I think half the horror and sci-fi movies of the 50s and 60s involved a mad scientist doing some crazy shit as he tried to rule the world. This flick from ’53 isn’t much different:
“A mad scientist named Arana is creating giant spiders and dwarfs in his lab on Zarpa Mesa in Mexico. He wants to create a master race of superwomen by injecting his female subjects with spider venom.”
It’s run-of-the-mill. The acting is sad, at best, largely because the script and dialogue are pretty ridiculous, and the picture quality is grainy, even for the 50s. But the movie has its charms. The spider monsters are just cheesy enough; not overboard cheesy. And addition of dwarves is always a plus. But what really steals the show–what makes it worth your viewership–is a person so obscure that her picture isn’t even on her IMDB profile: Tandra Quinn.
Now, what makes Quinn the draw isn’t her dark, piercing eyes or voluptuous bosom; at least, not entirely. What makes Quinn the draw and Mesa of Lost Women a movie to watch is a certain scene she does…involving a certain dance at a bar…
Is it possible that Salma Hayek’s famous dance scene in From Dusk Till Dawn was ripped-off from a little-known B-movie from the 50s? I think it’s entirely possible–if not probable. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino both famously love B-movies and exploitation. If you watch the scene from Mesa, it’s impossible not to notice the similarities. The entire bar freezes when she starts dancing, watching her curves sway, and, just like in From Duck Till Dawn, the girl is secretly a monster. It’s awesome!
Take a look for yourself! It’s on YouTube.