Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971)
La Noche del terror ciego
Director
Amando de Ossorio
Writer(s)
Jesús Navarro Carrión additional dialogue
Amando de Ossorio
Producer(s)
José Antonio Pérez Giner executive producer
Salvadore Romero executive producer
Cast
Lone Fleming - Betty Turner
César Burner - Roger Whelan
María Elena Arpón - Virginia White (as Helen Harp)
Joseph Thelman - Pedro Candal
Rufino Inglés - Insp. Oliveira
Verónica Llimera - Nina
Simón Arriaga - Morgue keeper
Francisco Sanz - Prof. Candal (librarian)
Juan Cortés - Coroner
Andrés Isbert -
Antonio Orengo - Train engineer
José Camoiras -
María Silva - Maria
Britt Nichols - Sacrificed maiden
Pedro Sempson - Train engineer (voice)
Review by Sven Soetemans
A true Spanish exploitation highlight!,
I absolutely love… love… LOVE these seventies eurohorror-flicks! And Amando De Ossorio's Tomb of the Blind Dead is one of the purest efforts this sub-genre brought forward… You may expect foxy ladies, raw cinematography, creepy musical guidance and some slightly perverted undertones. The basic plot involves a creepy Spanish myth of devil-worshiping Templars who leave their tombs at night and dwell around the ruins of a deserted ghost town. The zombies look very filthy and they move in terrifying slow motion! The few sequences in which the blind dead (blind because their eyes were pecked out by crows) chase their victims on their doomed horses are brilliant and some of the most effective horror ever shown. Prepare yourself for a genuinely apocalyptic ending as well, one that'll leave you speechless!
Of course, the film is filled with improbabilities and some immense structure holes, but De Ossorio's ingenious visions are so surprising that you easily forgive him for this. Highly recommended!! Tombs of the Blind Dead may very well the best exploitation film I've seen so far, along with `Mark of the Devil' (German) and `Cannibal Man' (Spanish as well). Three sequels followed, but so far I haven't had the luck of tracking them down…
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