Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Batwoman, In this Corner...Batwoman

We journey back to Mexico for a real gem today.  Before Gail Kim and Trish Stratus plied their trade between the ropes, Mexico's favorite female wrestler cleaned Acapulco of evil.  In 1968's "Batwoman" (La Mujer Murcielago), the sultry wrestler graced Mexican movie houses.  Clad in a bikini, mask, and cape, our superheroine dominated in the ring, and rid Mexico of bad guys outside the ring.  Portrayed by the buxom Maura Monti, Batwoman will leave you drooling.
The evil Dr. Williams (Roberto Canedo) is abducting Mexican wrestlers. He then drains their pineal gland fluid.  Six wrestlers died after the operation and their bodies were found in the surf.  The Federales call in the FBI...who in turn call in Batwoman.  Batwoman, who's identity is secret, arrives in Acapulco to wrestle and also find the killer of the wrestlers.  Uh oh...the mad scientist is injecting the gland juice into fish to create a fish-man.  His ultimate plan is to engineer hundreds of them in order to rule the oceans,  Batwoman catches on and sneaks onto his yacht, The Reptilicus. A struggle ensues, she escapes, but not before she disfigures the evil genius with acid to the face.
Now Dr. Williams is ticked!  He amends his plan for world domination to include fish-women.  Seeking revenge for his disfigured face, he orders his henchmen to abduct Batwoman. Batwoman then must battle the scientist's thugs, which she does.  Double uh oh! Williams is successful in creating a gilled fish-man monster and sends it after our luscious heroine.  The two will meet up in Batwoman's bedroom as she has discarded her cape and bikini for some lingerie.  Will the gill-man successfully abduct Batwoman so Williams can make him a mate?
The fish-man is a lobster colored version of the creature from the Black Lagoon. We are treated to some nice creature vs. Batwoman battles, not only undersea, but also on the beach, on The Reptilicus, and in Batwoman's bedroom. Maria Monti, as Batwoman, is featured on camera for most of the film satisfying you exploitation film fans.  For a cheap, but fun, hybrid of "Frankenstein" and "Creature From the Black Lagoon" see "Batwoman," which is available with subtitles on YouTube.

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