Rating: 
Summary: Like european zombie movies?
Review: "Tombs of the Blind Dead" is the better of the two films contained on this dvd.
However, the second movie, in it's absurdity is still fun to watch.
Both films revolve around Templar Knights, who sold their souls to the devil, in return for eternal life.
Apparently, at one point, if I remember correctly crows ate their eyes, which is why they are 'the blind dead.'
(They'd been sacrificing the village virgins, got caught and were punished....only to return from the grave.)
They can't see their victims, but, they can hear you...even the beating of your heart.
Overall, the films have a great 'atmosphere' to them...fog, eerie chanting/music and the zombies themselves are rather well done.
None of the films are high in the 'gore-level', as far as most european zombie 'splat-fests' go, but, if you are are horror fan, that enjoys ALL types of horror, you should enjoy them.Also, if you manage to track down a copy of a film called "Horror of the Zombies", it ties in with these two films...only the zombies are at sea.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Italian Horror
Review: Amando De Ossorio's eerie Spanish films finally make it to DVD! "Tombs" is presented on side one in the 1:66 ratio. It is subtitled in English. This is the definitive UNRATED version. There were some rumors a few months back that this too was cut, but these are false; this print has all of the scenes missing from the US and UK versions. The picture quality is very good, although the elements they were working with were less than perfect. These "artifacts" are especially noticable during the opening credits. After that, the colors are vibrant and the dark scenes even look decent! The sound is mono and passable. There's also a total of twelve chapter stops throughout. Side two is where "Return of the Blind Dead" starts. It too is uncut and presented in the 1:66 ratio. The dialogue is dubbed into English. Again, very good transfer throughout! The film elements appear to be of superior quality to "Tombs". The mono track is adequate. Ten chapters total. What more can I say? Oh yeah, it has a cool German poster printed on the back of the chapter listings. I highly recommend this disc for fans of horror films that could never have been made in the US!!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Italian Horror
Review: Amando De Ossorio's eerie Spanish films finally make it to DVD! "Tombs" is presented on side one in the 1:66 ratio. It is subtitled in English. This is the definitive UNRATED version. There were some rumors a few months back that this too was cut, but these are false; this print has all of the scenes missing from the US and UK versions. The picture quality is very good, although the elements they were working with were less than perfect. These "artifacts" are especially noticable during the opening credits. After that, the colors are vibrant and the dark scenes even look decent! The sound is mono and passable. There's also a total of twelve chapter stops throughout. Side two is where "Return of the Blind Dead" starts. It too is uncut and presented in the 1:66 ratio. The dialogue is dubbed into English. Again, very good transfer throughout! The film elements appear to be of superior quality to "Tombs". The mono track is adequate. Ten chapters total. What more can I say? Oh yeah, it has a cool German poster printed on the back of the chapter listings. I highly recommend this disc for fans of horror films that could never have been made in the US!!
