Night of the Seagulls (1975)

The final film in the Blind Dead series sure left me shaking my head.  Night of the Seagulls has an awesome premise, a really nice set up, and you can tell a lot of love went into it.  But, it feels like Amando de Ossorio was tired of the series and felt that he wanted to end it before he ran out of ideas. This is especially shown in the rushed ending, which although it makes sense, has the depth of a shallow grave.  Tombs and Return were excellent heart-pounding films, and to a lesser extent The Ghost Galleon followed in their footsteps, but Night of the Seagulls plodded along to a whimpering finish, just like many of the girls in the film.

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The Ghost Galleon (1974)

The Ghost Galleon is the third film in the Blind Dead series written and directed by Amando de Ossorio, and is different from the first two films in just about every way except the Blind Dead’s importance and some beautiful cinematography. Where Tombs of the Blind Dead was an exercise in tension and Return of the Evil Dead is a terrifying thrill ride, The Ghost Galleon could best be described as the blooper real of the series. Even though it’s no where as well done as the first two it still has its place in this epic collection of films, and if you enjoyed Tombs and Return you owe it to yourself to watch Galleon.

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Return of the Evil Dead (1973)

Tombs of the Blind Dead is one of the most solid, terrifying films ever made. It gets under your skin and does not let go until the final frame. That being said, Amando de Ossorio’s sequel, Return of the Evil Dead is like Tombs of the Blind Dead, on steroids. Everything in the sequel is heightened to an almost ridiculous level. The pacing is break-neck, the action is top notch, the nudity is cranked up and the character development actually competes with many of the better dramas ever made. Didn’t see that coming from a film about The Knights Templar coming back from the dead, did you? If Tombs of the Blind Dead was Ossorio’s Alien, then Return of the Evil Dead is his Aliens.

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Man, I really wish they got a better guy to announce the trailer.  He sounds like a drunk:

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Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971)

Tombs of the Blind Dead is one of only a few movies to ever make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (others being The Exorcist, The Omen, The Changeling, just to name a few). For the uninitiated Tombs of the Blind Dead is the first in four films about Satan-worshipping Templars of old who rise from their tombs at night to feast upon anyone that disturbs their resting place. If this sounds like your run-of-the-mill zombie flick, you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.

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