Attack of the Blind Dead (1973)

How sad is this?

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The Return of the Evil Dead (1973) *** (out of 4)The second film in the series starts off by showing villagers taking the Templars and tying them up. Before killing them they burn their eyes out making sure that the Templars will never be able to find their village. Flash forward hundreds of years and the village is celebrating their win over the evil men but soon the dead Templars rise from the grave for revenge.The first second to TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but director Amando de Ossorio does a nice job at giving fans what they wanted. It seems that the director saw what was good in the original film, the Templar knights, and gave fans much more of them. Not only are the knights given a lot more screen time but they also make sure that there are many more victims to be slaughtered.The violence, which is missing in the American version of the film, is certainly one of the reasons to watch the film as there are some pretty graphic moments including a woman being sliced open and drained of her blood. It gets even gorier when a knight rips out her heart and eats it! There are several murders like this but along with the gore the director gives us that atmosphere that was so rich in the original movie.THE RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD also has its share of flaws including a rather dicey pacing, which drags the film at times but it's still very much worth watching.

"Reutrn of the Blind Dead," is a slightly higher budget remake of Tombs of the Blind Dead. Return maintains the intriguing premise and textural richness of the first, while also achieving a slightly faster pace and more accessible story. In all fairness, Return is a remake in spirit only. The story arch and conflict differs very much from the first film. In the earlier film, the director lavished time and extended shot composition to create a creepy mood. This second installment develops characters more and explores how some of the monsters may still be alive.This series has gained a cult following for a few reasons. First, the premise of long dead satanic knight zombies mixes history, occultism, and gory monsters. Such a mix is near perfection in the overly exploited zombie genre. Second, the stories are rather simple and straight forward. The director is clearly not attempting to create a nuanced and subtle piece of storytelling. Rather, the films are a notable for the visual and color textures. The zombies are a wonderful combination of desiccated flesh and bones wrapped in earth hardened tunics. In addition, these knights attack in force both on foot and on zombie horseback. The costuming and makeup effects are actually quite unsettling and some of the most original.While the zombies are very fun, the lack of attention to story and development do hurt the film. The dialogue is simplistic and clearly serves to keep the pacing up. Whenever a movie sacrifices realistic scripting, the production as a whole suffers from wooden performances and characters the audience cares little about. Return, having made the above scripting sacrifice, comes off as very clichéd, poorly acted, and at times outright stupid. An important note is that, even with these negative points, the film still maintains a sense of excitement, horror and fun. Return is a "b" zombie film and all of the staff know it. In a sense, this film deserves to be judged by more lenient "b" criteria. By evaluating this film on less strict criterion, Return is a success. The Editing is well done and maintains a good exciting pace. The acting is wooden, which inevitably leads to unintended humor and laughs. The zombies are the star and clearly have been developed lovingly. The score is a mix of cheesy music and stereotypically creepy sound effects. This film attacks its goal with both a high degree of technical skill and an even higher degree of pride. Will this film ever make a come back and receive awards? No, it will not. Will this film stand the test of time and be referenced for many years to come by horror enthusiasts? Yes, it most definitely will. All in all, this is a fun film that has a unique if campy perspective on zombies.On a personal note, I have really taken to this series. The premise, visual textures, creepy locations, and unplanned humor combine to make these films a pleasure to watch. These make great movie night fare when with horror buffs. In addition, this series provides a great many examples of the wonderful techniques used in earlier horror. A great many films of today are clearly influenced by the likes of the blind dead.

This is only the second film in the series and already they are changing the story. The knights got their eyes plucked out by birds in the first, and now they are burned out before they are burned alive. Well, which is it? It is slow in the beginning, but picks up after the dead return.About 20 hole up in a church, but some are trying to get out on their own. The Mayor (Fernando Sancho) uses one to try and get away, and when that doesn't work, he uses the man's daughter to distract the knights while he escapes. He gets his just desserts.The ending was anti-climatic.

Return of the Evil Dead is, in my opinion, a superior film to the acclaimed original Blind Dead movie. This time around, the body count rises tenfold and the galloping, sword-swinging Templars are multiplied by nearly as much. Watching armies of ghouls race across the countryside, waving their blades and wriggling their tiny skeletal arms, can be truly chill-inducing.This time around, a local celebration is invaded by the Templars, who take their vengeance on the townspeople - eventually chasing the mayor, a fireworks technician, his estranged lover, and a few horrified others to a nearby church. Barricaded inside, the survivors take it upon themselves not to stop the Templars, but simply to escape with their lives.The performances are uniformly decent, although numerous day-for-night shots are so jarring, they take away a large portion of the needed tension. The effects are all done well, with a bit more grue this time around... but still a relatively gore-less affair. There's some nudity, a bevy of hilarious characters, and a thrilling (albeit unsuccessful) escape through an underground passageway.Any way you look at it, this film is a step up from the thrilling original. If you're in the mood for some silly, creepy fun - look no further than this little gem. Return of the Evil Dead is an absolute blast.