Eloim (Angel D’ Stefano) was an evil god who was slain by a wizard named Pietra Santa centuries ago, using a Druid sword. Before dying, Eloim put a curse on the Pietra Santa family. Since then, the cult has been without their leader. The female members of the satanic cult are women who have the ability to turn into panthers. The leader of the Panther Women is Satanasa (Maria Douglas). According to her, the time has come to destroy the last of the Pietra Santa family and resurrect Eloim.
The remaining direct decedents are Professor Rafael Petra Santa (Jorge Mondragon), his son, Ramon (Genaro Moreno) and his granddaughter, Paquita (Elena Saldivar). In addition, the Professor has a niece, Golden Rubi (Elizabeth Campbell) who is a luchadora. Her partner in the ring is Loreta Venus (Ariadne Welter).
The professor receives a note warning him that the Panther Women are going to kill him. Everyone thinks it is a joke except the professor. He is well aware of the family history. The Panther Women carry out their threat and kill Professor Petra Santa. Captain Arturo Diaz (Eric del Castillo) and his lame assistant, Leocadio (Manuel ‘Loco’ Valdes) are assigned to investigate the murder. According to the autopsy it looks like the professor was killed by a wild animal. Captain Diaz then learns about the Panther Women. He brings in a superhero named El Angel (Gerardo Zepeda) to help find the killer.
In the meantime, one of the Panther Women, Tongolele (Tongolele) has managed to become romantically involved with Ramon. Now that they have killed the professor, they need to kill Ramon. With a blood sacrifice from both men, they will be able to bring Eloim back to life. Eloim will then have to kill Paquita to become the resurrected god and fulfill the curse.
“The Panther Women” AKA “Las mujeres panteras” was released in 1967 and was directed by Rene Cardona. It is a Mexican science fiction horror movie with both luchadores and luchadoras.
As with all Lucha Libre movies, there is wrestling, both in the ring and outside of it. Here you get not only men but women wrestling as well. There is also a lot of silliness and some slightly moth-eaten looking panther women. The monster of the film is the mostly unseen Eloim. When he finally shows up, he is a wonderful combination of dusty decaying flesh and tattered rags. Other than the annoying Leocadio as comic relief, the movie is a lot of crazy fun.
Although the luchadora ladies are the main heroic draw of the film, the superhero El Angel has more action. He is a wrestler, a crime fighter and a scientist all in one. He also has a special cape that is impervious to bullets and fire.