Mayra (Lorena Velazquez) is the main villainess in the 1968 Mexican sci-fi film “The Witches Attack”. The film’s Spanish title was “Atacan las brujas”.
Mayra was the Queen of the Witches. She had been sacrificed 300 years earlier. In the story, the masked wrestler Santo enters an old building and fights two masked men before being subdued. He's tied to a table, and Ofelia (Maria Eugenia San Martin) is chained to another. Priestess Medusa (Edaena Ruiz) scatters ashes about, chants and then resurrects Mayra.
Mayra calls forth the “Lord of Shadows”, Satan, who is dressed in a cape and wearing a devil mask. Mayra’s followers consist of 4 or 5 women dressed in ancient Greek style costumes, along with three males. Mayra promises to sacrifice Santo and Ofelia to their master, Satan. She asks for his protection as they attempt to take over the world. Just as they are about to plunge the knife into Ofelia, Santo breaks free of his chains and casts the shadow of a cross with his body, arms outstretched. The witches flee. Suddenly, Ofelia wakes up.
She has been having this same nightmare repeatedly. Ofelia tells her fiance Arturo (Ramon Bugarini) that, after her parents died, Elisa Cárdenas, their former secretary, came to her with news of their will. Ofelia has to live in the old house for one year in order to inherit the house. Arturo tells her that the masked hero of her dream really exists: El Santo.
Arturo tells Santo that the real Elisa Cárdenas (also Lorena Velazquez) died 15 years earlier, and her place has been taken by a witch. Therefore, the current Elisa, looks far too young and beautiful to be over 50 years old.
Santo investigates the old house and is attacked by some of the henchmen. He inadvertently makes the sign of the cross and they flee. As he leaves, Santo picks up an attractive young woman in his car. He doesn't know it is Medusa, one of Mayra's assistants. Mayra has sent Medusa to seduce Santo. Medusa leads him to another old house; she keeps disappearing and reappearing, leading Santo on. In the bedroom, she suddenly shows up wearing a sparkly bikini. Santo says to himself, "I'm the subject of an infernal seduction." Instead of kissing Medusa, he pushes her away: "Go back to the shadows from whence you came!" Kicking down the door, Santo escapes.
Santo and Arturo return to the house, which is now filled with cobwebs. Entering the room with the shattered door, they find a coffin instead of a bed. Arturo tells Santo that the witches can only be beaten by the sign of the cross and daylight; Santo doesn't understand why he managed to scare them off. As they leave Arturo sees visions of Mayra in the road and wrecks. Mayra's henchmen kidnap the unconscious Arturo. Mayra mentally orders Ofelia to remove the cross she wears, and Ofelia is also captured
In the witches' dungeon, a hypnotized Arturo and the three male henchmen subdue Santo when he arrives. Santo and Ofelia are to be sacrificed to Satan at a particular moment, but Mayra doesn't want to wait. Santo leaps up, grabs several torches. The witches all turn into bats and fly away. Later, Satan tells Mayra that she must sacrifice Santo and Ofelia, or he'll be mad.
Santo is later asleep and is hypnotized by Mayra. Medusa hypnotizes Ofelia who is asleep in the next room. Arturo enters and carries her away. When Santo wakes up, he speeds to the witch headquarters, but the dungeon is empty. The next night, Mayra sends a big spider to bite Santo, but he stomps on it. Ofelia shows up, saying she escaped and saves Arturo. They go to the old house again. Suddenly, Ofelia changes to Mayra, as she tricked Santo.
Santo goes in, nearly falls into a pit full of spikes. He's tied up and put on a table for the sacrifice, but just like he did twice before he breaks loose and runs out. He comes back with a BIG wooden cross that he waves like a railway crossing sign, which makes the witches burst into flame including Medusa. Mayra stabs Arturo with her ceremonial dagger before she burns up, but he's magically healed As Ofelia and Arturo clinch, Santo hops into his sports car and leaves.
Trivia[]
- Lorena Velzquez appeared as Beta in the 1960 Mexican sci-fi film "The Ship of Monsters", which was originally entitled, "La nave de los Monstrous".
- Lorena Velzquez appeared as Queen Adastrea in the 1965 Mexican sci-fi film "El Planeta de las Mujeres Invasoras", which is translated as the "Planet of the Women Invaders".
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