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Post by GL on Jul 15, 2006 10:56:00 GMT -5
“Tombs of the Blind Dead” is one of the better Euro zombie films around.
**SPOILERS**
Two old friends, Virginia White (Maria Elena Arpon) and Betty Turning (Lone Flemming) bump into each other and decide to spend the day together. Virginia’s friend Roger (Cesar Burner) and Betty hit it off, which Virginia disapproves off and takes off for an abandoned town in the countryside. When she is found dead the next day, Betty and Roger return to the town where she was found and finds that it belonged to the Knights Templar, an old devil-worshiping cult from long ago. The police suspect that a local smuggler, Pedro Candal (Joseph Thelman) is the culprit instead of the Blind Dead Betty and Roger suspect. Enlisting Pedro and his girlfriend Maria (Maria Silva) to help them out, the four return to the town to discover that the dead are returning to life and try to hold off the attacks.
The Good News: This is the first film in the Blind Dead films, and they are at their creepiest here. The old Spanish countryside is used to perfection in building suspense, as the rural landscape and abandoned buildings weave a thrilling spell that really adds to the allure of the film. It adds an old gothic feel to the film, which helps it out immensely to appeal to the fans of old-school horror movie fans. The ghostly, decayed ruins are just rife with suspense opportunities, and any time in the monastery is a perfect example. An almost better example is the Blind Dead themselves. Completely decayed, with few facial features and with their faces covered with tattered hoods with bony fingers and a shuffling way of walking after their victims, it really adds to their terror and makes them that much more creepy. Their appearance is the best part, as they are really creepy looking creations and quite original. It also features so many great, highlight scenes that picking one is almost impossible. The first attack in the monastery is great, as it’s extended play-out allows for numerous set-ups and moments of suspense, and ranks as one. Any moment from the final assault is worthy of mention, as well as anything involving Templars also. The morgue scene is just as good, but the real winner is the attack in the doll workshop. The lighting, the editing, the glorious make-up and it’s action packed wrap-up is a great all-around scene that mixes together quite well. The legacy of the Templars is also handled pretty well, with the reason for their being is slightly modified from the actual Knights Templar yet still being a clear motive for them.
The Bad News: The Templars don’t get enough screen-time as they should, and are really only in a couple of scenes altogether. For being the title creatures, they ought to be in the movie more. They’re creepy enough to hold a viewer’s interest for a long period of time, and here their few selected appearances is a bit discerning for the die-hard fans. It’s large body count is also dispatched in pretty bloodless ways, as it should’ve been far gorier than what it is.
The Final Verdict: Despite the fact that there is only a few selected scenes with the Blind Dead, this is a worthy addition to the Euro Zombie craze that is probably more atmospheric than most of it’s contemporaries. Gore-hounds are advised to investigate, but it’s not as bloody as others.
Rated R: Violence, Nudity, a scene of Rape, torture, mild language, children in danger and several brief sex scenes
“Return of the Blind Dead” is the most action-packed entry in the series.
**SPOILERS**
500 years ago, the town of Berzano rose up against the treacherous Knights Templar, torturing and killing them. In the present day, the annual day of the revolt is marked by a massive celebration in the town. Jack Marlowe, (Tony Kendall) is hired by Mayor Duncan, (Fernando Sancho) to provide a fireworks display for the celebration, and immediately runs into an old flame, Vivian, (Esperanza Roy) now with the Mayor. As the celebration begins in the town, the monastery out in the hillside spits up the Knights Templar zombies, who return to town to wreck vengeance for the original revolt. With the survivors held up in a church, tensions mount as the Blind Dead pick them off one to one. After a series of failed escapes, they have to use their ingenuity to make a last ditch attempt at freedom.
The Good News: In many ways, this is the superior film in the series. It has a quite rapidly paced plot, as it seems as it moves from one event to another in no time at all. The attacks come fast and furious, and it therefore never seems slow and dull. This is achieved from the major advancement over the original: the Templars are given the reigns to carry the majority of the film, and they prove they can here quite capably. Given the lion’s share of the movie, they effectively come across as vicious, fear-able killers, which is exactly what they should be. By giving the decaying, creepy creations more screen time, it also results in the highest body count than the others, and the blood really flows in here. One is decapitated, another is dismembered, and quite a few are stabbed, allowing for plenty of blood-loss to be had. Also, with the high body count, there is a lot more action than before, another factor in keeping the film from becoming dull. The real stand-out is the village massacre, which features both horse-mounted and footed Templars laying waste to the citizens in an extended, action-packed sequence that features many different individually great scenes that combine into one great scene. As is usual with all Blind Dead films, the dead themselves are always a treat to watch, their rotting remains and mud-baked faces as scary here as they were when they first were seen.
The Bad News: The old gothic feel of the first one is pretty lost here, replaced by a fast-paced feel that still delivers shocks but doesn’t feel as overwhelmingly atmospheric as the first one felt. It also borrows elements liberally from other films, so it does have a seen-that-before element to it that the first one didn’t have to it.
The Final Verdict: While it has a couple of seen-it-before elements to it, this is still arguably the best film in the series. It’s action-packed, gory fun that any Euro Zombie fan will connect with. Any fan of the series should need to see it immediately, while genre fans are in for a great treat with one of the best films in it.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, a sex scene, an attempted Rape scene and scenes with a child in danger
“The Ghost Galleon” is a pretty underrated entry in the series.
