Overview: Amando de Ossorio’s unique 1971 Spanish shocker Tombs of the Blind Dead was an international horror hit that spawned three sequels and countless imitations. The first of four official films in the series, it begins with a trio of friends getting together for a camping trip that quickly turns into bloodcurdling horror as a legion of long-dead Knights Templar rise from their graves in search of human flesh!

When the Templars were originally executed for their cannibalistic rituals, they were hanged outside to die as crows pecked out their eyes. Now, armed with ancient swords and riding their skeletal undead horses into the night looking for prey, these mummified creatures cannot see... they hunt purely by sound alone. Synapse Films is proud to present Tombs of the Blind Dead in a new restoration from the uncut original camera negative!

Blu-ray Verdict: Amando de Ossorio’s La Noche Del Terror Ciego aka Tombs Of The Blind Dead from 1971 is a great classic of Spanish/Portuguese Horror Exploitation, and an absolute must-see for every Horror fan. As an enthusiastic fan of European Horror cinema, especially from the seventies, I have a particular admiration for this film, which spawned three sequels, and enormous respect for director Amando de Ossorio, who deserves enormous credit for this film alone.

The seventies and eighties were the heyday of the gory European (especially Italian and Spanish) exploitation cinema, and out of the many low-budget flicks dealing with the living dead that were made in these days Tombs of the Blind Dead is one of the creepiest efforts.

In the 13th century, a legion of devil-worshiping Templar Knights sacrificed countless innocent virgins for Satan and drank their blood in order to gain eternal life. Their reign of terror ended when they were defeated by the King of Spain. They were all hanged and left on the gallows, until crows picked out and ate their corpses’ eyes and therefore blinded them for eternity.

In modern day Portugal (of the early 1970s) young people who planned to have a nice trip for the weekend, have to experience the cruelty of the Templars, who arise from their graves every night as living dead - The Blind Dead. The Blind Dead, of course, cannot see, but their sense of hearing is perfect, and their appetite for human blood is greater than ever.

The budget was low, of course, and the performances are not exactly overwhelming, and yet La Noche Del Terror Ciego is a great film that is creepy as hell from the beginning. This film’s greatness is mainly due to Amando De Ossorio’s great talent for creepiness. The Blind Templars are some of the creepiest creatures ever to appear on screen. The movie’s soundtrack is great and makes the movie even scarier.

Especially the occult sounding choir, that is heard when the Blind Dead show up (some of them walking, some of them on horseback), is an immensely eerie and great piece of horror score that creates an incomparably creepy atmosphere.

All said, Tombs Of The Blind Dead is pure, bloodcurdling Horror from a golden age of the genre and a must-see for every Horror fan. Especially my fellow Eurohorror and Exploitation buffs simply cannot allow themselves to miss this!

BONUS MATERIALS:
High-definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation of the original uncut version
Lossless Spanish PCM 2.0 mono soundtrack
Lossless “hybrid” English/Spanish PCM 2.0 mono soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the Spanish track
Optional English subtitles for the Spanish sections of the hybrid soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the hybrid soundtrack
Audio commentary with horror film historian and author, Troy Howarth
Audio commentary with star Lone Fleming
Audio commentary with Rod Barnett & Troy Guinn of the NaschyCast podcast
Marauders from the Mediterranean – a feature length documentary exploring the history of the Spanish zombie film, featuring interviews with: Night of the Living Dead writer/producer John Russo, Stiges Film Festival deputy director Mike Hostench, and more!
Revenge of Planet Ape - Alternate U.S. Opening Sequence
Awakening of Spanish Horror Cinema – Featurette by film historian Marcus Stiglegger
Salem’s Pop “Templar’s Tears” music video
Original Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
Additional 1080p Blu-ray featuring the alternate U.S. cut entitled, THE BLIND DEAD

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