1301. Santo in The Treasure of Dracula (1969)

In these ongoing retrospectives on MST3K episodes, the finished product and how it sits with you is the lasting say. Removed of our feedback from the Soft Launch and with everything said and done, is Santo in The Treasure of Dracula (1969) as good as we hoped? The cancellation by Netflix? Covid 19? A new Kickstarter? 3 1/2 years between seasons? Green Screen? Was it all worth it in the end? Moon 1, Crow’s Blinkers, The Gizmoplex, Jonah’s Shameful Secrets, QVSanto, Alexander Slam Bell and the Clear Crusader. “Oh, a little murder on the lens!”, “All those people played Santo?”, “This is actually my favorite Castlevania sequel.” “Rene, my man, give me cinco!” or “Cognac”?

3 Likes

Note: As this new season of MST3K is a work in progress, earlier threads on 1301 exist. They chronicle the anticipation, immediate response, recommendations and suggestions, and its evolution these last few months. The links to these are below. This thread is dedicated to the final result now that the dust has cleared and will be linked with my ongoing episode threads.

The MST3K Dedicated Episode Directory. Every thread others or myself have done on specific shows can be found here. If you wish to add yours to this listing, please send me a message. Thanks!

Thread Directory continued…

1 Like

Treasure of Dracula came out in 1969, the same year as the original Scooby Doo. The main cast can be seen as analogous to the Scooby Gang. Stalwart leader Santo is equivalent to Fred, skinny coward Perico to Shaggy, and redhead bombshell Luisa to Daphne. By default, this would leave Dr. Supulveda as Velma, which is where it all kind of falls apart.

It was written by Alfredo Salazar who also wrote The Robot vs the Aztec Mummy, hence why the two movies bear such a strong resemblance.

3 Likes

See, I would have put Santo as Velma. Snazzy sweaters, good with science, powerless without their face coverings.

It’s still probably a bit too soon to really look back on this one, but I still think it was a really strong opener. It’s a very ludicrous, riffable movie, the writing’s sharp, and the sketches are great. I think the wrestling scene will go down as one of the greats.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get some cognac.

4 Likes

MOD HAT:

There are several discussions regarding this episode as noted above. Closing this thread for review.