'Tombs Of The Blind Dead' is in Spanish, subtitled (yellow subtitles) at the bottom of the screen, both on and off the picture. The picture is letterboxed at about 1.66x1. The version Elite has released is touted as the "uncensored director’s cut", at 101 minutes. It is certainly the longest version available on laserdisc and probably on any video format. Some people have said that it is the same cut as Redemption UK’s video release, but Don May, Jr. of Elite has said that this is not true. I myself don’t know, but I trust Don.
In any case, the disc looks absolutely fantastic. The movie was made in 1971, but the disc would have you believe it was made in 1991, if it weren’t for the gigantic sideburns the hero sports. The transfer is flawless, with virtually no print damage or wear and a superb transfer. The sound is monaural, but perfectly fine. The undead knights’ theme (a sort of drumbeat and chanting) works very well, and even seems to have possibly inspired Jerry Goldsmith when he wrote his scores for the 'Omen' films (okay, that’s a stretch).
Even Elite’s jacket art is great, with a nice creepy photo on the front of two of the blind dead. It’s well chapter marked, with six of the chapters being identified as containing restored footage. One scene in particular, the maiden sacrifice to the living knights, which appeared at the beginning of the film on previous U.S. prints, has been relocated to the middle of the film as a flashback. The "train massacre" at the end is also much gorier and more frightening.
As previous correspondents have said, this disc will likely be kind of hard to find, since it’s an obscure movie to begin with and not the kind of flashy new release most laserdisc buyers for retail stores will think to order. This is really too bad, since both the movie and the laserdisc deserve our attention (and money). Elite Entertainment has once again outdone itself with this release -- I can’t wait to see what their upcoming Hammer discs look like! The care and attention given to its presentation (subtitling, letterboxing, using its original Spanish title, finding a complete cut) proves that Vini and Don are true lovers of the genre. They even included the original Spanish language opening credits! Buy this disc if you are even a passing fan of horror films. At $39.95, it’s a steal. But remember—the blind dead can hear your laserdisc player whirring!
Andrew Arthur.
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