The Blind Dead returned for a fourth and final time in 1975’s The Night of the Seagulls!

That’s right, Night of the Seagulls was Amando de Ossorio’s final Blind Dead film.  After having the Blind Dead somehow turn up on a boat in The Ghost Galleon, Night of the Seagulls returns to the more familiar ground made famous by Tomb of the Blind Dead and Return of the Evil Dead.

That said, it really wouldn’t be a Blind Dead film if there was too much continuity so, once again, we get an entirely new origin story for the Blind Dead.  Yes, they’re still undead Templars and yes, they still practiced witchcraft in the 1400s and were executed as a result.  But now, the Templars apparently rise from the sea every seven years and, for seven consecutive days, they demand that the local villagers chain a virgin to a rock so that she may be sacrificed.

What I’m wondering if how exactly the villagers figured out that this is what the Blind Dead want.  The Blind Dead never speak.  In fact, they’re so decayed that if one of them tried to speak, it’s probable that his lower jaw would fall off.  So, how do the villagers know that every seven years, they have to offer up seven consecutive virgins?

Who knows?  Maybe the Blind Dead are actually just like, “Why do the villagers keep demanding that we kill all of their virgins?  We just want to hang out and chill.  Oh well, we don’t want to be rude so I guess we better do some killing…”

I mean, seriously, it just seems like this entire problem could have been avoided.

Anyway, there’s a new doctor in town.  Dr. Henry Stein (Victor Petit) and his wife, Joan (Maria Kosti), can’t understand why none of the villagers want to talk to them or why the old doctor is so eager to get out of the village.  I think some of the problem may have to do with the fact that Henry is one of the angriest doctors that I’ve ever seen.  When he first shows up at the village, he demands to know where his house is.  When the villagers ignore him, he barges into a bar, grabs one random guy, and tosses him up against the wall.  WHERE IS THE HOUSE!? he demands.

Seriously, Doctor, calm down.  I wouldn’t go to that guy for checkup.  He might get mad and throw something at me if I told him that I occasionally forget to take my ADHD meds.  That would be scary.

Since the doctor and his wife are new in town, they don’t really get the whole virgin sacrifice thing.  In fact, they attempt to keep one virgin from being sacrificed and this leads to the Blind Dead laying siege on their house.  For the most part, it probably would have been better if they had just minded their own business…

Night of the Seagulls can’t really compare to the first two Blind Dead films.  It takes a little bit too long to get going and everyone in the movie is pretty unlikable so you really don’t care whether the Blind Dead kill them or not.  (At the same time, as opposed to Tomb of the Blind Dead and Return of the Evil Dead, no one is unlikable enough for you to root for the Blind Dead insteaf.)  That said, the Blind Dead are still scary and decaying and, after being stuck on that boat all through the previous film, they’re riding horses again!  And yes, they ride them in slow motion and yes, it looks freaking badass!

Night of the Seagulls is an okay Spanish horror film.  It may not be a perfect send off for the Blind Dead but it’s not terrible either.