Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) La noche del terror ciego (original title)

Director:

Amando de Ossorio

Writers:

Jesús Navarro Carrión (additional dialogue)
Amando de Ossorio

Release Date:

February 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Who are these unholy savages who hunt out their victims by sound alone?

Plot:

In the 13th century there existed a legion of evil knights known as the Templars, who quested for eternal...

Plot Keywords:

Knight | Blood | Corpse | Ritual | Medieval Times

Cast

Lone Fleming	...	Betty Turner
César Burner	...	Roger Whelan
María Elena Arpón	...	Virginia White (as Helen Harp)
José Thelman	...	Pedro Candal (as Joseph Thelman)
Rufino Inglés	...	Insp. Oliveira
Verónica Llimera	...	Nina
Simón Arriaga	...	Morgue keeper
Francisco Sanz	...	Prof. Candal (librarian)
Juan Cortés	...	Coroner
Andrés Isbert
Antonio Orengo	...	Train engineer
José Camoiras
María Silva	...	Maria
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Britt Nichols	...	Sacrificed maiden (uncredited)
Pedro Sempson	...	Train engineer (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Amando de Ossorio

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Amando de Ossorio
Jesús Navarro Carrión		additional dialogue

Produced by
José Antonio Pérez Giner	....	executive producer
Salvadore Romero	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Antón García Abril

Cinematography by
Pablo Ripoll

Film Editing by
José Antonio Rojo

Production Design by
Jaime Duarte De Brito

Set Decoration by
Juan García

Costume Design by
Humberto Cornejo

Makeup Department
José Luis Campos	....	makeup artist
Carmen Teran	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Manuel Amigo	....	production manager
Victor Dacosta	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paulino González	....	assistant director

Art Department
Rafael Ablanque	....	assistant designer
Jaime Duarte De Brito	....	set designer

Sound Department
Luis Castro	....	sound effects
José María San Mateo	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
José Gómez Soria	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Félix Mirón	....	camera operator: second unit
Luis Muñoz Alcolea	....	assistant camera
Julio Wizuete	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Concepción Piño	....	assistant editor

Music Department
L. Fernández Soria	....	music editor

Other crew
Ramón Escribano	....	production assistant
Ángela Escribano	....	production secretary
Dick Randall	....	English adaptor
José Sánchez	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Interfilme
• Plata Films S.A.

Distributors

• Hispamex (1971) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Hallmark Releasing (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1972) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Redemption Films (1994) (UK) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Sinister Cinema (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• ARTE (2006) (Germany) (TV)
• Butcher's Film Service (1973) (UK) (theatrical)
• Filmways Australasian Distributors (1973) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Atlas International Film (1972) (worldwide) (all media)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• European Video Corporation (EVC) (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paragon Video Productions (USA) (VHS)
• Unknown Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"La noche del terror ciego" - Spain (original title)
"Mark of the Devil Part V: Night of the Blind Terror" - USA (video title)
"Mark of the Devil, Part 4: Tombs of the Blind Dead" - USA
"Revenge from Planet Ape" - USA (recut version)
"The Blind Dead" - USA
"The Night of the Blind Terror" - International (English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

USA:86 min | Spain:101 min | Hungary:91 min (video version)

Country:

Spain | Portugal

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Spain:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Australia:R | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:PG | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Estoril, Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Interfilme

Trivia:

The blind dead are never referred to as "Templar Knights" or "Caballeros Templarios" in the original Spanish language version. They are referred to as "los Guerreros de Oriente" ("The Warriors from the Orient").

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the films intro titles, the camera is looking around the "abandoned" ruins of the Templars monastery. In one shot, a van with a ladder strapped to its roof-rack can be seen going across a bridge in the background, at the top of the picture.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Neues aus der Anstalt: Spätrömischer Empfang für Westerwelle (#4.2)" (2010)

Defining moments of horror in a sea of mediocrity

Yet another example of the perception of a film being superior to the reality of actually sitting and watching it. There is no argument from me that the Blind Dead (The Templar Knights) are fantastic creations and director/writer Amando de Ossorio is to be revered for their birth. The scenes of the Templars stalking their victims and chasing them on horseback are striking and haunting and now occupy a special place in the pantheon of fantastique cinema. Unfortunately, "Tombs of the Blind Dead" is also a slow, boring, illogical mess. The performances are terrible, the "suspense" scenes are hit-and-miss, and the day-for-night photography, though effective in parts, is not believable. The film's bloody climax is a good one and the final freeze frame has some power, but it's sad to see such a wonderful concept handicapped by mediocre scripting and appalling acting. Still, there are defining moments of horror within the frames of this Spanish potboiler.