Scarecrow-88 Dr. Masala(Rafael Bertrand), the prestigious doctor of a sanitarium, wishes to know what lies beyond life, but wants to return to flesh after death. He, through a séance, summons the recently deceased Dr. Jacinto Aldama(Antonio Raxel)wanting that promise they made in a pact(..that being which ever passed first would provide the other with the answer and return to flesh)fulfilled. The spirit of Aldama informs Mazali that if he goes through with what he desires, certain horrific consequences would occur to him after returning from the death to flesh. Mazali doesn't care so Aldama tells him that certain events will unfold as a chain reaction leading to his wish being accomplished. Aldama visits the daughter he neglected in life(..although, she doesn't know it is him at that moment), the lovely Patricia(Mapita Cortés)and explains to her that a key should be taken to a man named Mazali. Meanwhile, a new student of Mazali's, Eduardo Jimenez(Gastón Santos)has envisioned Patricia in a dream and upon seeing her in a dance hall, he is pretty flummoxed to say the least. Even odder is that she has dreamed about him, also. It's as if they were fated to meet. They meet again at the office of Mazali who had just finished plastic surgery on an orderly named Elmer(Carlos Ancira)whose face was horribly scarred when a wacko goes berserk during an experiment gone awry. Mazali was testing the nutcase's ability of calm with the tune of a music box which accidentally shuts with the result being her violent outburst on the staff. The acid burn on Elmer's face results in his madness which later culminates into violent revenge when he kills the wackjob with a certain knife..this certain knife that is found in a box opened by the key Patricia hands to Mazali! Each event unravels the unfortunate demise of Mazali who is framed by the spirit of Jacinto Aldama himself for the murder of his insane patient. Later Elmer dies and is buried(he has written, however, a confession to the dead woman's murder) After Mazali's is hung by the neck at the gallows, the dead body of Elmer is resurrected and whose spirit fills that corpse risen..Mazali himself! Dr. Gonzalez(Luis Aragón)was Mazali's assistant doctor at the asylum and present to all of his activities. Much to his amazement, Gonzalez realizes that the pact made between two doctors was met and that Mazali is now alive in the scarred Elmer. The tension is ratcheted up when Mazali, growing mad and in love with Patricia, will do whatever it takes to remain alive even as the confession of the one who used to possess his host body is found.The main theme here is the tragedy of Mazali, an atheistic scientist who wished to remain alive yet understand what lies beyond this mortal world. Atmospherically rich with an often pounding, unnerving score(with good use of the organ)really give this Gothic Mexican flick it's flavor. Spooky, with good contrast between shadow and light..not to mention fine photography and the setting around an asylum is perfect for a supernatural story.

The_Void Casa Negra, the DVD releasing company with the foresight to release a whole host of Mexican horror films including this one, really have been a god send for fans of cult horror movies. The more Mexican horror I see, the more impressed I become - and The Black pit of Dr M is yet another major Mexican highlight. The film takes obvious influence from the classic American Universal horror of the 1930's, but it takes this influence and crafts a sprawling and mostly original tale of terror from it. The Mexicans, judging by these recent releases, seem to love supernatural horror, and that makes up a big part of the backbone of this film. We focus on two doctors - Dr. Aldama and Dr. Mazali. They have made a 'death pact', in which the first to die will come back and tell the other the secret of life after death. Dr. Mazali is the one fortune enough to stay alive, and after a posthumous visit from Dr Aldama, he finds out that the secret will be revealed to him on the fifteenth of November...but is the price of cheating death too high for the curious Dr Mazali? The best thing about this film is undoubtedly the thick and foreboding atmosphere which permeates every scene. The atmosphere is backed up by an over the top but effective score, which grabs your attention every time it features; although it has to be said that using it a little less wouldn't have harmed the film too much. Like the later film, The Witch's Mirror, this one attempts to build in a handful of sub-plots, but this time they don't intrude on the central plot, and director Fernando Méndez manages to pull all the elements of the story together for a chilling and effective climax. The film features a number of memorable sequences - the standout for me was the sequence with the gallows pole, and the one that follows immediately after. Director Fernando Méndez keeps the film intriguing throughout, and The Black Pit of Dr M never becomes boring. The opening and ending sequences add an extra little bit of interest to an already fascinating slice of world cinema, and overall; I have to say that The Black Pit of Dr M is one of the finest Mexican horror films I've seen, and comes highly recommended!

sls75235 This is in regard to the review below of the movie "The Black Pit Of Dr. M". You are correct when you said the movie went by another name. Years ago it used to show on "CHILLER THEATER" and it played under the name of "The Black Pit Of Dr. X" with English subtitles, it was also shown from time to time with English dubbing. This movie has just been released on DVD and you have a choice at the start of the movie, either English OR Spanish. But if it changes anything at all I have yet to find it. Still no English dubbing unless I've hit something wrong on the DVD (I tried it several times). Instead I ended up watching it in Spanish with English subtitles (which was alright with me since my Spanish is a little rusty). The movie has held up extremely well over the years and is as frightening today as it was the first time I saw it. The only small drawback may be the Soap Opera music played during the so called love scenes. There are tons and tons of what seem to be supernatural atmosphere and this movie will scare the pants off you. Enjoy!

occupant-1 Movies and TV from the Buffy show all the way back to 1960 have been ripping off the dig-myself-out-of-the-grave scene, evidently begun with this film (correct me if I'm wrong). The idea could be as old as Poe but it's this film which, in my history, succeeds with the definitive version. As mentioned earlier, two doctors in charge of an asylum agree to contact the one living, should the other die first. The theme played on the violin by Dr. M is recapitulated at different plot points in a way that earlier audiences would recall from opera.