Rating:
Summary: Knights Of The Livid Dead
Review: Anchor Bay released this now out of print "double-feature" DVD in 1998. While disappointingly extras-free, it is very much worth seeking out as the disc offers one of Europe's most infamous horror titles completely uncut. TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1972): In 13th Century Portugal, the Templar Knights ceremoniously tortured village girls to death and drank their blood in the belief that the ritual would grant them immortality. After years of torment and fear, the villagers murderously rebelled against the Templars, killing all of the members of the oppressive, diabolical cult. The corpses of the knights were left hanging from trees where crows ate their eyes. In 1972, a young woman stumbles upon the Templars burial ground and the living dead knights claw out of their tombs to kill her. The woman's friends investigate her death and eventually find themselves the prey of the bloodlusting, blind Templars, who are able to pursue their victims by listening to their fear-swollen heartbeats. With skillful, atmospheric direction by Amando de Ossorio, and featuring creepy titular monsters who have deservedly become icons of contemporary horror, TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD is a diverting and occasionally frightening zombie outing. Although hampered by a haphazardly constructed narrative, with a great deal of truly clumsy exposition, the film features more than enough potent shocks to compensate. Most of the various stalk and kill sequences are nightmarishly effective. The final twenty minutes, in particular, are relentlessly gruesome and bleak. Presented in an uncensored form for the first time ever in the U.S., the Anchor Bay DVD features a nice and colorful, if unspectacular, widescreen transfer of this much sought after film. The Spanish language soundtrack is subtitled in English. No extras, not even a trailer, are provided. RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD (1973): A small town is having a fireworks-laden 500th Anniversary celebration of the destruction of the Templar Knights. Shortly after the evening festivities begin, the undead knights make a surprise appearance, seeking bloody revenge for their centuries-old defeat. After most of the villagers are slaughtered, a small group of survivors desperately try to use an abandoned church as a refuge from the living dead's onslaught. The unexpected worldwide success of TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD convinced Amando de Ossorio to write and direct this quickly filmed sequel; two more would eventually follow. Completely eschewing the creepy atmospherics and suspenseful buildup of the original, RETURN seeks its thrills by simply offering up a comparatively huge body count. Once the "action" starts (after some of the dullest expository material ever filmed), victim after victim is chased and abruptly killed by the sword wielding monsters. The film is a surprisingly dreary, crudely shot mess, an unbearably boring exercise in unimaginative and soulless euro-horror. It may be a worthless movie, but Anchor Bay has seen fit to give it a decent DVD presentation. Unfortunately taken from a censored print that is reportedly missing the film's more extreme moments of gore, the disc offers an otherwise adequate transfer of a lackluster title, presented in the movie's original theatrical release aspect ratio, poorly dubbed in English.
Rating:
Summary: Knights Of The Livid Dead
Review: Anchor Bay released this now out of print "double-feature" DVD in 1998. While disappointingly extras-free, it is very much worth seeking out as the disc offers one of Europe's most infamous horror titles completely uncut. TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1972): In 13th Century Portugal, the Templar Knights ceremoniously tortured village girls to death and drank their blood in the belief that the ritual would grant them immortality. After years of torment and fear, the villagers murderously rebelled against the Templars, killing all of the members of the oppressive, diabolical cult. The corpses of the knights were left hanging from trees where crows ate their eyes. In 1972, a young woman stumbles upon the Templars burial ground and the living dead knights claw out of their tombs to kill her. The woman's friends investigate her death and eventually find themselves the prey of the bloodlusting, blind Templars, who are able to pursue their victims by listening to their fear-swollen heartbeats. With skillful, atmospheric direction by Amando de Ossorio, and featuring creepy titular monsters who have deservedly become icons of contemporary horror, TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD is a diverting and occasionally frightening zombie outing. Although hampered by a haphazardly constructed narrative, with a great deal of truly clumsy exposition, the film features more than enough potent shocks to compensate. Most of the various stalk and kill sequences are nightmarishly effective. The final twenty minutes, in particular, are relentlessly gruesome and bleak. Presented in an uncensored form for the first time ever in the U.S., the Anchor Bay DVD features a nice and colorful, if unspectacular, widescreen transfer of this much sought after film. The Spanish language soundtrack is subtitled in English. No extras, not even a trailer, are provided. RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD (1973): A small town is having a fireworks-laden 500th Anniversary celebration of the destruction of the Templar Knights. Shortly after the evening festivities begin, the undead knights make a surprise appearance, seeking bloody revenge for their centuries-old defeat. After most of the villagers are slaughtered, a small group of survivors desperately try to use an abandoned church as a refuge from the living dead's onslaught. The unexpected worldwide success of TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD convinced Amando de Ossorio to write and direct this quickly filmed sequel; two more would eventually follow. Completely eschewing the creepy atmospherics and suspenseful buildup of the original, RETURN seeks its thrills by simply offering up a comparatively huge body count. Once the "action" starts (after some of the dullest expository material ever filmed), victim after victim is chased and abruptly killed by the sword wielding monsters. The film is a surprisingly dreary, crudely shot mess, an unbearably boring exercise in unimaginative and soulless euro-horror. It may be a worthless movie, but Anchor Bay has seen fit to give it a decent DVD presentation. Unfortunately taken from a censored print that is reportedly missing the film's more extreme moments of gore, the disc offers an otherwise adequate transfer of a lackluster title, presented in the movie's original theatrical release aspect ratio, poorly dubbed in English.
