Return of the Blind Dead (1973)


First time I've seen this, the first of Amando de Ossorio's three sequels to his Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972). It's really more of a reboot, with the zombie-Templars origin having some differences (their eyes are burned out by villagers before they're burned alive, rather than pecked out by birds after they've been hanged), and some actors returning, but in different roles. There are some improvements. The music is better, the acting is (slightly) better, and the editing is smoother. We also get subtitles, so no bad dubbing. The slow-motion Templars are as impressive and eerie as before. The 'cheese' factor is dialled back - and there's nowhere near as much screaming! The film does suffer from having most of the action centred in and around a village square, compared to the first which visited village, town, countryside, train rides, monastery, police station, and so on (Ossorio's on record as saying financing was harder this time around, so maybe that's why). It's said the Blind Dead series was part inspiration for John Carpenter's The Fog; it's easy to see similarities, with the Templars knocking ominously on the doors of anywhere they wish to enter, and laying siege to a small church where survivors are holed-up. Some of the characters are pretty unlikeable, to the extent that it's hard to root for them, and it never quite reaches the atmosphere of the first film; but overall it's worth seeing at least once. 6.5/10

reply