Return of the Evil Dead (1973)

500 years after they were blinded and executed for committing human sacrifices, a band of Templar knights returns from the grave to terrorize a rural Portuguese village during it's ... See full summary »

Director:

Amando de Ossorio

Writers:

Amando de Ossorio (screenplay), Amando de Ossorio (story)

Stars:

Tony Kendall, Fernando Sancho, Esperanza Roy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Kendall	...	Jack Marlowe
Fernando Sancho	...	Mayor Duncan
Esperanza Roy	...	Vivian
Frank Braña	...	Howard
José Canalejas	...	Murdo
Loreta Tovar	...	Monica
Ramón Lillo	...	Bert
Lone Fleming	...	Amalia
Maria Nuria	...	Nancy - Amalia's daughter
José Thelman	...	Juan - Monica's boyfriend
Juan Cazalilla	...	Governor
Betsabé Ruiz	...	Governor's maid
Marisol Delgado	...	Doncella
Luis Barboo	...	Executed Templar
Francisco Sanz	...	Station Manager (as Paco Sanz)

Storyline

500 years after they were blinded and executed for committing human sacrifices, a band of Templar knights returns from the grave to terrorize a rural Portuguese village during it's centennial celebration. Being blind, the Templars find their victims through sound, usually the screams of their victims. Taking refuge in a deserted cathedral, a small group of people must find a way to escape from the creatures.

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Plot Keywords:

cleavage | scantily clad female | voyeur | white panties | girl in panties | 

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Taglines:

Have they heard your heart beating?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The English-dubbed version of this movie, Return of the Evil Dead, popularized the use of the generic term "evil dead" to refer to malevolent undead.

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Goofs

As Murdo's decapitated body falls back through the hole, a tube of fake blood is visible at his shoulder.

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Alternate Versions

The Anchor Bay version claims to be uncut, however it is actually missing quite a bit of footage. Most of the gore has been cut out, along with a few other minor scenes. Here is a complete list of the missing footage:

• During the opening flashback, all shots of the knife plunging into the woman's chest have been removed, as well as the shots of the Templars removing her heart.
• There is a brief line of dialogue from one of the Templar Knights missing just before he is blinded by the villagers.
• A shot of a woman, tied and gagged in the trunk of a car, has been cut from during the fireworks display.
• A complete sequence has been cut in which the woman from the previous shot is tied to a wall by Murdo the village idiot and stabbed between the breasts. This particular cut makes it unclear why the Templars suddenly return from the grave. In the uncut version, this scene establishes that Murdo has deliberately summoned the Templars by offering a human sacrifice.
• A single shot of blood dripping down a telephone and onto the floor has been removed.
• Two close-up shots have been removed which show Bert's stomach being punctured by swords, along with an intervening shot of the Mayor watching from a nearby window.
• The scene where the little girl leaves a room and encounters the Mayor (just before he leads her outside) has been cut.
• Various close-ups of swords entering the Mayor's body have been removed.
• A single close-up of a sword penetrating Amalia's stomach has been cut.
• A single shot of blood spurting from Murdo's neck after he has been beheaded has been removed.
• Just before the camera pans down to reveal that Howard has fallen onto a spear, a few shots of his face have been removed.
• A single shot of the village square has been cut, just before Vivian, Jack, and Nancy leave the church.
• The end credits have been considerably shortened.

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Connections

Followed by Night of the Seagulls (1975)

User Reviews

Guess who wants revenge.

Writer / director Amando de Ossorio's garnished Gothic follow up to the original Spanish feature "Tombs of the Blind Dead" is to some extent an improvement with a much better pace, tautly constructed suspense (where those ominous chants throughout the score draw fear) and plenty of viciously hysterical bloodletting (stomach stabbing and blood dribbling) from the Templar knights. Still with that in mind, I wasn't terribly blown away by "Return of the Blind Dead" and the ending was a real letdown too.

The formula (survivors held up in a church with the zombie templar knights waiting outside) had been bled dry and its repetitive nature to get a little tiresome. Only so much could happen and it shows, but it remained effectively atmospheric in its moody imagery (you can't tire of the haunting slow motion scenes of the templar knights on their horses) and surrounding decors. This time the focus is on the cursed townsfolk who are celebrating the 500th anniversary burning of the Eastern knights that practiced black magic, but soon the nightmare is relived when the knights return from beyond their graves for brutal revenge. There they knock on doors waiting to be invited in, until they realised they are unlocked so they make themselves welcomed to carry on the slaughter behind closed doors. Make-up FX still stands up rather well. The performances are respectable with the likes of Tony Kendall, Lone Fleming, Frank Brana and Fernando Sancho.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mark of the Devil 5: Return of the Blind Dead

Filming Locations:

Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ancla Century Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1