Inspired by the recent discussion of
Tombs Of The Blind Dead elsewhere on the forum, this morning I've revisited Amado de Ossorio's Spanish horror classic for the first time in several years. While I'm at it I'm also reposting a review I wrote of it on the old forum complete with some juicy screenshots. Hope you guys enjoy reading it...
Originally released back in 1971,
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is the first in a series of four revered horror films directed by Spanish filmmaker Amando de Ossorio, which all concern the bloodthirsty antics of a memorably creepy band of undead, eyeless Templar knights. Whilst nothing like as prolific as its Italian counterpart the Spanish horror and exploitation cinema would enjoy something of a boom period at the turn of the seventies following the domestic and international success of seminal films such as Narciso Ibanez Serrador’s
The House That Screamed (aka –
La Residencia) (1969) and numerous throwback gothic monster mashes starring former Olympic weightlifter turned charismatic horror icon Paul Naschy. However, in the eyes of many horror buffs
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is regarded as the undisputed high point of Spanish horror cinema as de Ossorio introduces us to the shivery presence of the blind, undead Templar's who would go on the cut a gory swathe through both this and three other intensely variable sequels. Although not without its flaws the cult status of
Blind Dead series has endured and the film is widely cited as one of the more ideal starting points for fledgling horror fans preparing to dip their toe for the first time into the daunting waters of European horror cinema.
Tombs Of The Blind Dead opens with attractive young Virginia enjoying the Spanish sunshine by the poolside with her macho male friend Roger when she bumps into her old school friend Betty. The next day the three embark on a steam train ride through the countryside. During the journey Roger and Betty become flirtatious with each other much to the distress of Virginia who was once not only Betty’s friend but also her lesbian lover. Distressed and confused Virginia foolhardily jumps from the moving train and then treks off across the country eventually arriving at a vast and ominous set of castle ruins where she pitches camp for the night.
Little does Virginia know that many centuries ago the castle – known as Berzano – served as a stronghold for an evil band of satanic Templar knights who has indulged in the foulest of the Black Arts - including acts of human sacrifice - until they were eventually bought to justice, executed and their bodies left to hang until the crows swooped down and plucked out their eyes. Virginia’s presence in the eerie ruins awakens the blinded undead Templar's from their graves to resume their reign of terror. Despite her desperate attempts to flee Berzano the Templar’s hunt down poor, terrified Virginia and kill her.
Upon hearing of Virginia’s horrific death Roger and Betty immediately begin their own determined investigation into their mutual friends grisly demise. Roger and Betty soon learn of the fantastic legends surrounding Berzano from the fearful locals who shun the place due to the popular belief that the Templar’s still occupy the ruins. Unperturbed by these old wives tales and determined to discover the truth Roger and Betty camp out overnight at Berzano together with sleazy smuggler Pedro and his hard-bitten, sluttish moll Maria (Silva) who the police are blaming for Maria’s death. The groups worst fears are soon confirmed as the Templar’s rise from their graves once again intent on causing even more bloodshed and destruction.
In the best vintage chiller tradition
Tombs Of The Blind Dead follows the tried and tested approach of sustaining a slow yet highly foreboding and atmospheric build up before assaulting the viewer with its bloodcurdling horrors. The extended first act depicting Virginia’s lonely cross country journey to and subsequent exploration of the Berzano ruins drips with a fearful sense of disquiet and impending terror as beautiful but ominously lonely rural locations and Anton Garcia Abril's wonderfully atmospheric score combine to create an powerful, evocative sense of escalating unease. When the undead, unseeing Templar’s are finally disgorged from their crypts to menace, pursue and ultimately kill Virginia the effect is truly spine-chilling as not only is the scene unforgettably hair-raising in its execution, but it also comes as a genuine shock for although de Ossorio has suggested with masterful subtlety that something sinister is afoot the viewer is given no prior clue as to what is about to occur. At any rate Virginia’s prolonged fate remains easily one of the most purely petrifying and effective scenes in the history of European horror cinema and is arguably enough in itself to justify the classic status
Tombs Of The Blind Dead enjoys amongst many genre aficionado’s.
