NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS

A young doctor moves, with his wife, to a small and remote coastal village. He will soon discover that, during the night, something mysterious and unusual happens on the beach adjacent to his home. Every night, in fact, the sound of a siren announces the celebration of a procession led by all the villagers, in which a young virgin must be sacrificed to mysterious knights who are none other than old zombie Templars eager for human sacrifices. “La notte dei resuscitati ciechi” (also known as “Terror Beach”) is the fourth and final chapter of the famous Spanish saga about the Blind Resuscitated, mysterious Zombie Templars who re-emerge from the world of the dead to continue performing human sacrifices. The film, directed in 1975 by Amando De Ossorio (“Le tombe dei resuscitati ciechi”, “La cavalcata dei resuscitati ciechi”, “La nave maledetta”), cannot certainly boast of being a good film as it presents significant shortcomings from many points of view, which, although dictated by a modest budget, could have been avoided by working with greater accuracy on the project. Among the many problems, the one that first stands out to the viewer is the basic poverty with which the work was made, a poverty that will lead to the creation of a rough film and in some points decidedly disappointing. We can therefore notice a particularly poorly cared for and too dark photography in some passages (in some sequences the visibility is zero); natural-looking sets that are decidedly approximate; poor actors and dialogues that tend to descend into ridicule in multiple passages. Well, in short… described like this one might think of having to deal with a really miserable product, worthy of being avoided or watched to be subsequently mistreated; but it is not exactly like that! The film, however, setting aside the numerous defects listed above, manages to emanate throughout its duration a certain charm, a charm that can only be perceived by the biggest fans of the genre and especially by those who love the old films made with little money: only and exclusively for horror enthusiasts, in short. First of all, the basic story, which is certainly not original (and is recycled from the previous chapters), but still manages to interest and intrigue: beautiful and well-made the idea of the entire village gathering at midnight in procession to perform human sacrifices; something more could have been done, on the contrary, on the story of the Templars, as not much is clearly explained about them and their relationship with the villagers. But the true charm of the film lies in the magnificent representation of the Zombie Templars (who greatly resemble the old Italian horror-trash films), so fake and miserable as to be irresistible for any true horror lover. But the film reaches its highest levels at the end (where “La notte dei morti viventi” is called into play once again…and yes…Romero really set the standard!), when the protagonists will have to barricade themselves in the house to avoid the entry of the threatening Templars. It is a shame only that the film does not feature splatter or gore scenes, because given the excellent material available, a delicious splatter movie could have been created. In conclusion, “La notte dei resuscitati ciechi” is an honest film, poorly made from many points of view, but fascinating and enjoyable for all those who love true horror cinema, the rough kind, made with little money but that still managed to create emotions. It deserves at least one viewing.