With a whole new cast of hapless and well-eyebrow-endowed living characters to pursue, the Blind Dead rise with that same great grave-emerging scene from the original… I mean, that EXACT scene, cut and paste into this film. But What the heck! Why re-shoot it, right? It was awesome before, it’s awesome again!
The blind, undead Templars are extremely slow moving, (except when riding their deathly steeds!) and show no signs of emotion or higher intelligence - with the exception of riding dead horses and using 16th century swords. In their filthy, grey, and decaying cowls and hooded robes, they are again the bearded skeletons of the original.
A few changes have been made by the way of vulnerabilities to the knights, and dispatching them is no longer impossible, but their look, movements, and completely chilling silence really convey the ghoulish and sinister feel.
Because, again, mood and atmosphere do most of the heavy-lifting here.
That said, the scene of the mounted and sword-wielding knights doing a whole-sale slaughter in the town square really IS a gruesome delight, but still, kind of lacks the creepiness and primal-fear-inducing tone of the silent, shuffling, on-foot undead.
I found the living in ‘Return’ to be a bit more engage-able than its predecessor. Personalities more developed, more interesting individual backstories, and making far fewer bad decisions. There is a much more linear feel to the plot, too, with a story arc that builds well and culminates more naturally. There is even a stronghold scene, à la Night of the Living Dead!
Adding all of these factors up and measuring them on my ZMR, (Zombie Movie Rubric,) a decent rating of 2.88 out of 4 is the outcome. This equates to an above average Undead movie entry and earns a recommendation as a good, creepy, ‘lights out’ night’s viewing.
A YouTube Trailer will ensure you never forget the name: RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD
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