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However, despite its phenomenal first act
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is still far from a perfect horror film. Indeed, following Virginia’s memorable demise, de Ossorio unfortunately allows the film to lose its urgency and drift into a somewhat of a lull during the middle portion of the film which details Roger and Betty’s investigation into Virginia’s murder. Although de Ossorio does manage to squeeze in a memorably bloody and brutal flashback sequence detailing one of the Templar’s infamous human sacrifices (a scene which is censored in some versions of the film) the pace of the second act is often leaden and soon begins to drag. Much of the films middle third is preoccupied by a largely irrelevant and unnecessary subplot in which Virginia rises from the mortuary slab as a murderous member of the undead. In fairness do Ossorio does manage to milk a coupe of decent scares from this scenario, most notably a chilling, stylised scene replete with Bava-seque lighting in which Betty’s business partner is pursued by the reanimated Virginia through a shopful of clothes mannequins. However, the notion of Templar victims returning from the grave in an undead form flies in the face of the logic de Ossorio had previously established as it has already been confirmed by this point that the Templar’s are able to rise from their graves as a result of an accursed prophecy as opposed to a contagion. It is however worth noting that across the course of the four films in the
Blind Dead series de Ossorio would frequently alter various aspects of the Templar mythology as and when it suited his narratives resulting in some rather glaring gaps in continuity from film to film.
A slightly more aggravating flaw with
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is the rather substandard characterisation. While this reviewer cannot praise do Ossorio enough for fashioning such a memorably slow yet deliberate air of creeping terror it appears that he has done so at the expense of investing time in creating any truly identifiable or sympathetic protagonists. Roger – the supposed hero of the hour – is a rather dislikable would be lothario given over to much macho posturing whilst chief female Betty is cursed with a seemingly unshakable sourness. Indeed the only marginally sympathetic character in the entire film is poor, sensitive young Virginia and when she falls prey to the Templar’s any sort of human interest
Tombs Of The Blind Dead has achieved up until that point largely dies with her. There also appears to be an almost conscientious attempt on de Ossorio’s part to reinforce dated and sexist gender stereotypes which almost border upon the misogynistic at a couple of points. Early in the film de Ossorio throws in a totally gratuitous flashback sequence of soft focus lesbian sex between Betty and Virginia which is so clumsily misplaced and un erotic as to be almost laughable. Decidedly less amusing but certainly more distasteful is an unpleasant scene shortly before the films conclusion where Betty is raped by the predatory Pedro when the two are left alone together in the Berzano ruins. While not especially graphic or protracted Betty’s rape is a completely unnecessary touch which serves in no way to advance the plot and intentionally or otherwise seems to uncomfortably pander towards the misinformed male conceit that all it takes to “cure” a lesbian is for a red-blooded man to come along and give her a good seeing to.
Fortunately whatever problems of narrative, pacing and characterisation
Tombs Of The Blind Dead encounters in its exposition orientated middle act are happily redeemed by a spirited and grisly extended finale in which the Templar’s rise from their graves to wreak havoc once again. After quickly dispatching most of those foolhardy enough to disturb their Berzano resting place the Templar’s ride out on their spectral steeds with slaughter on their long dead minds. The gory mayhem that ensues as the travellers aboard the old steam train suffer a fatal encounter with the murderous blinded nights registers as one of the most gleefully sadistic and brutally memorable denouements in the history of Continental horror cinema and concludes
Tombs Of The Blind Dead on a brutal and altogether glorious high note.
