There are certainly some nasty and gruesome moments in Italian director’s Raffaele Picchio’s Curse of the Blind Dead. These fleeting pieces are unfortunately book ended by a drab and boring experience, punctuated by poor acting.
Based on two short stories by 19th century Spanish writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécque – we begin in the middle ages with the Knights Templar, about to sacrifice a new born baby, a ritual that will supposedly save the world. The Knights are stopped by a rabble of townsfolk and burnt at the stake. We jump to a post-apocalyptic future, which really amounts to people wandering in the woods, complete with dirty clothing. Lily (Alice Zanini) is pregnant and is taken in by a cult, led by the impressively bearded Abel (Bill Hutchens) however he quickly imprisons her and her father (Aaron Stielstra) wanting to complete the human sacrifice that the Templars were attempting all those years ago.
When the demonic Templars turn up, they are excellent; looking suitably monstrous. They proceed to massacre the cult, complete with spine ripping and entrails eating. As with the most enduring demonic stories, the supernatural can be temporarily stopped but not defeated, surely a spin-off for these undead knights is needed. As mentioned, the rest of the film is a chore – you must take Picchio’s word that it’s the future, as we spend most of it in an old barn. The dialogue and acting are awful, but the nail in the coffin, is having to sit through three traumatic births, in a film that registers under 90 minutes, that’s too much.