Rating: 
Summary: Tombs of the Stupid and Boring Dead !
Review: As a young teen, I would often see photo's of this cult 1971 Spanish film in books on horror cinema. Usually, the still showed two of the "Blind Dead" returned from the grave with their mouldering cloaks and skull like features, obviously pursuing their hapless victims. So, sight unseen I purchased the DVD and greeted it's arrival with some anticipation !
Now I love low budget Eurotrash, horror cinema....but "Tombs" is unbearably slow, has plot holes bigger than Texas, and virtually no thrills or chills.
The film opens with the blood thirtsty Knights Templar sacrificing some poor virgin during the Middle Ages. Tied to a cross, they whip her naked body until she bleeds profusely and then feast upon her still warm blood...although it's actually a bunch of guys licking tomato ketchup off what is obviously a shop mannequin. After the opening credits roll over shots of an abandoned castle, we see a withered hand, some dishevelled woman screams into the camera and then bang (!), we are suddenly at a hotel pool in modern day Lisbon ? ( Did I miss something ? )
Now follow this....two female school friends (Betty & Virginia) who obviously haven't seen each other in a while, become reacquainted poolside, and Betty's friend Roger hops out of the water, and instantly suggests Virginia join them tomorrow on a camping trip ! The next day our happy trio all meet at the train station ( no visible luggage for said camping trip ) and board what looks like one of those half size trains with two carraiges that you see at second class amusement parks. Five minutes into the trip on the toy train, its revealed that Betty and Virginia had a lesbian embrace as teenagers ( although it was about as passionate as a cold rice judging from the silly flasback ). Virginia gets all moody ( possibly because Betty is no longer butch ? ) and jumps off the train ( as you do ) and heads off to the nearest haunted castle for the night. After Virginia titillates the audience by disrobing in front of the fire, she beds down for the night only to be awoken by those pesky Blind Dead zombies (riding Blind Dead Horses too !), who insist on making a meal out of her !
( And if you think Romero's living dead shuffle around slowly, then De Ossorio's blind dead would have trouble outpacing a three legged turtle over a ten yard dash ! )
Naive Virginia turns up dead, Roger and Betty stumble across the ruins of the graveyard of the Knights Templar, and two Spanish cops invite Roger and Betty to view Virginia's cannibalised corpse ( aided by some grinning, weirdo morgue attendant )
Roger seeks professional advice on the Knights Templar from a university professor with Coke bottle thick glasses, until they are rudely interrupted by the police inspector who tells the professor that his missing son is the local bandit leader in the village right next to the spooky castle ( I think this is a plot twist from "Days Of Our Lives ? ) So, Roger enlists the aid of virile bandit Pedro (and his cheap date) and Betty joins them all at Castle Creepy, thus they can all sit around at midnight and await the Blind Dead. Meanwhile, back at the morgue, Virginia rises from the dead and munches on the nutty morgue attendant, before heading off to a mannequin factory, terrorising the staff before perishing herself for the second time in a very fake looking fire ! We cut back to the haunted castle and Pedro has gotten bored and restless ( just like I am watching this absurd film ), and so he wanders off with Betty and proceeds to rape her ( he'll pay for that ), whilst Roger thinks Pedro's woman is pretty hot and they too are soon lip locked.
The bells toll midnight and poor Pedro finds himself surrounded by rising dead with nothing more than a blunt switchblade. Without so much as a punch thrown, Pedro goes down and becomes the next meal ( it's strange how the close ups of the Blind Dead munching on Pedro look like hand puppets of withered monkey heads drooling ketchup ? ).
Distressed Roger and Pedro's scantily clad floozy go down screaming and fall prey to the monkey hand puppets, before Betty escapes and flags down the toy train. However, the Blind Dead quickly demonstrate they are just not limited to horse theft, murder and deflowering virgins....and they too board the train without valid tickets (!) and proceed to "knight" everyone on board with sword blows to the head.
