AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Nigel P
This proved to be the last in Spanish Director Amando de Ossorio's four-part Blind Dead series.The set-up is far less contrived than in the previous 'Ghost Galleon' (1974); instead of an ill-advised publicity stunt gone wrong, here we have the simple premise of a Doctor (Stein, no less, played by Victor Petit) and his wife (Maria Kosty) moving to an isolated fishing village. Although, why he insists on staying here to take up his post when everyone is either openly hostile, or completely ignores him, is typically baffling. And yet, without such wilfulness, where would horror plots be? Only local Lucy (Sandra Mozarosky, who tragically died not long after filming was completed at the age of 18) and José Antonio Calvo's village idiot Teddy show any friendship towards the couple.There is no denying Ossorio's skill at evoking a creepy atmosphere. Many familiar staples are here – misty graveyards, creaking doors, wonderfully isolated locations and decaying-looking sets. Every effort seems to have been made to make the seaport a closed, sinister, uninviting place. And pretty soon, the Knights Templar are emerging from their foul tombs with agonising slowness, their spindly clawed hands looking as if they could barely give you a tame stroke without turning to dust (perhaps it would have been better to dress the actors' hands, rather than provide separate twig-like appendages).The slow build-up to Lucy's final scene on the beach is excellent, very Jean Rollin-esque. Knowing what is going to happen to her doesn't make us optimistic of a less than grisly outcome. The ever-present shrieking birds from the title have a part to play too – according to Teddy, the pretty girls taken to sacrifice 'become the seagulls,' which is creepily enigmatic.Other than a fairly standard ending, this doesn't necessarily feel like final closure for these withered knights. The series could have continued. Perhaps it still might; there is plenty of mileage left in these memorably ethereal creatures.
gavin6942
The Knight Templars return in this fourth installment of the Blind Dead series. On this outing, the Templars haunt a fishing village, where they rise seven nights every seven years to claim their sacrificial offerings in return for the safety of the townspeople.Maybe this was not such a wise choice given that I don't believe I've seen the other three Blind Dead films, and really haven't seen much from Amando de Ossorio... so my frame of reference is definitely off. But it didn't seem to ruin the plot.I actually really like the mix of modern and medieval. Not only the two time periods, but even when the modern time is shown, the city still has a very old look to it. This seems to be something Spanish and Greek horror films do well, using the countries' old buildings as part of their set.Unfortunately, the film quality was terrible, but this may have just been the version I watched (which had Russian subtitles, too).
montferrato
Night of the Seagulls is the last movie of the famous Blind Dead series made by Spanish film director Amando de Ossorio. This is one of the best low-budget horror movies of the seventies. It does contain many mistakes, of course, but that is to be expected in this type of movie. We can not wish here for production values such as in "Gone with the Wind". Amando de Ossorio had enormous difficulty in financing this movie, which was just about to become one of those forgotten movies who could not be finished due to lack of money. Finally, they managed to solve the situation with the help of a friend of Ossorio, J. Bermudez de Castro, an aristocratic Spaniard from an old and wealthy family who possessed a vast culture and particular tastes in literature and cinema. This movie has also some peculiarities that make it an important film, or at least a curiosity. One of them is the fact that Sandra Mozarowsky is one of the actresses. Sandra Mozarowsky is the pretty and young brunette maiden called Lucy. This girl died in mysterious circumstances not even three years after making this movie , being just 19 years old. The strange death of Sandra Mozarowsky conmotioned Spain at the time. This girl used to die in nearly all the movies she appeared in, and her mysterious "suicide" still remains a matter of controversy, as she was rumored to be friendly with high personalities of Spain. The script, photography and story are pretty good. Also, the HP Lovecraft touch goes very well with the story. The Pagan Idol worshiped by the Templars resembles very much the Philistine idol dagon, or the Carthage-Phoenician deity "Moloch". Human sacrifices in coastal states were not unknown in history. The "Dagon" or "Horror of Dunwich" twist sits well with the movie. The scenes where the ritualistic human sacrifices take place, at dawn in abandoned beaches, are beautifully filmed. The scenes of the Idol Sacrifice and worship are very good, and the Blind Dead Knight Templars are convincing and creepy as usual. Very interesting little gem, with the added charm of the presence of the sad and hauntingly beautiful Sandra Mozarowski, a pretty maiden with a tragic destiny.
hungerartist
this is my first review where i will state this. i have been drinking, so this shall be short. "night of the seagulls". pretty good pacing, great atmosphere, but less suspense than the first blind dead film. i will admit, i haven't seen parts 2 and 3, but this was not as good as the first. the first, imo, had more memorable visuals. as people have stated before- great score. great atmosphere. the overall plot, however, was pretty straightforward, simplistic, and didn't get too far into development of characters. whatever, this is a horror film. i don't go into it expecting it to win a best foreign film Oscar. (that being said, most of my favorite films of all time wouldn't win an Oscar). overall, if tombs of the blind dead was a solid 7 in my book, this was a 6. if you want a 10, watch blue velvet, santa sangre, or the tenant. for a solid 9, dawn/day of the dead, suspiria, or evil dead. goodnight, toothbrush time.
