The Phantom of the Monastery (1934); A Well Preserved Piece of Mexican Film History (Review)

In a world premiere on Blu-Ray, Indicator has released a restoration of Mexican horror The Phantom of the Monastery / El Fantasma del Convento from 1934. It follows a group of three lost on a walk who meets a mysterious man and his dog, Shadow, who leads them to the Monastery of Silence and then mysteriously disappear. They gradually learn that the monastery contains a “cursed cell that God has forgotten” belonging to Brother Rodrigo who unwisely read from the Book of Evil and Power (why a book with such a title is in a monastery is not explained) to achieve his greatest desire. His subsequent death at the hands of this evil being was not as permanent as expected as his body never remains in his grave for long and returns to his cell, no matter how many vigils the monks perform to overcome this evil.

This Gothic story may seem familiar but the film has surprisingly modern filmmaking for something almost a hundred years old. It begins in the middle of the action with Eduardo, one of the three, hanging on the edge of a cliff and rescued by his wife, Cristina, and best friend, Alfonso. Immediately, the camerawork is dynamic and fluid uncommon to films of this period. It captures the atmosphere of its setting as it follows characters through the monastery’s labyrinthine corridors and crawls across the ruinous walls. It also conjures up strange imagery such as a cabinet perched at an unexplained angle looming over the visitors and silhouettes of self-flagellating monks. As Stephen Jones and Kim Newman comment throughout their audio commentary, Phantom of the Monastery fits into a horror tradition built up by Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood and HP Lovecraft while bringing its own original style to the table.

For all that it has a story packed with mummies, ghosts and the occult, it is ultimately a traditional morality tale of sin and guilt. From the very first scene, the adulterous relationship between Alfonso and Cristina is screamingly obvious, not least because of the chemistry between actual husband and wife Enrique del Campo and Marta Roel. Roel has a particularly expressive face that conveys so much longing throughout that is utterly captivating, even in small moments like when she smiles at Alfonso as she hears the story of Brother Roberto, guilty of the same sin as Alfonso. She teases Alfonso, asking “Is it me you must escape from?” while he struggles with his guilt. Campo plays the wannabe hero type well as does Carlos Villatoro as scaredy-cat husband Eduardo. Despite the thinly developed characterisation, the central trio of actors draw you in.

It is notable that the two supplements accompanying the film focus more on context than the film itself. As well as the aforementioned commentary, there is a short talk by Abraham Castillo Flores, head programmer of Mexico’s Morbido Film Fest, entitled The Devil in the Detail. It is a real gem and makes me wish he had a feature-length documentary to impart his contagious enthusiasm and deep knowledge. He is refreshingly honest about the flimsy plot but uses the film as a jumping-off point for an insightful exploration of Mexican horror cinema. 1934 proved to be a fertile ground for Mexican cinema as twenty-five films were shot, a massive jump from the six that had been made two years previously. Director Fernando de Fuentes was, as argued by Flores, one of the most important figures from this period and he makes a great case for his importance to Mexican cinema as a whole. Insights like this accompany stories of Campo being a spy for Franco in the Spanish Civil War make for an essential and engaging resource.

Flores’ talk helps frame this release as an important piece of historical preservation. It is easy to dismiss an obscure film like Phantom of the Monastery, but the film has plenty to enjoy, and the fact that Indicator has put such care into giving it a moment in the sun is admirable. As one of the trio says about their surroundings, “It feels like we are outside time and place” and the thematic clash of modern and ancient is epitomised in this release also. The film is a great capsule of its time period but like the uncovering of a mummy’s tomb, there are rich gems to be found in it.

MIKE’S ARCHIVE – THE PHANTOM OF THE MONASTERY