**SPOILERS**
A young model, Noemi, (Barbara Rey) is worried about her friend Kathy (Blanca Estrada) who has disappeared for several days. Her boss Lilian (Maria Perschy) informs her that Kathy is out on an assignment for Howard Tucker, (Jack Taylor) a sporting magnate and takes them both to his headquarters to check in on them. When Kathy reports a strange mist and a floating galleon close by, Howard becomes concerned for her safety and decides to investigate. Professor Gruber, (Carlos Lemos) a meteorologist, comes along, as he has heard the myths about the galleon. Arriving to find the ship desolate and empty, the only trace of Kathy being her handbag. Thinking it’s a sign, she ventures around the ship and finds the hold to contain coffins containing the Knights Templar, undead creations who come to life and overrun the ship. Thinking of desperate measures to escape, the ever-dwindling group struggles to survive.
The Good News: “The Ghost Galleon” is the underrated entry in the series, and it’s not nearly as bad as some have made it out to be. This is a great return to the gothic feeling of the first one, with the spooky interiors of the ship it’s best part. Barely lit, cobweb filled and just filled with the right amount of ambiance to creep out the viewer, the ship is a masterpiece of mood that works wonderfully. Working just as well is the setups to use that imagery. Having extended scenes where people wander around aimlessly, looking for something, are handled the best and they are particularly suspenseful. Many are quite extended, giving added suspense as it takes a while to get to the fruit of the search: the Blind Dead themselves. It bares little mention that they again steal the show, the slowly shuffling horde are at their usual creepiness here. The decayed look, bony claws and rotting hoods are a near perfect horror creation. It was also a pretty creative move to place them on the ship here, as it ups the suspense considerably when you know there is no escape from a never-ending threat such as this, and the different suggestions to how to deal with them are both creative in their thought and logical in their realization. It was also a clever way of dealing with the ship, as it’s true nature is spelled out quite effectively and gives a couple of other really effective scenes. It also works well to add a little more suspense in the film, which this is the most suspenseful film bar the original. It was pretty well handled.
The Bad News: There are mainly two main gripes I have against the film: the Templars have very little screen time, being restricted to come on only to kill off a character after an extended stalk sequence. A little more screen time for them would’ve gone a long way here, as my second gripe will illustrate. This is a pretty slow film, which isn’t as violent or action-packed as the second one. The Templars work well with extended sequences on screen, and here the slow pace doesn’t allow a lot of time for them. Otherwise, I was quite entertained by this one.
The Final Verdict: By fixing two problems, this becomes a much better film that it’s reputation deserves to be. It’s the second most gothic-influenced film in the series, and it features a lot more suspense than many give it credit for. Patient fans of the series may get a kick out of it, as well as old-school horror fans.
Rated R: Violence, a rape scene, Brief Nudity, and mild language
“Night of the Seagulls” is a rather average entry for the Blind Dead films.
**SPOILERS**
Dr. Henry Stein, (Victor Petit) and his wife Joan (Marcia Kosti) arrive in a small seaside town to take over the new doctor’s position there, but are greeted with a hostile reception. Lucy, (Sandra Mozarowsky) a native of the town, offers to help them settle in. That night, they here strange chanting and are witness to a strange ceremony: black clad villagers leading a young woman in a white night gown down the beach. As they try to find out the town’s secret, but are just met with excuses. When Lucy is taken to partake in the ceremony, Henry saves her just in time from the Blind Dead, who follow the two back to his house and lay siege to it. Having to find a way out, they also have to stop the curse of the Blind Dead from destroying the town.
The Good News: After the nautical excursion of the last film, the Knights Templars are out back on land, with pretty good results. As usual, the zombies themselves are their great selves. The decayed make-up, hooded covers and general grotesque appearance are always easy points for suspense, and it comes as no surprise that they steal the show here. Any sequence featuring them is no doubt a highlight, and with the amount screen time here, though mainly all at the end, they provide some great moments here. The siege upon the house is great, as it plays out so you never know who the Dead are going to get next. Shades of “Night of the Living Dead” are reminiscent, but it’s not as apparent as in other films in the series. It is a rather tense sequence, as the bony hands thrust their way into every place possible, knocking over furniture and appliances and causing havoc among the nearby victims. Pretty ingenious. The sequences involving the villagers sacrificing the women are quite eerie, as though intention is quite unknown why this would happen. Watching it leaves many questions as to what is happening, as nothing is revealed about the intentions until much later on, allowing for lots of suspense. The photography helps it out more, as it makes it seem more poetic than it really is. The large, gothic castle, which plays a very important part in the film, is rendered perfectly to creep those out. With the high walls, large columns, dim lighting and multi-level design adds wonders to the old gothic feel that the movie has.
The Bad News: There are a couple things I want to point out about this one: the villagers are about even with the Templars in the sadistic competition. The Templars are in a few scenes, so the sadistic-ness falls on them, and they are pretty unlikeable. There are several scenes to point them out: the chase of the crippled man through the woods, and the entire subplot about the Templars and the villains. The villagers have essentially been conniving with the Templars for hundreds of years, and have willingly submitted to their fate as the oppressed town who have to perform a sacred ceremony to appease the Templars. Considering that the Templars are defeated quite easily, by two outsiders no less, makes you wonder why it wasn’t done before.
The Final Verdict: A couple of complaints doesn’t make it all that bad, and this one is one of the better ones in the Euro zombie scene. Fans of the scene will no doubt love it, and those who enjoyed the first ones will want to check this one out as well.
Rated R: Violence, Nudity, a scene of torture and abuse of the crippled
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