Gaston Santos (Gaston Santos) and his sidekick, Coyote Loco (Pedro de Aguillon) visit the hacienda of Dona Maria (Hortensia Santovena) looking for the woman who carved a small statue of a weeping woman. Unfortunately Dona Clotilde died the year before. He learns from her niece, Maria Elena Garcia (Maria Duval) that two carvings were done using the same stone material, both exactly the same. The other was given to the town doctor (Antonio Raxel).
The statues represent the woman’s two sons who died in the nearby swamp. The crying woman represents death. When Dona Clotilde died a knife was stuck into the grandfather clock. Superstition maintains that as long as the knife remains in the clock, the dead will stay in their graves. Should anyone remove the knife the clock with start again and the dead will be free to roam. Maria’s aunt, Dona Maria is adamant that the knife stay where it is. When Maria removes the knife and shows it to her aunt, Dona Maria has a heart attack. Maria sends a servant for the doctor but someone shoots the man before he reaches town. Passing by, Santos and Coyote hear the shot and find the man. They take him to town for medical attention.
Gaston finds out that the doctor was in love with Dona Clotilde and that since her death he has spent most of his time getting drunk. After a run in with some locals at the town tavern Gaston takes the doctor to the hacienda to see to Dona Maria. Not long after that what appears to be the spirit of Dona Clotilde begins to haunt the hacienda. With sharpened claws she strangles and scratches the face of Dona Maria.
Meanwhile Gaston tells Maria that there is more to the carved idols than just superstition. He tells her that the stone used is one that is usually found near a vein of gold. He also says that the possibility of gold nearby is a good reason for murder. Maria has no idea where the rock came from and is now a firm believer in evil spirits. As if to prove to her that she is right the next victim is the drunken doctor. This time after clawing him to death he is stuffed up the fireplace flue. Still the spirit of Dona Clotilde is not done.
“The Living Coffin” AKA “El grito de la muerta” or “Scream of Death” was released in 1959 and was directed by Fernando Mendez. It is a Mexican cowboy mystery with horror elements and is of the weird west subgenre. It is one of the films that K. Gordon Murray did an English dub to for the American market.
The hero of the film is Gaston Santos. He did some really fun Mexican horror/cowboy movies. At one time Santos was a bullfighter. In many of these films, Gaston plays himself, a detective and a hero. The plot of “Coffin” is a lot more cohesive than that of other Santos films such as “Swamp of the Lost Monsters” 1964. In that respect it’s not as campy or as funny but it does have some really good atmosphere. There are also some really good color prints of the film out there. I actually enjoyed the film.
Pedro de Aguillon plays the comic relief Coyote Loco. Fortunately his part in the film is small and not totally obnoxious. He spends most of his time trying to take a nap. Santo also has his trick horse, a Portuguese Lusitano horse named Rayo de Plata (Silver Bolt). Gaston was an actual breeder of the ancient breed. The horse not only saves Santos’ and Maria’ lives but also solves the mystery of where the spirit of Dona Clotilde came from. Not bad for an actor with no lines.