The Night of the Seagulls, The Damsel Massacre

Today we look at the final installment of "The Tombs of the Blind Dead" series.  Directed by Amando de Ossorio, all of these films were shot in Spain.  Like it's predecessors, 1975's "The Night of the Seagulls" is famous for it's beautiful and buxom Spanish damsels getting ripped apart by undead Templar Knights.  Whether it be lesbian fashion models (see my Sept. 15th review of "The Ghost Galleon") or would be party babes (see my Oct. 31st review of "Return of the Evil Dead"), Spain's most beautiful women die the most horrible deaths in this particular film franchise.  So hats off to the many actresses, who screamed so well for us.

As our film begins, the Templar Knights skewer some schmuck and carry off his beautiful and buxom wife (Susana Estrada).  They then sacrifice her by ripping her heart out, drinking her blood, chopping up her body, and feeding the remains to crabs.  Fast forward 200 years, Dr. Henry Stein (Victor Petit) and his beautiful and buxom wife, Joan (Maria Kosty, pictured below), arrive at a seaside Spanish town. They should have heeded many warnings, like: None of the citizens will speak to them, the previous doctor already has his bags packed, and they are warned never to go outside at night.  The only friend Henry and Joan will meet is a half-wit named Teddy (Jose Antonio Calvo).  Soon they will meet the beautiful and buxom Tilda (Julia Saly).  Shortly after she arrives at their home, the townspeople come collect her and hand her over to the resurrected Templar knights (see photo above), who then rip her heart out, drink her blood, chop her up, and feed her remains to crabs.

Joan senses danger.  She has witnessed the processions where townsfolk lead beautiful buxom women to the sea.  Henry is convinced it's the wind...yeah right.  Then the beautiful and buxom Lucy (Sandra Mozarowsky) seeks refuge with Henry and Joan...until the townspeople collect her as a sacrifice.  Now Henry is listening to reason, and Teddy fills him in.  Every seven years, for seven days, a beautiful buxom Spanish lass is delivered to these ghost knights.  In return, the knights will not level the town.  In a show of bravado, Henry rescues Lucy and brings her home.  Now the fiends converge on Henry's house, probably desiring Lucy and Joan.  As Henry, Joan, Teddy, and Lucy board up the house, the knights attack.  The battle will be tenuous, as the good and the evil will suffer mortal casualties.  The inevitable final showdown will take place in the secret cave of these vermin.  

Will Joan end up as sea urchin bait?  Do the undead knights have a weakness which Henry can exploit?  The knights had their eyes burned out before being put to death centuries ago, so one wonders why the townspeople didn't just give them old hags with moles on their faces instead of Spain's eye-candy.  Never mind, that probably wouldn't have worked.  Gory and terrifying, "The Night of the Seagulls" (yes, the title is explained) is a fitting end to the "Tombs of the Blind Dead" Series.