Sandra Commisso
07/08/2020 - 7:00
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When Netflix did not exist, there was a little black rubber octopus that sowed terror and intrigue from the screen. The fury of the miniseries El pulpo negro , created by Narciso Ibáñez Menta , eventually became a cult and is now turning 35.
Between May and July 1985, Canal 9 Libertad (at the time in charge of Alejandro Romay) aired this story, created and also starring the master of suspense and terror Ibáñez Menta who, today may seem naive, but who then left the audience petrified in front of the television.
Ibáñez Menta's character, Héctor de Rodas, who had several alter egos, supposedly dedicated himself to writing police novels but in reality, hatched a macabre plan to commit murders.
With the intention of developing an idea in his book Theory and Practice of Perfect Crime , Rhodes hires four men of respectable appearance, but with criminal records, and extortes them to kill four randomly chosen people.
Narciso Ibañez Menta, in a file image of "The black octopus".
In the series of murders, the only clue investigators have is a black rubber pulpit that always appears alongside the victims as a trademark. An icon that for viewers was forever remembered.
The fact of killing four unknown people without reason was one of the fundamental axes of the protagonist's macabre plan. Random murders, without any pattern, making it difficult to discover the murderer. This was the preamble to a series of murders orchestrated by the Black Octopus.
Narciso Ibañez Menta, the creator of "The Black Octopus" and a symbol of the horror genre. / AFP
"I am a perfectionist", said the character that sounded in Ibáñez Menta's voice so characteristic - serious, deep and with a pure accent - that he sought to freeze the blood with his idea of crime as an art.
In that production 35 years ago, the cast that accompanied Narciso was numerous and populated with figures of the moment, among them Beatriz Día Quiroga,, Tony Vilas, Juan Carlos Puppo, Erika Wallner, Cristina Lemercier, Villanueva Cosse, Max Berliner, Enrique Liporace and others who would become more popular over time, such as Roberto Carnaghi and Daniel Aráoz The investigation of the crimes was carried out by Police Chief Alejandro Mendoza (Oscar Ferrigno) and private detective Marcos de la Hoz (Juan Carlos Galván).
The program, beyond its peculiarities and the repercussion it had at the time (it competed with American series such as the Miami Division and earned it a rating), was registered among the most significant works of Ibáñez Menta for condensing all of the actor's DNA and director in its thirteen chapters.
Two years ago, the project for a remake was launched, announced at the Cannes Festival that would bring Ibáñez Menta's story back to the present day in series and film format.
In this case, starring Miguel Angel Solá in a co-production between Argentina, Spain and New Zealand, directed by Nicolás Onetti. There was a teaser teaser and the last word was not said yet.
The commercial for "The Black Octopus".
Ibáñez Menta (1912-2014) was born in Spain, but lived and worked all his life halfway between Madrid and Buenos Aires. The son of artists, he debuted on stage as a baby and his family's tours brought him to Argentina from a very young age.
His fascination with the horror genre began early, in part because of his admiration for silent film actor Lon Chaney, whom they called "The Man with a Thousand Faces." And he was their reference to create their most famous characters.
Like Chaney, Ibáñez Menta made himself up for each characterization. That, added to his Spanish accent and his cavernous voice, made him a character in himself, forever linked to the terrifying stories of a time in black and white and in the early days of color television.
In Buenos Aires, Ibáñez Menta made a theatrical adaptation of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , and another of The Phantom of the Opera .
But it was on television that his creatures became more famous and from Argentina spread throughout Latin America. In addition to the success of The Black Octopus, other previous ones had a great impact and they are also part of the classics of indigenous terror: The man who returned from death , The Cursed Doll , Stories for not sleeping and many more.
Many will remember the day that Narciso Ibáñez Menta was invited to the Mirtha Legrand program in 1992 to celebrate his 80th birthday. Worthy of one of his stories, the cake full of candles started to catch fire but fortunately, it did not get any bigger. A celebration at the height of the Lord Terror.
WD