Tombs of the Blind Dead (Spanish Zombie Templar Horror)

 

Long may they ride! The jewel in the paste crown of Amando De Ossorio’s erratic career, Tombs of the Blind Dead is a minor masterpiece of Spanish Gothic Horror that has finally been lovingly restored by Synapse Films in time for its 4K UHD debut. Does this movie deserve the reputation it has? Let’s find out. A beautiful young girl finds herself in the Spanish countryside after getting cuckolded on a train ride through the country. Posting up in a dilapidated old castle, she finds herself conjuring up the spirits of the rotting Knights Templar. The Templars track their victims using a form of sonar, drinking blood and roaming the countryside looking for fresh flesh. Tombs of the Blind Dead is painfully slow in spots and takes it’s sweet time getting to the good stuff, but once the Templars start climbing out of their graves the film kicks into high gear dishing out an atmosphere of death and decay by the shovelful.

   

Adding to the tension is an incredible score made up primarily of chanting and detuned drums that sounds like H.G. Lewis’ score for Blood Feast being covered by Diamanda Galas. While vicious in spots, this is also perfect viewing for the whole family and younger horror heads as the emphasis is on delicious scares and a heavy mood rather than blood and guts. Making up for their absolutely atrocious release of Thriller: A Cruel Picture, Synapse do delicious work on this one. The new 4K transfer is a stunner, capturing the deep browns and reds perfectly. Extras are plentiful, with my favorites being a pair of insightful audio commentaries with actress Lone Fleming and film scholar Troy Howarth. Also worthy of note is the epic documentary Marauders of the Mediterranean: A History of the Spanish Zombie Film, which also name-checks my beloved Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. All in all, a great effort and presentation by Synapse. If you’ve never seen this one before, let your education commence. Tombs of the Blind Dead is an erratic classic, imperfect yet in a strange way extremely satisfying. There really is no better way to catch this one, so if you must see this movie, Synapse and their wonderful presentation are the way to go.

 

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Written by David, Comptroller of Your Last Scrap of Existence

Tombs of the Blind Dead (2024 on Blu-ray)
Director: Amando de Ossorio
Distributor: Synapse Films
4.1 / 5