ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Prichards12345 Really enjoyed this atmospheric and engaging horror movie. The central idea of Knight Templar revenants returning from the grave to hunt humans is a splendid one; and the scenes of the satanic Templars themselves are creepily effective and powerful. Director De Ossario has a real feel for the genre and he and his cinematographer work wonders in successfully blending a medieval horror theme with modern day Age of Aquarius stuff.The story concerns a somewhat awkward party of three campers on a holiday caught up with the Templars when one of their number goes missing. Sensing the attraction between her cohorts, Virginia (well played by Maria Arpon) jumps from a slow-moving steam train and heads off on her own, eventually camping out in a forbidding (and splendidly photographed) ruined castle. Not a very wise move when there's a Templar graveyard within its grounds....Not a moment of boredom in this film. I watched the full 101 minute version and was engrossed throughout. Just a couple of things I must mention, though that I felt marred the movie a little.Firstly, there's a rape scene that's totally unnecessary to the story. It isn't hugely graphic (the bloke rather comically keeps his jeans on!) but it's in bad taste none the less, as the scene seems to be strongly hinting (hey Lesbians are up for it, really) which I found deplorable. The film would be better off without it.Secondly during a splendidly macabre climax aboard the steam train a child has blood split all over her when the mummified Templars make a meal of her mother. Did we really need this? Apart from this, a truly splendid and fine horror movie. Don't let the scenes I've described above put you off- they are only brief. I'm a bit of a tyro concerning Continental horror but I've made it my New Years' resolution to catch up a bit. Glad I did with movies this good around...

lemon_magic As other commentators have noted, this movie has a lot of "sketchy" character decisions. The most egregious is this one: Virginia, if you thought your boyfriend was paying too much of the wrong kind of attention to your female friend, the thing to do was to cause a scene right there on the train...not bail out in the middle of nowhere and start walking! Jeez, passive-aggressive drama queen....Aside from that, and aside from some other logical plot holes, character decisions that make no sense, and a revived victim scene that seems to be there for padding, this can be enjoyed as a wonderful visual treat. It's way better than "Horror Of The Zombies", a later "Blind Dead" film that I actually saw first. (That movie was sabotaged by unlikable characters and some intermittently terrible special effects).Also contributing to the atmosphere are the historical and mythic resonances. These weren't really "zombies" in the classic sense, more like mummies with a taste for human blood. Mummies are way scarier than zombies, because mummies have an implacable intelligence that wants you, you personally, dead. And this comes across in the film. These particular mummies also have a basis in an actual (if controversial) historic cult, which is nice. And the way they advanced on their victims was mysterious and creepy instead of repulsive and gory. In fact, actual gore is kept to a bare minimum here. My other quibble with the plot: After the disastrous botched rescue attempt and the messy dispatching of the train crew and passengers, wouldn't the authorities roll a bunch of tanks through that castle and destroy everything with fire? But that's probably just my American desire for happy endings and closure...apparently not a priority in Euro-Horror. I don't really feel the need to see another "Blind Dead" movie after this, but this was worth my time.

callanvass (Credit, IMDb) In the 13th century there existed a legion of evil knights known as the Templars, who quested for eternal life by drinking human blood and committing sacrifices. Executed for their unholy deeds, the Templars bodies were left out for the crows to peck out their eyes. Now, in modern day Portugal, a group of people stumble on the Templars abandoned monastery, reviving their rotting corpses to terrorize the land.I try to abstain from using worn out clichés, but this movie really warrants it. Tombs of the Blind Dead moves as slow as molasses, failing to revitalize my interest in any way throughout. The zombies themselves are pretty cool looking. They are knights that ride horses, except they do it in a contemporary setting. I loved the creepy village with the castles, the photography is fantastic, it's just that they could have done so much with this movie, but they bored me to tears instead. I watched the uncut version of this film. Strangely enough, it didn't seem uncut to me. There isn't much gore to be found. Zombie bites and a woman being burned alive are a couple of the seldom found highlights. There are some plot holes as well. As a couple of reviewers have rightfully mentioned. Why does a female inexplicably jump off a train into trouble? That's like throwing gasoline on a fire. The acting isn't worth mentioning. Everyone is pretty awful, even if they were subtitled. Any more praise? We get some awkward lesbianism, so if you're into soft-core things, that might please you. Overall, I vehemently despised this film. It has all the potential in the world, but they crap all over it. It's an overrated snooze fest if you ask me. I have three more sequels to watch. I hope they are at least marginally better than this film, and add a modicum of energy3/10

InjunNose I'm not a big fan of Eurohorror because it tended to elevate style and flash over substance. Amando de Ossorio, however, was a refreshing exception to the rule: he knew what was frightening and that's what he focused on, keeping the superfluous stuff to a minimum. Nowhere is his firm grasp of the genre's fundamentals more evident than in "Tombs of the Blind Dead". This is truly a meat-and-potatoes horror film, loaded with atmosphere and well-crafted scary moments. Ossorio favored the slow, deliberate buildup of tension, so it's a long time before you see the hooded Templar mummies gnawing on human flesh; first you have to witness the María Elena Arpón character's arrival at the abandoned monastery, her uneasy exploration of the ruins, and that's when you realize you're watching a master at work. When the horror is finally made visible, "Tombs" becomes an edge-of-your-seat viewing experience, and some of the images (the Templars on their phantom horses, galloping in slow motion across an eerily beautiful Portuguese landscape, and the grainy still photo that Ossorio made the brilliant decision to end his film with) will remain with you literally for years after you've seen the movie. Any hack can make a horror film, but very few directors get it right. Amando de Ossorio was one of them. If you're serious about your horror--if you've had it up to here with sexy vampires and mindless zombie shoot-'em-ups, and want to be chilled to the bone--then you should see "Tombs of the Blind Dead".