TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1971)

If you read the start of yesterday's blog entry and didn't like the sound of it, I wouldn't bother with today's either. If you read yesterday's and were interested, welcome back. If you didn't read yesterday's but are reading today's, you'll be delighted/bored [delete as applicable] to know that I'm talking about zombie films again. Read yesterday's and it'll all make sense.

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD kicks off De Ossorio's series in style. There is much depravity, gruesome death and other such unwholesome activity but what makes the film (and, indeed, the sequels) is the tone of the film. It's an exercise in mood and atmosphere that belies the meagre budget to create something that is just plain creepy.

The story begins when two lesbians fall out over a man. Okay, so that's not a major plot point, but it's a sentence I've always wanted to write. Anyway, woman number one runs off in the huff, where she discovers the ruins of an old village and decides to stay there. Naturally she absolutely refuses to spend the night sleeping alone, semi-naked, near a graveyard.

Nah, just kidding, this is classic exploitation horror so she does exactly that. Wouldn't you just know it though, she's only gone and picked the exact night the living dead are about to rise up from their tombs. Honestly, if I had a pound for every time that's happened to me on holiday...

Naturally, her lady friend and the man who came between them come searching for her and gradually twig as to what is going on. Cue lots of running away, screaming, fighting and a bit of flesh-munching. Oh, those wacky undead Templars.

But back to that stuff about the spooky atmosphere. Of all the zombies ever committed to film, these guys should be the least terrifying - not only are they even slower than normal zombies, but they're blind too, and have to track down their prey using their sense of hearing instead. However, their lack of pace is more than made up for by the fact that they happen to ride undead horses! Yes!

If I was a zombie, this would definitely be my chosen form of transport. Then again, in retrospect, since these zombies are all hundreds of years old you'd think they must all qualify for a bus pass. Still, having tried using late night bus services, I don't blame them for opting for the zombie-horse option - at least there's no risk of having some drunken bint spew on you while you're trying to eat your McTemplar Burger or whatever.

On paper, there's nothing unusual about the plot of this film whatsoever - but those zombies are just unspeakably cool in both look and execution (they ride horseback, in slow motion, the soundtrack is augmented with some spooky echo effects, and they're usually accompanied by some creepy religious chanting). They're what really make the film. (Note: there are some scenes that sensitive viewers may not want to watch, but the chances are if you've made it this far you're probably not bothered)

The ending of the film is not entirely unpredictable but no less effective for it, and while I've no idea if De Ossorio deliberately ends the movie with a few still photos accompanied by the soundtrack for artistic reasons, if he just made an arse of it or if he ran out of money, but whatever his reasons it works perfectly.

Join me tomorrow for a look at the first of the sequels...