Rating: 
Summary: WoW!!! Wicked good Horror movie!!!
Review: I am only 12 years old. But I know a good horror movie when I see one. My mom let me watch this to practice my spanish. We were both surprised that this was the uncut version. There was a CRAZY rape scene with some weird breast fetish things. That's what my brother said. So, thi movie is slow, and for big weirdos!!!
Rating: 
Summary: See no evil?
Review: I caught TOTBD on Elvira's Movie Macabre back in the day and have loved it ever since. That should be all you need to know to understand how cheese-y the movie is (for you younger folks, this is the kind of movie you'd see lambasted on Mystery Science Theater 3000). Of course, it's tasty cheese and it has aged rather well.
The quality of this DVD presentation is very good; however, after paying around $30 when it first came out, I have seen this DVD offered much cheaper at brick and mortar locations in recent years. If you can't find a cheaper copy locally and absolutely must have one, I guess you'll have to bite the bullet and order here.
The movies hinge on the Knights Templar, who were actual, historical figures & the original proponents of the (European) War on Terror. Though they lost many battles throughout the Crusades, the Templars became so wealthy & consequently so powerful that they began to challenge the rule & authority of European monarchs. The monarchs eventually conspired against the Templars, charging them with heresy. Templar leaders were prosecuted & subsequently executed, causing the organization's dissolution. Though the heresy charges were largely false concoctions, the sordid allegations make for a much more interesting premise on which to build a horror movie.
To his credit, de Ossorio's decision to exploit the more diabolical aspects of Templar mythology pays off. The overall concept is brilliant, though it just begs to be remade with more money and better effects. The coolest, most unique features of TOTBD are the genuine, on-location castle ruins & the eerily undead Templars riding horseback in slo-mo. Conversely, it's most annoying & inexplicable how apparently in Spain day turns to night in a matter of about fifteen seconds and yet the dead of night looks just like noon! Watch it; you'll understand what I mean.
The movie has creep factor galore (one creep in particular being a leacherous, necrophile mortician's assistant), but few genuine scares. It's also subtitled, as I recall, so be warned.
Sadly, ROTBD is much less effective. Forsaking the castle ruins, the Blind Templars instead attack a neighboring village. The less creepy environs make for a less creepy movie. Still, if you're a fan of B horror movies (and why wouldn't you be?) this double feature is a great way to spend an evening. Even if it's an inexplicably sunny evening...
Rating: 
Summary: Cloaks & Daggers
Review: I have seen a few Spanish horror films in my day, such as "The Blood Spattered Bride", "Day of the Beast" and a couple of Paul Naschy werewolf films but none are as good as Amando De Ossorio's Blind Dead films. In some ways these films are utterly laughable but they still hold up surprisingly well as some of the best Eurohorror of the 70's. You can't go wrong with this disc, which combines the first two films of the series in a crystal clear transfer. There are zippo extras here but who cares these two films are amazing. "Tombs of the Blind Dead" centers around two young women and one guy who set out on a campaign trip. They take the train to go there but while on the train the three get into an argument and one of the girls named Virginia chooses to jump off the train (literally) at the midway point of their destination. She finds herself in an abandoned city of ancient ruins. Abandoned, that is, for the presence of the Blind Templars, cloaked horsemen who like to slice, dice and suck the blood out of their victims. Meanwhile, the two other travellers decide to rent horses and explore the abandoned city in search of Virginia. Big mistake. The templars are waiting. This is a supremely stylish and atmospheric film, one that relies on setting and sound to scare the bejeesus out of viewers. The abandoned city is a really creepy place, replete with gothic architecture, walls burned to a crisp, every little sound made an echo of doom. It's actually scarier sometimes when the templars are not there, for they appear supremely goofy when not on their horses, but that is part of this movie's charm. I loved how we're given tons of backround story on the history of the templars, about 15 minutes worth of it. They're mean now, but they were even worse as human beings believe it or not. The second film is "Return of the blind dead". A prologue shows us how the Templars originally died at the hands of the villagers. The templars were conducting satanic sacrifices and rituals and once the villagers found out they burned them and poked their eyes out. Fast forward 500 years later. The village of Benzano is getting ready for "Lakima", a victory party celebrating the Templars' extinction 500 years ago. The party is replete with champagne, dancing and fireworks. The denizens however were not counting on the Templars crashing the party. A massacre ensues and the few remaining survivors board themselves into a church as the Templars try to barge in, Night of the living dead style. The second movie is equally good, although very different. It sacrifices the atmosphere and style of the first movie for a faster pace and a much higher body count, not unusual for a sequel. The templars are no longer mystical figures that only a select few would-be victims see, they are now on center stage for the entire populace to see. An epic battle ensues, as the macho rednecks of the town pick up pitchforks and try to stab the Templars off their horses. De Ossorio was obviously working with a much higher budget this time, especially given there's at least a hundred extras in this film. As a whole film#2 is bloodier, campier and very different than film#1 but that's not a bad thing. De Ossorio chose not to do the same movie twice and for that I respect him.