The international success of
Tombs Of The Blind Dead would inspire de Ossorio to quickly deliver three sequels between 1973 and 1975 in which the Templar’s would return to reap further mayhem. The first sequel
Return Of The Blind Dead (sometimes known as
Return Of The Evil Dead) would actually improve upon the original while both second sequel
The Ghost Galleon and the bizarrely titled final film in the series
Night Of The Seagulls would have their moments but largely failed to recoup the spine-chilling effect of what had gone before in the first half of the series. Viewed in itself it is fair to say that the success of T
ombs Of The Blind Dead hinges almost entirely on the tremendous, menacing presence of its villains. Indeed the Templar’s are unforgettably malevolent creations – mouldering, almost mummified eyeless walking cadavers bearing unworldly expressions of evil replete with tufty little beards beneath their ancient cowls. Whether shuffling slowly and ominously after whimpering victims or chasing them down on their ghostly horses, de Ossorio’s Templar’s collectively present a truly ferocious menace and have deservedly become an iconic image of European horror cinema.
When the Templar’ are kept off-screen for a long stretch in the middle portion of the film it is pointless to deny that interest in
Tombs Of The Blind Dead does occasionally begin to flag due to the aforementioned problems of poor characterisation and sometimes sluggish pacing. While these flaws are a little hard to overlook they are more than atoned for by the show stopping extended Templar onslaughts both in the first act and again at the films conclusion. These alone are enough to justify the high reverence in which
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is held in by fans of Euro horror. Indeed, at its best
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is nothing short of petrifying as de Ossorio blends a traditionalist sense of slow, meticulously built creeping dread with generous lashings of typically seventies gore and eroticism to fashion a film that despite its flaws ranks as a definitive high point in the history of Continental horror and introduces us to one of that particular cinematic movements most iconic and uniquely terrifying menaces in the shape of the unforgettable eyeless, bloodthirsty Templar knights.
Personally speaking I actually much prefer the second film in the
Blind Dead quartet
Return Of The Blind Dead, but nevertheless
Tombs Of The Blind Dead, despite its flaws, still ranks as a truly masterful Spanish horror film. An essential addition to the DVD library of any self respecting horror fan.
Highly Recommended!
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is currently available on both UK R2 DVD from Anchor Bay UK or US R1 DVD from Blue Underground either as a standalone release or as part of the 5-Disc
Blind Dead Collection which features all four films in the
Blind Dead series together with a documentary about the series' creator Amando de Ossorio. Although the anamorphic widescreen presentation quality on both is excellent the American Blue Underground release is superior to its UK counterpart as it features both the full uncut Spanish print and the shortened English language US reissue cut of the film (the UK edition features just the original Spanish cut) and is fully uncut. The UK edition of
Tombs Of The Blind Dead is also slightly trimmed (by a total of 16 seconds) by the BBFC to soften a brief but unpleasant rape scene although to be fair this edit does not, in my personal opinion, really effect the flow of the film.
There is also an earlier Region Free American release issued by the Stateside arm of Anchor Bay back in 1998 which double bills the uncut Spanish version of
Tombs Of The Blind Dead with its sequel
Return Of The Blind Dead on one double-sided disc. Whilst once a highly sought after DVD this long out of print release is not really worthy of attention now as the print of the original film is non-anamorphic and
Return Of The Blind Dead is presented in its heavily cut international export version. Unless you happen across a used copy of this double bill going really cheap you're better off investing in either the Anchor Bay UK or Blue Underground releases.
The choice, as they say, is yours...
Tombs Of The Blind Dead (Blue Underground R0): amazon.com l
amazon.co.uk
Tombs Of The Blind Dead (Anchor Bay UK R2) (BBFC Cut Version): amazon.co.uk
The Blind Dead Collection (Blue Underground R0): amazon.com l
amazon.co.uk
The Blind Dead Collection (Anchor Bay UK R2): amazon.co.uk
Tombs Of The Blind Dead / Return Of The Blind Dead (Double-Bill) (Anchor Bay US) (Out of Print): amazon.com l
amazon.co.uk
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