Amando de Ossorio
Born April 6th, 1918 – Died Jan. 13th, 2001

With the recent announcement that Synapse Films is working on a new restoration of the original Tombs of the Blind Dead (1970), we thought it would be a great time to pay a little tribute to the creator of our favorite undead Templars, filmmaker Amando de Ossorio.

While he started as a journalist and producing radio dramas, once he got into the film business, it was making short films and documentaries. He started making feature films but it was in 1969 when he directed his first horror film, Malenka (aka Fangs of the Living Dead) which was a little cheesy but still had some great atmosphere. But it was the following year when he created his legacy, when he wrote and directed La noche del terror ciego, better known as Tombs of the Blind Dead (1970). Keep in mind, this was only a couple of years after George Romero set loose his flesh eating zombies unto the world, before Ossorio released his undead Templars that were feasting on the blood of their victims. With a unique twist on zombies and vampires, he gave us something that is still remembered and celebrated six decades later.

This first one was co-produced by another country but did so well that the rest of the series, which included El ataque de los muertos sin ojos (Return of the Evil Dead, 1973), El buque maldito (The Ghost Galleon, 1974), and La noche de las gaviotas (Night of the Seagulls, 1975), were all produced in Spain. It’s not too often when a filmmaker, especially one in the early ’70s, that creates a new monster that becomes an icon. The Blind Dead might not be as well known as Freddy and Jason, but they have inspired a multitude of people, from musicians, artists, and filmmakers over the years. There is something to be said, and praised, about that.

Ossorio made other entries in the horror genre during his career, such as Loreley’s Grasp (1973) and Night of the Sorcerers (1974), which most of his work is available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Later in life, he was actually doing paintings of the Blind Dead and selling them to earn a living. Oh how I would love to have one of those paintings….