Attack of the Blind Dead (1973)

Wonderful Movie

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Excellent but underrated film

The acting in this movie is really good.

"Reutrn of the Blind Dead," is a slightly higher budget remake of Tombs of the Blind Dead. Return maintains the intriguing premise and textural richness of the first, while also achieving a slightly faster pace and more accessible story. In all fairness, Return is a remake in spirit only. The story arch and conflict differs very much from the first film. In the earlier film, the director lavished time and extended shot composition to create a creepy mood. This second installment develops characters more and explores how some of the monsters may still be alive.This series has gained a cult following for a few reasons. First, the premise of long dead satanic knight zombies mixes history, occultism, and gory monsters. Such a mix is near perfection in the overly exploited zombie genre. Second, the stories are rather simple and straight forward. The director is clearly not attempting to create a nuanced and subtle piece of storytelling. Rather, the films are a notable for the visual and color textures. The zombies are a wonderful combination of desiccated flesh and bones wrapped in earth hardened tunics. In addition, these knights attack in force both on foot and on zombie horseback. The costuming and makeup effects are actually quite unsettling and some of the most original.While the zombies are very fun, the lack of attention to story and development do hurt the film. The dialogue is simplistic and clearly serves to keep the pacing up. Whenever a movie sacrifices realistic scripting, the production as a whole suffers from wooden performances and characters the audience cares little about. Return, having made the above scripting sacrifice, comes off as very clichéd, poorly acted, and at times outright stupid. An important note is that, even with these negative points, the film still maintains a sense of excitement, horror and fun. Return is a "b" zombie film and all of the staff know it. In a sense, this film deserves to be judged by more lenient "b" criteria. By evaluating this film on less strict criterion, Return is a success. The Editing is well done and maintains a good exciting pace. The acting is wooden, which inevitably leads to unintended humor and laughs. The zombies are the star and clearly have been developed lovingly. The score is a mix of cheesy music and stereotypically creepy sound effects. This film attacks its goal with both a high degree of technical skill and an even higher degree of pride. Will this film ever make a come back and receive awards? No, it will not. Will this film stand the test of time and be referenced for many years to come by horror enthusiasts? Yes, it most definitely will. All in all, this is a fun film that has a unique if campy perspective on zombies.On a personal note, I have really taken to this series. The premise, visual textures, creepy locations, and unplanned humor combine to make these films a pleasure to watch. These make great movie night fare when with horror buffs. In addition, this series provides a great many examples of the wonderful techniques used in earlier horror. A great many films of today are clearly influenced by the likes of the blind dead.

This is only the second film in the series and already they are changing the story. The knights got their eyes plucked out by birds in the first, and now they are burned out before they are burned alive. Well, which is it? It is slow in the beginning, but picks up after the dead return.About 20 hole up in a church, but some are trying to get out on their own. The Mayor (Fernando Sancho) uses one to try and get away, and when that doesn't work, he uses the man's daughter to distract the knights while he escapes. He gets his just desserts.The ending was anti-climatic.

If you enjoyed "Tombs of the Blind Dead," chances are, you will not be disappointed with DeOssorio's second entry into the Blind Dead Series, "Return of the Evil Dead." The plot is a little more ridiculous than "Tombs of the Blind Dead" though. It's a lot sleazier and more nostalgic of the 70's. I really liked it, but it lacks the atmospheric pleasures of the first entry. It's not as old school. There is more gore in "Return of the Evil Dead" too, which I dig. It reminded me more of "Burial Ground" and you can totally see where that movie came from.The Blue Underground version is masterfully re-done, the sound and picture are great, and the packaging is attractive.6 out of 10, kids.

"Return of the Evil Dead" is a faithful, atmospheric sequel to the original movie, offering more of the same mix of horror, drama and suspense.This time 'round, Tony Kendall is the square-jawed action hero who comes face-to-rotting face with the ghostly Templar knights. José Canalejas plays the simple villager responsible for bringing the undead back and Fernando Sancho steals the show as the mayor who will do anything to save his own skin.While not offering any real development in terms of back-history, this is a watchable follow-up to "Tombs of the Blind Dead". The Blind Dead remain one of the creepiest big-screen baddies in motion picture history, their slow-motion appearances on horseback in these movies are first-class. Like the original, "Return" doesn't pull any punches with the shocks - in these films, any character could fall victim to the undead.7 out of 10. A decent offering from director Amando de Ossorio despite being let down by a few poor visual effects.