Rating: 
Summary: lame
Review: I love zombie movies but this one is dam lame.2 stars is pretty generous but the absurdity of this movie gave me some cheap laughs and put me in a more giving mood.However,this one is so boring and uninspired. It looks and sounds like someone sent the negative through a paper shredder. What we have here is some people who go exploring some old monastary or something and then these blind zombies (supposed templar nights..give me a break) go hunting them, by sound alone. They can hear you breath and hear your heart beating. Perhaps next time, we can have the dreaded templars (i've read there are 3 or 4 of these templar adventures) in space! Don't all horror heroes end up there eventually? I suppose if you bring out the beers and want a half hearted chuckle, you could watch this one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant movie, but with a few problems...
Review: I was nine years old when I first saw the "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" version of this movie, and it really scared the hell out of me. Now, many moons later, I can see a few problems that I otherwise wouldn't have picked up on. For starters, it is presented in Spanish with English sub-titles, which I presume to be its original language, but the lip-sync STILL doesn't match. What's up with that? The movie on the "B-side" of this disk is really lame, and the background plot doesn't match. In "Tombs," the Templar Knights are hung, and the crows peck out their eyes. On the "B-side" movie, an angry mob burns their eyes out with torches. Which is it? I personally like the first one better. The chick who plays Virginia is hot, and the writing AND the acting is much better. Despite the quirky problems with the movie, I still love it! The monsters aren't as creepy as I remember them, but what the hey- still a good movie. I wish the "Elvira" version was available, though.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice transfer of a really poor film.
Review: I'm a big fan of what Elite does, and in general I view their entire catalog as a listing of some of the finest horror films made, but this one let me down. It's a bad movie. I have to admit that after sitting through "Tombs", I didn't have the stamina to try "Return of the Blind Dead" on the other side of the disc. Who knows, maybe it's a really good film, but I doubt it. The acting, makeup effects, and music are all second-rate, but that's entirely forgiveable in a low-budget horror film. Heck, sometimes that adds to the charm. Unfortunately, this film combines those, uh, charms with a mundane story, boring monsters, and a pathetic attempt to be titilating by introducing a gratuitous lesbian substory and two breast scenes, one of which is clearly a prosthetic. The best part of the disc is the nice video transfer.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A TREASURE!
Review: IM NOT GONNA EXPLAIN MUCH ABOUT THE 2 MOVIES, OTHER REVIEWERS ALREADY DID PLENTY OF THAT. ALL IM GONNA SAY IS IF YOU CAN FIND THIS (so called out of print 1 disk 2 movie dvd set)ANYWHERE, THEN I WOULD DEFINETLY ADVISE YOU TO BUY IT RIGHT AWAY! THESE 2 MOVIES ARE SUCH ZOMBIE TREASURE'S ITS REDICULOUS! I LOVE BOTH FLICKS! ALTHOUGH I DO LIKE THE FIRST ONE A BIT BETTER!THE ENDING IS BEUTIFUL! IT MAKES THE MOVIE IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! THE SECOND ONE IS DAMN GOOD AS WELL EXCEPT FOR THE HAPPY ENDING WICH DOESN'T RUIN IT BY ANY MEANS BUT IT IS JUST ABOUT THE ONLY THING KEEPING IT FROM BEING JUST AS GOOD AS PART 1,IF NOT BETTER. ANYWAY IF YOU ARE A TRUE ZOMBIE FAN YOU WILL LOVE Amando de Ossorio 's "TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD" & "RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD(AKA return of the evil dead)" SO IF YOU CAN FIND THIS TREASURE ANYWHERE THEN HURRY UP & GRAB IT!!!!!!! enjoy fellow horror fanz!
Rating:
Summary: Spanish Horror NOT Italian
Review: Just for the record, for those of you who read the review by Chris, these are of course Spanish films, not Italian. By the way, they are great !
Rating:
Summary: Interesting film
Review: Low budget, but very atmospheric. I prefer the Elvira Movie Macabre version, when she would interupt and make comments throughout the movie. But, I feel "Tombs" is a great film without her. If you can't get a copy of the Movie Mac TV version, buy this one.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Zombie Films.
Review: Not counting Lucio Fulci's Zombie ,Oasis Of The Zombies and Dawn Of The Dead this is one of the best! The other people who wrote the reviews saying that it wasn't gory and there wasn;t sex are wrong, in the start there was plenty of gore when they sacrificed the villager and when the villagers burnt there eyes out. This movie has a creepyness to it not only because of the way the zombies look but the slow motion scenes and the wierd sounds you hear when thee templars are riding on their medievil horses.This is a must have film.I bought the uncut version, I suggest you get that version for better viewing purposes.
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