By
Todd Garbarini
Would
you go see a horror film billed as “Makes Night of the Living Dead Look
Like a Kids’ (sic) Pajama Party! Scream so they can find you!!!” Somebody did.
Released in New York City on Wednesday, March 7,1973 as the second feature on a
double bill with Mario Bava’s R-rated 1971 film Twitch of the Death Nerve
(the U.S. title of A Bay of Blood), Amando de Ossorio’s The Blind
Dead actually was given a theatrical release in a watered down, PG-rated
version minus blood, gore and nudity. It is also a tighter cut of the original
(known as Tombs of the Blind Dead) as it also dispenses with some
prolonged meandering that gets old real fast. Does the truncated Stateside
version triumph over the longer original Spanish cut of the film? That depends
on the viewer. As a purist who prefers a director’s original vision, I applaud
the efforts of the uncut version.
Lensed
in 1971 in Spain and Portugal at some truly creeping locales, Tombs of the
Blind Dead, clearly influenced by George A. Romero’s aforementioned highly
successful Night of the Living Dead (1968), is one of the better Spanish
horror films to come out of the 1970s, so much so that it spawned no less than
three follow-ups all written and directed by the original’s writer/director: Return
of the Blind Dead (1973), The Ghost Galleon (1974), and Night of
the Seagulls (1975). The madness begins when Virginia White (María Elena
Arpón) encounters her old college lover Betty Turner (Lone Fleming) at a public
pool. Their congenial attitude quickly becomes strained when Virginia’s friend
Roger Whelan (César Burner) shows up and immediately takes a more-than-platonic
liking to Virginia, inviting her on a train ride that he is taking with Betty.
Female resentment ensues and Virginia takes it upon herself to jump off the
train midway, baggage in hand, and goes off into the ruins of a town named
Berzano that the train deliberately bypasses due to an unsavory past. Making
creepy and effective use of the Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real de
Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid, Spain, the director follows
Virginia through the decrepit structures and, unbelievably, camps out solo
overnight! Her presence awakens the buried corpses of the Knights Templar from
their crypts who attack and kill her, her body found by the train conductor the
next morning when on the return trip. Betty and Roger look for Virginia in
Berzano, and out of nowhere, two police detectives emerge to question them about
their relationship to Virginia. It’s a peculiar entrance into the scene, as
though they were standing “stage left” and issued in front of the camera by the
offscreen director. Betty and Roger make their way to the requisite
know-it-all, The One who comes in at the eleventh hour to explain the goings-on
to them, in this case Professor Candal (José Thelman), who explains to them
(and the audience) who manipulates them into finding his son, and the this
leads to a showdown with the Knights and sets up the film for a continuation.
Spanish horror films of this era were on a par with their Italian giallo
counterparts as both genres flourished with exemplary outings from both
countries. Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s La Residencia (1969), aka The
Finishing School and The House That Screamed, while not a zombie
film, is beautifully lensed and ends with a creepy and original denouement. Francisco
Lara Polop’s La Mansión de La Niebla (1972), known here as Murder
Mansion, boasts beautiful artwork that belies an otherwise pedestrian
thriller. Jorge Grau’s The Living
Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974), known also as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
and here in the States as Don’t Open the Window, is, on the other hand,
a key zombie film from this era and is generally regarded quite correctly as
one of the best, and has received stunning Blu-ray treatment from Synapse
Disc One – Standard Blu-ray
This is a high definition (1080p) presentation of the unexpurgated Spanish cut and it looks stunning. All of the extras are on this disc. There are no less than three – yes, three! – running commentaries on the Spanish cut of the film. Commentary One is provided by one of my favorite film historians, veteran speaker Troy Howarth, who is always so wonderful to listen to. He hilariously mentions how the film was also promoted as yet another Planet of the Apes entry in the States, called Revenge from Planet Ape! He also goes into some nice biographical info on the cast, talks at length about the director’s career, how the effects came to be (to an adult’s eyes the zombies look obviously artificial, however to a youngster, they are positively frightening), and compares how the Spanish version is longer and different from the U.S. cut, the latter excising much of the nudity, gore, and sex. In short, all the fun is gone! The U.S. cut takes the flashback sequence with the Knights Templar and places it in as a pre-credit sequence to maintain chronological order. If you have ever seen the uncut version of Andrzej Zulawski’s marriage-from-Hell masterpiece Possession (1981) and compared it to the mess that it became when it was released in the States two years later minus roughly 45minutes and scenes near the film’s end placed in the first 5 minutes, you will appreciate the director’s original vision.
Commentary Two features actress Lone Fleming and is moderated by film professor, director and author Calum Waddell. Ms. Fleming is a joy to listen to and seems honestly surprised, as most actresses who have appeared in “little” horror films over the years when they were just starting out, about the film’s staying power. She discusses her camaraderie with her fellow performers, how the film has been represented over the years in the days of home video and VHS dupes, to mention just a few. Very engaging.
Commentary Three is provided by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of the NaschyCast podcast which, as you can well imagine, cover a multitude of subjects including, but not limited to, the director’s background and his career, the amazing and creepy locations where the film was photographed and, to my great pleasure, the film’s score, which to me is one of the most effective aspects of any film and for reasons I do not understand is rarely, if ever, mentioned. If you enjoy the film, you will want to listen to all three.
Revenge from Planet Ape – Alternate U.S. Opening Sequence – this is sourced from a print that has seen better days (probably the drive-in!)
Awakening of Spanish Horror Cinema – (14:25) – this is an interesting featurette by Professor Dr. Marcus Stiglegger who speaks in German, accompanied by English subtitles. He discusses the themes of the film and the Knights and their place in history and religion. Informative and just the right length.
Salem’s Pop “Templars Tears” Music Video (03:22) – this is a rather pointless exercise in re-presenting most of the gory scenes in the film, which appear in garish colors, set to the film’s main theme, with a lot of confusing visual interference.
Marauders from the Mediterranean: The Macabre Magic of the Spanish Zombie Film is a nearly 90-minute documentary that begins with a look at George A. Romero’s seminal 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead which, although in black and white, paved the way for a lot of truly creepy color Spanish horror films in the years to come. Interviewed here are John Russo of Night of the Living Dead fame; Sitges Film Festival deputy director Mike Hostench; film critic John Martin, academic/writer Calum Waddell; The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue’s director Jorge Grau; Lone Fleming; Sergio Molina (the son of Paul Naschy); Helga Liné; Manuel de Blas; Antonio Mayans; Jack Taylor; renowned author and film critic Kim Newman and academic/writer Steve Jones. Fans of the Blind Dead series can definitely sink their teeth into this one.
Rounding out the extras are the requisite stills gallery and the original trailer.
Disc Two – Standard Blu-ray
This is a high definition (1080p) presentation of the altered and truncated U.S. release version.
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