Psychotronic Drive-In #1

Introduction

For the inaugural edition of Psychotronic Drive-In, we’re covering two Spanish films released in 1973: Attack of the Blind Dead and The Vampires’ Night Orgy. Both are spectacular examples of what makes Spain’s horror output in the 1960s and 1970s so compelling and unique. Spanish horror is often delightfully moody and atmospheric, taking place amongst the crumbling stone walls of rural villages and remote manors. Due to Spain’s comparatively small film industry, fans become increasingly familiar with ever present character actors such as Luis Ciges and Víctor Israel as they traverse the genre. Jack Taylor, Paul Naschy, and José Luis López Vázquez appeared as leading men alongside wonderfully talented actresses like Helga Liné, Patty Shepard, and Maribel Martín. Directors such as Carlos Aured, León Klimovsky, Chicho Ibáñez Serrador, and Amando de Ossorio, as well as the multifaceted and aforementioned Naschy, provided a steady flow of horror shown in Spanish theaters and abroad. I am thrilled to provide a recommendation and spoiler-free review of two such films. They don’t belong to the most important film movement in history, nor the greatest, but there is nothing quite like a Spanish horror movie.

El Ataque de los Muertos Sin Ojos (Attack of the Blind Dead)

Directed by Amando de Ossorio, Attack of the Blind Dead is an extremely well-paced and eerie piece of euro horror. Spanish actors Fernando Sancho, Esperanza Roy, and Frank Braña star alongside Italian actor and model Tony Kendall in this fantastic tale of zombie Knights Templars.

A small Spanish village holds  a festival commemorating their freedom from the devil worshiping Knights Templars who—accused of human sacrifice—were burned alive by the townspeople five hundred years ago. Wooden figures resembling the Templars are lit ablaze by smiling children as the festivities commence. Jack Marlowe (Kendall) has been contracted to provide a fireworks display by Mayor Duncan (Sancho), but when he arrives, he is delighted to find his former lover, Vivian (Roy). 

Much to the dismay of the Mayor, Vivian and Jack begin rekindling their relationship among the ruins of the desecrated convent. The two are rudely interrupted by Murdo (José Canalejas), the groundskeeper and local punching bag, who informs them that the Templars will rise from their graves and seek revenge that evening, just as they had promised five hundred years ago. Unconvinced, Vivian and Jack return to the festival, but as evening fades to night, the stone slab lids of the Templar’s coffins begin to slide back, revealing the skeletal hands and cobweb filled cloaks of the resurrected Knights Templars.

Attack of the Blind Dead is the sequel to the more well-known 1972 film La Noche del Terror Ciego (Tombs of the Blind Dead) from the same director. In total, there are four films that belong to the “Blind Dead” series, all featuring the unique Knights Templar zombie monsters of Ossorio’s creation. 

This film has a wonderful atmosphere, a beautiful setting, and a solid plot. The monsters are well crafted, charming, and genuinely spooky at times, falling somewhere between skeletons, traditional zombies, and mummies. These creatures are at their best when skulking around shadowy ruins and riding their slow-motion zombie horses. There is blood drinking, eye burning, decapitation, chanting, greasy politicians, and a scene where a child is unknowingly used as bait by an authority figure. The film's conclusion does feel rushed and a bit unsatisfying, but the process of getting there holds wonderful moments of tension, macabre imagery, and a great deal of fun.

La Orgía Nocturna de los Vampiros (The Vampires’ Night Orgy)

The Vampires’ Night Orgy is a peculiar vampire film involving a group of servants and staff en route to their new place of employment in the Spanish countryside. Dyanik Zurakowska, Helga Liné, Jack Taylor, and José Guardiola star in the film, with direction  handled by filmmaker León Klimovsky (La Noche de Walpurgis or The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman). It is a silly, yet surprisingly unsettling and horrific piece of genre filmmaking.

After a sudden heart attack leads to the untimely death of their busdriver, the soon to be staff of a residence in rural Spain find themselves in desperate need of rest. Examining a nearby signpost, the group decides to stop off in a small village called Tolnia for some sleep, hoping to refresh themselves before they arrive at their designated workplace the following day. They find the town completely abandoned with the exception of Luis (Taylor), a tourist who arrived shortly before them. After a quick introduction, Luis shares that while searching for Tolnia’s occupants, he noticed something quite puzzling. This pastoral Spanish village has no church. 

The eventual return of Tolnia’s endlessly hospitable residents seems at first to extinguish any concerns Luis and his new companions may have had, but something is off. The body of the busdriver is nowhere to be found, their bus has broken down, and a mysterious countess ( Liné) has requested to make the group's acquaintance.

Klimovsky was an especially active force in Spanish Cinema with over seventy directing credits on IMDB. Due to his rapid output, and to the vocal frustration of frequent collaborator Paul Naschy, Klimovsky would often neglect his film’s scores, resulting in odd music choices that worked against whatever atmosphere he aimed to establish. The Vampires’ Night Orgy would objectively be a more effective horror film if its music was better suited to its mood, but would it be as compelling? Something about the bizarre soundtrack adds to the otherworldly quality of the film, and in what I assume is a happy coincidence, the score finds itself at home within Klimovsky’s language of low angle shots and uncomfortable closeups. 

The Vampires’ Night Orgy is slow and atmospheric, with moments of genuine fright, while still including elements of dark comedy and a laughably mishandled attempt at romance. It is not a film to be taken overly seriously, but when approached accordingly, it makes for a wonderful viewing experience.