La noche del terror ciego (1971)

Country of Origin: Spain / Portugal
Year of Production: 1971
Running Times: 86 mins (UK / USA)     101 mins
Length: 7704 ft (UK)
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: stereo

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Plata Films S.A. / Interfilme
Executive Producer: Salvadore Romero
Associate Producer: José A. Pérez Giner
Production Managers: Manuel Amigo, Victor Dacosta

SCRIPT
Script: Amando de Ossorio
English Adaptation: Robert Oliver (real name: Dick Randall))

DIRECTION
Director: Amando de Ossorio
Assistant Director: Paulino González

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Pablo Ripoll
2nd Camera Operator: Félix Mirón
Assistant Camera: Luis Alcolea
Electricians: Abamova (Fernando Moreno)
Stills: Julio Wizuete
Lab: Technicolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: José Antonio Rojo
Assistant Editor: Concha Piño

MUSIC
Music: Antón García Abril
Music Editor: L. Fdez. Soria
Music Recordists: Audiofilm

SOUND
Sound Technician: José María Sanmateo
Sound Effects: Luis Castro
Recorded At: Roma Studios, Madrid
English Version: Hollywood Synchron, Munich

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: José Luis Campos
Assistant Make Up: Carmen Teran
Costumes: Cornejo (real name: Humberto Cornejo)
Tailor: Pablo Espinosa

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: José Gómez Soria

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Jaime Duarte De Brito
Assistant Designer: Rafael Ablanque
Props: Vazquez Hermanos
Set Construction: Juan García

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistants: Ramón Escribano, José Sánchez
Production Secretary: Ángela Escribano
Archive Research: S.I.R.E.

LOCATIONS
Locations: Cercon monastery, Madrid, Spain; El Cercón monastery, Madrid, Spain; Estoril, Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal; Lisbon, Portugal; Palmela, Portugal; Pantano de San Juan, Madrid, Spain; Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid, Spain; Sesimbra, Portugal; Setúbal, Portugal

CAST
Lone Fleming (Betty Turner)
César Burner (Roger Whelan)
Helen Harp (real name: María Elena Arpón) (Virginia White)
Joseph Thelman (Pedro Candal)
Rufino Inglés (Inspector Oliveira)
Verónica Llimera (Nina)
Simón Arriaga "Garibaldi" (morgue keeper)
Francisco Sanz (Professor Candal)
Juan Cortés (coroner)
Andrés Speizer
Antonio Orengo (train engineer)
José Camoiras
María Silva (Maria)
Britt Nichols (sacrificial victim (uncredited))
Pedro Sempson (voice of train engineer (uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

A group of young people on holiday in the Portuguese countryside are menaced by a horde of blind, undead knights Templar, resurrected as zombies centuries after they were executed for staging rituals in which they drank human blood and sacrificed young women.

AVAILABILITY

Canada
Theatrical Distributors: Cinépix Film Properties Inc

Spain
DVD Distributors: Divisa Home Video

UK
Theatrical Distributors: Butcher's
Video Distributors: Redemption Films Ltd

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Hallmark Releasing Corp
Video Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment; Paragon Video Productions; Sinister Cinema; Unknown Video
Laserdisc Distributors: Elite (EE 8662)
DVD Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment; Blue Underground (part of the The Blind Dead Collection box set)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: R

Sweden
Rating: banned

UK
Rating: 18 (with cuts)

USA
Rating: PG

West Germany
Rating: 18

TIMELINE

1973
February
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

April
23: Portugal - theatrical release

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

The Blind Dead - US title
Crypt of the Blind Dead
Mark of the Devil, Part 4: Tombs of the Blind Dead - US title
Die Nacht der reitenden Leichen - West German title
Night of the Blind Dead
La noche de la muerta ciega
A Noite do Terror Cego - Portuguese title
Revenge of the Planet Ape - US title
Le tombe dei resuscitati ciechi - Italian title
Tombs of the Blind Dead

LINKS

SEQUELS
El ataque de los muertos sin ojos (1973)
El buque maldito (1974)
La noche de las gaviotas (1975)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Amando de Ossorio: el último templario (2001)
Don't Scream It's Only a Movie (1989)

SEE ALSO
La mansión de los muertos vivientes (1985)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Cineinforme no.149 (April 1972) p.10 (Spain)
review

CinemaTV Today no.100034 (2 June 1973) p.17 (UK)
review (by Marjorie Bilbow)

Empire no.199 (January 2006) p.184 (UK)
illustrated dvd review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.40 no.474 (July 1973) p.150 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by Richard Combs)

Video Business vol.4 no.20 (16 July 1984) p.28 (UK)
review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

crows, horses, human sacrifices, rituals, knights templar, zombies

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008