El miedo no anda en burro (Fear Doesn't Ride a Donkey) is a 1976 Mexican comedy horror film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring MarÃÂa Elena Velasco, Eleazar GarcÃÂa, Fernando Luján, Emma Roldán and ÃÂscar Ortiz de Pinedo.
Literally, the title is an idiom used to express that fear strikes quickly, not calmly as if on top of a donkey. The film is one of the most successful comedies of the India MarÃÂa franchise, having remained in the Cine Metropolitan for an astounding nineteen weeks.
In the film, the death of a wealthy woman is expected to benefit her greedy relatives. Her will actually leaves her entire estate to her pet dog, and entrusts her loyal maid to be its caretaker. The dead woman's family make several attempts to kill both the dog and its caretaker. During a vacation at a supposedly haunted house, the caretaker encounters several monsters. The monsters are actually the villains in disguise, preparing another murder attempt.
MarÃÂa Nicolasa Cruz is doña Clarita's loyal indigenous maid. However, doña Clarita is dying, and she is leaving behind a large monetary estate, a mansion, properties, and MimÃÂ: her affectionate Shih Tzu dog. MarÃÂa is with doña Clarita during her last moments, albeit her sister Paz, brother Marciano, nephew Braulio, and grandsons Raul and Laura are waiting anxiously downstairs for her death, believing they will inherit all her riches.
Doña Clarita finally dies at the hand of a corrupt doctor employed by her own relatives, and MarÃÂa inconsolably goes downstairs to the living room to deliver the news. As expected, MarÃÂa finds none of doña Clarita's relatives mourning her death. Believing she is of no use anymore, doña Clarita's relatives (or "The Vultures" as MarÃÂa calls them) fire MarÃÂa, therefore she decides to return to her native hometown. Marciano, Paz, Braulio, Raul, and Laura meet with the notary to hear Doña Clarita's will. To everyone's surprise, the will only mentions Mimà(the dog), and MarÃÂa as her guardian. As part of her will, the notary only gives all of the family members a raspberry. The family members go back to stop MarÃÂa from leaving the mansion.
The "zopilotes" (vultures, MarÃÂa's nickname for Doña Clarita's family) convince MarÃÂa to stay in the mansion to take care of Mimàas her new guardian. The "zopilotes" try several times to kill MarÃÂa along with Mimàbut their attempts go awry. Until Marciano feeds Mimàa piece of meat with an explosive inside. Before Mimàeats it, MarÃÂa takes it from her and cooks it for the afternoon meal. Braulio, unfortunately, receives the piece of meat and after cutting it, the explosive goes off. MimÃÂ's ears were gravely affected.
The doctor advises MarÃÂa to go on a vacation with Mimà- to Doña Clarita's old vacation house in Guanajuato. Upon arrival, MarÃÂa and Mimàare scared by the butler Franki who guides them through the haunted house. Both MarÃÂa and Mimàsurvive two scary hands, a cyclops, a giant talking frog, a fern monster, a werewolf, and many more horrific things.
To MarÃÂa's surprise, she discovers that those scary characters are the "zopilotes". They catch them and put them in a squishing torture machine. MarÃÂa and MimÃÂ, on the verge of death, are saved by Franki who was a detective investigating Doña Clarita's murder - committed by her family members. MarÃÂa with all these surprises asks Franki, whose real name is Maldonado, permission to faint on the floor. As she does, Marciano, Paz, Braulio, Raul, and Laura end up arrested for homicide.