were part of the culture, and what they bring to their films.  One of those that I will need to explore further is Carlos Enrique Taboada, the director of the slow-burn horror film Darker Than Night. 

Ofelia (Claudia Islas) is the niece of a rich socialite name Susana (Tamara Garina).  When the aunt dies Ofelia, by default, inherits her home and everything in it, with the request that she look after her aunt's cat Bequer, who was the one thing she cared most for in life.  Ofelia invites her roommates Aurora (Susana Dosamentes), Marta (Lucía Méndez) and Pilar (Helena Rojo) to live in the house with her, despite Aurora and Pilar having a dislike for cats.  They also find they have a dislike of the house's sole servant Sofia (Alicia Palacios), who continues to care for the house. 

This changes when Bequer is found dead, having starved to death after being accidentally locked in the cellar.  Soon Aurora begins to hear crying in the night, as well as voices in the garden calling for Bequer.  Sofia hears them as well and decides that it is time to leave the house as she is aware that bad things are about to befall the women, and they do, starting with Aurora, who dies of fright after stating that she has been seeing the ghost of Susana.  Soon the other women begin to see her as well, with the truth behind the haunting soon becoming apparent. 

Darker Than Night bears some resemblance to other horror films of the time, having some noted European influences, but it is more of a subtle film along the lines of The Changeling or The Innocents, with the influence on Ti West's early films being quite clear.  The acting is generally great throughout even if the characters other than Sofia and Ofelia are rather repugnant, especially once it is finally revealed what happened to send the ghost into a rage. 

The good news is that Vinegar Syndrome, who tends to do amazing restoration jobs on the worst of movies, does the same whenever they get ahold of a classic like Darker Than Night.  It just has to be understood that the pacing is going to be like most '70s old dark house films and that it is the mounting tension rather than a ton of special effects that make the movie work.  And work it does, especially if one needs an introduction to the more serious side of classic Mexican horror. 

Darker Than Night (1975)
Time: 102 minutes
Starring: Claudia Islas, Susana Dosamentes, Lucía Méndez, Helena Rojo, Alicia Palacios
Director: Carlos Enrique Taboada



 

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