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Los Misterios de Las Monjas Vampiras (The Mysteries of the Vampire Nuns)

2017; Penn State University Press; Volume: 2; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5325/jasiapacipopcult.2.2.253

2380-7687

Kathryn A. Hardy Bernal,

Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Written and directed by the neo-Mexican visual artist Antonio Álvarez Morán, produced by Guillermo Artasanchez, and shot in Puebla, Mexico, Los Misterios de Las Monjas Vampiras (The Mysteries of the Vampire Nuns) is proposed as a collection of short, surrealist, arthouse, black comedy films. The first completed episode of the series pilot, “Primer Misterio: Las Monjas Vampiras contra El Hijo de Benito Juárez” (“First Mystery: The Vampire Nuns vs. the Son of Benito Juárez”), was previewed on July 19, 2017, at the Auditorio Guillermo y Sofia Jenkins, Universidad de Las Américas, Puebla (UDLAP), San Andrés, Cholula, Mexico. The audience included the cast and crew, their friends and families, and the delegates of Gothic Traditions and Departures: The 13th Biennial Conference of the International Gothic Association (IGA). It was hosted by the conference convener and organizer, Enrique Ajuria Ibarra, and followed by a session of questions and answers. As it is still to be continued, it was the inaugural and, so far, only public viewing before the official release of the final cut.At the outset, the plan was to produce several short-story films, all independent narratives but always focused on the notion of vampire nuns. Álvarez Morán first decided to divide them into ten misterios, symbolic of the ten decades of the rosary.1 He soon realized that the idea was “crazy” and adjusted his thinking to five, and then to three. He admits that although he has long been involved with video and performance art, he has never approached anything as ambitious, especially in terms of the organization and coordination of so many people. Now, he says, he just wants to finish the first one and “see what happens.” He was, however, extremely pleased with the responses at the first screening, which have encouraged him to continue with the project.Indeed, “First Mystery” opened to great eruptions of whooping, cheering, laughter, and applause. The humor arises from its intelligent sense of the ridiculous. Stylistically, it appears to fuse Luis Buñuel’s surrealist approach with a parody of clichéd twentieth-century gothic, schlock-horror, female-vampire, B-grade flicks (minus the usual heaving bosoms).2 Álvarez Morán’s own cameo performance as a “lame nun,” a character who could have stepped out of a Monty Python movie, adds an extra element of sheer comedy. However, although it is reminiscent of these past genres, the intertextual relationships are abstract. The concept for the series comes more from a primordial place within Antonio Álvarez Morán’s being.The idea was to create a collection of films based on true stories of nuns, “which are often fantastic,” mixed with the artist’s “personal fantasies and dreams.” He says he’s “always been attracted to nuns”:The body of El Lirio is still protected in a casket, now housed at a Conceptionist convent in the Mexican city of Puebla.4 Although she has not yet been canonized, the official recognition of her sainthood is in process. As such, the artist claims, church officials often “come over to smell and taste the corpse in order to verify her holiness.”Despite his upbringing, Álvarez Morán finds his rapport with nuns “hard to explain.” He states: “Whenever I see them, I have to follow them and establish contact. They are usually nice and friendly towards me.” As there is a religious house of some type on almost every second block in the center of Puebla City, the sighting of nuns is not uncommon, and therefore the artist has plenty of opportunities to make these acquaintances. During my own visit to this city, on an evening out with him, his partner, and my female traveling companion, we were lucky enough to meet with one of these friends, a lovely Capuchin sister who invited us into the cloistered courtyard of her convent. Although this is not usually a place open to the public, we were welcomed with big smiles and lively conversation after Álvarez Morán rapped on the heavy door in the dark of night. To our surprise, the nun even offered to have her photo taken with me and my friend. She certainly seemed pleased to see us all and gave us a bag of homemade cookies as a gift.According to Álvarez Morán, it was his communications with another sister from the Capuchin convent who provided inspiration for his “vampire nuns”:The depiction of nuns has become prominent in the art of Antonio Álvarez Morán for several years. This is a development from his lifelong preoccupation with religious motifs in general:Much of the “crowned nuns” collection, titled Engaño Colorido (Colorful Deception),5 was exhibited at the 11th Festival of the Traditions of Life and Death at the Theater of the City of Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in 2016. Perhaps influenced by his ideas for the film series, his depictions of nuns have, since then, begun to take on more of a horror aspect.It was during the fall of 2014 that the screenwriting of Los Misterios de Las Monjas Vampiras began, and by the beginning of the following year the storyboard was ready. Most of the filming was undertaken in April 2015. Álvarez Morán relates:Las Monjas Vampiras contra El Hijo de Benito Juárez was shot on location at the historic sites of Cholula, Puebla, and Puebla City.6 Progress was interrupted by personal circumstances that affected both Álvarez Morán and Artasanchez, so only half is finished. After watching this section, I personally think that it could stand alone as the first chapter as is. However, when the words to be continued appear, it causes a craving for more. As such, about fifteen minutes will be added to the episode by the end of 2017.The narrative of the completed part begins in pre-Hispanic times. A princess, Xochitl (Aline L. Bernal), is caught by the High Priest (Daniel Caballero Marín) moments before she begins to drink the blood of a beautiful male warrior (Luis Antonio Casco Arrollo), whom she has just sacrificed. The priest condemns her to be buried alive, remaining in eternal sleep until she is fed virgin blood, stating, “Only the blood of a virgin can save her.” Centuries later, Catholic nuns, in a convent built over the top of the tomb where the princess is interred, are holding a wake for the recently deceased “Lily of Puebla” (Ana Laura Sánchez), a venerated nun. A fanatically religious novice cuts off a little toe from the body of the revered nun to keep as a relic. This act starts a flood of unending waves of blood, covering the floor, penetrating through the foundations of the convent, reaching the subterranean depths below, and dripping onto the lips of the pre-Hispanic princess (now played by Cristina Goletti). This awakens the princess as a vampire. The vampire princess arises and vengefully sweeps through the convent, biting the nuns and turning them into her loyal vampire followers. Afterward, she returns her attention to her enemy, a small wrestler known as “The Son of Benito Juárez” (Felipe Meléndez). A battle takes place in a wrestling ring, an encounter between the vampire nuns and Mexican wrestlers. The battle finishes abruptly, without a victor, as the resolution to this struggle has yet to be finished.During the questions-and-answers session after the successful first screening of the “Primer Misterio” of Las Monjas Vampiras, the real reason why Antonio Álvarez Morán, along with many of us in the audience, is drawn to the idea of vampire nuns was perhaps summed up most succinctly by Maria Villatoro, the artist’s partner, cowriter, and vampire-nun hostess for the evening. When asked, “Why vampire nuns?” she responded, “Well, first of all, VAMPIRE NUNS! And, also, every woman is a little bit vampire, and a little bit nun.”Kathryn A. Hardy Bernal is an art and design historian and fashion theorist. Currently a PhD candidate at Massey University, Wellington, she was previously coordinator of design theory (fashion and textiles) and senior lecturer in contextual and theoretical studies (art and design) at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.