Professor Sorensen (Jose Luis Llamas) has developed a way to turn base metal into gold. Yei Lin (Noe Murayama) is an evil wizard and vampire that uses black magic. He wants the formula for his master Lucifer and perhaps a little gold for himself. Doctor Satan (Joaquin Cordero) AKA Dr. Ramos was a devil worshiping scientist that sold his soul to the Devil King. Dr. Satan is instructed by the devil to go back to Earth and get the formula so that Yei Lin can’t get it. Lucifer and the Devil King are arch enemies.
Yei Lin’s henchmen, Marco (Nathanael Leon) and Sergio (Guillermo Hernandez) sneak into Sorensen’s room to get the formula. In the process they end up killing the professor. Yei Lin is OK with that and begins testing the formula to make sure it is authentic.
Doctor Satan has a serum that he uses on two young women to turn them into zombies. He calls one Medusa (Sonia Furio) and the other Erato (Luz Maria Aguilar). They sleep in coffins that are in a secret cave below Dr. Satan’s secret laboratory. He sends them to Yei Lin’s place to check things out. They chase one of the henchmen through the woods where he falls like a girl in a horror movie. Catching up with him they end up killing him. Dr. Satan is OK with that. They also report that Yei Lin has the formula.
Full of confidence Dr. Satan sneaks into Yei Lin’s house and tries to kill him with his zombie serum. Problem is Yei Lin is already among the walking dead. Yei Lin turns into a bat and attacks Dr. Satan. His zombies rescue him by pulling the bat off him. Now Dr. Satan knows what he is up against.
All the while Dr. Satan and Yei Lin are battling each other Inspector Bianchi (Carlos Agosti) and Captain Mendia (Carlos Cardan) of the police force are far behind. Very far behind.
“Dr. Satan y la Magia Negra” AKA “Dr. Satan vs Black Magic” was released in 1968 and was directed by Rogelio A. Gonzalez. It is a Mexican horror film and is a sequel to “Dr Satan” 1966 which also starred Joaquin Cordero.
There are some fun things and some stupid things here as well. For the most part it was fun. Apparently vampires think zombies taste terrible. Even those that hang out in coffins when not on duty. Yei Lin’s gizmos are cool but the special effects are crap. They are a matter of stopping the camera and starting it again. Poof, now you have fangs or poof, now you’re a bat. Dr. Satan’s laboratory is fun with bubbling beakers of different colored chemicals and a fog laden crypt but Dr. Satan himself is a little stiff. The bats are rubber but that’s normal. Yei Lin on the other hand is a little more hammy and amusing.
Mexican horror movies have a delightful way of not falling into norms. Wizards are wizards and vampires are vampire but in the Mexican horror movie they are both. The zombies sleep in coffins and the vampire sleeps in a bed. Many have masked wrestlers fighting crime, monsters and aliens. Mexican horror and science fiction doesn’t take itself seriously and that makes it special. It doesn’t matter if the sets are cheap, the props are lame and the plot is silly. These are the low budget “B” movies of Mexico and we love them warts and all.