Santo vs. the Riders of Terror

(1970) Directed by René Cardona; Written by René Cardona and Jesús Murcielago Velázquez; Starring: Santo, Armando Silvestre, Julio Aldama, Mary Montiel, Gregorio Casal, Ivonne Govea and Carlos Agostí; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: *** “Being locked up in there was like being buried alive. It’s hardly a life at all. We want to die in the open air. That’s all.” – José (Gregorio Casal) “There’s an even greater danger, doctor – mass hysteria amongst the townsfolk, those people infecting other pour souls, and not being able to do anything to stop it.” – Santo Even if you know nothing about Santo, lucha libre, or professional wrestling in general, you’ve doubtlessly heard of Santo, the silver masked man. Santo (real name: Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta) enjoyed a prolific film career* outside the ring, starring in more than 50 movies from the late ‘50s to the early ‘80s. Over the years, he faced a diverse array of adversaries, including Frankenstein’s monster, vampires, werewolves, Martians,…