The choo-choo train takes off, arrives at the next station full of butchered Spaniards, as Betty screams in horror, and a mummified hand is shown on a slab of marble (?). My summary....A very dis-jointed, poorly acted and unscary horror tale that barely kept me awake for its 89 minute running time. I'm giving this film two stars (instead of one) because at least the Blind Dead's decaying cloaks & features are quite haunting and gothicly atmospheric. However, for my money there are plenty of scarier and sexier Eurotrash horror movies around ( such as Jean Rollins "Lips of Blood" or Jimmy Sangsters "Lust For a Vampire" ), rather than this Spanish zombie mish mash !
Rating: 
Summary: tombs of the blind dead
Review: creey feeling it has to it i am not going to talk about it chills run up my spine just thinking about it .....tombs is really like no other zombie flick..... the lighting and the fxs are great and there is all so a part 3 very hard to find on dvd
Rating:
Summary: Those Wacky Spaniards
Review: De Ossario really tries, but his horror films always look like the work of an eighth-grader who has just borrowed his father's cam-corder one Saturday afternoon. The Knights Templar rise from the grave in this sequel to Tombs of the Blind Dead, and they run amok in sort of a mild way in some small crappy town. Sex is always about to happen in this film, but never does. People are always about to be killed, but that never quite happens either. Before you know it, you've just wasted two hours of your life that you'll never get back.
Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS DISC!!!
Review: De Ossorio's masterpiece! Along with Naschy's werewolf movies, the Blind Dead films are the best that Spanish horror has to offer. These films have everything you could possibly want from Euro exploitation--zombies, lesbians, flesh-eating, nudity (did I mention there're lesbians?), and, of course, the Blind Dead their own bad selves. The plot concerns the Knights Templar, executed for withcraft and their eyes plucked by ravens, raising from the dead and doing the kind of stuff you've come to expect from satanic flesh-eating zombies. What sets these skeletal dead-heads apart from the legions of walking dead that have come before and since is that they carry swords, wear monk robes, ride horses, and have no eyes (duh). They find their prey by sound alone, and then it's hell to pay, baby!!!! This movie is lots and lots of fun. Too bad the other two films in the series aren't on DVD. A cut version of the 3rd film used to be available on video as Horror of the Zombies and can sometimes be found in bigger video stores--just be prepared to blow dust off the box. You might even find the fourth film, the great Night Of the Seagulls, uncut, under the title Mark Of The Devil 3. Good luck!!! And if you REALLY like this movie, the heavy metal band Cathederal has a song on one of their discs called "Night Of The Seagulls" about none other than our friends the Blind Dead. "We are the Blind Dead, we have no eyes inside our head..." If you REALLY, REALLY dig this freaky movie, check out Michael Soavi's film The Church to see more zombie versions of the Knights Templar (though with their eyes).
Rating:
Summary: Terrible. I love it.
Review: How thrilling it is to be an Anchor Bay fanatic! The finest in poorly dubbed, overly gory European horror in gorgeous DVD transfer! So bad it's good - and it doesn't get any worse than this double feature.
TOMBS... is the better of the two films by far, with the typical heroes and heroines doing the stupid things that get them in trouble. The real stars are the Templar zombies, cursed to ride in slow motion on zombie horses. They can't see, see? So being the blind dead, they find their victims through the sound of a heartbeat. There's a great hopeless ending and then you flip the disc.
I like the setting of RETURN... better than its predecessor, but it's basically the same film. The use of some of the same actors (some of whom died in the first) makes it a bit more tedious and the use of the same slow motion stock footage of the Templars riding adds to the feeling that you've just seen this film. And you have! Hell, it's Anchor Bay - you're probably not watching it unless it's two in the morning and you've had too much to drink, so it's all in good fun. The end of RETURN is dull and disappointing, though, and not nearly as satisfying as the end of TOMBS...
In summary, the worst of the worst; and coming from Anchor Bay that can only mean five stars.
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