''Night of the Seagulls'' (Original Spanish: ''La noche de las gaviotas'', also known as ''Don't Go Out at Night'', and ''Night of the Death Cult'') is a 1975 Spanish
horror film written and directed by
Amando de Ossorio
Amando de Ossorio (6 April 1918 – 13 January 2001) was one of the foremost Spanish horror film directors during the European horror film surge in the 1970s, known especially for his "Blind Dead" tetralogy.
Biography
De Ossorio directed a sho ...
. The film is the fourth and final in the ''Blind Dead'' series, being the sequel to ''
The Ghost Galleon
''The Ghost Galleon'' also known as ''El buque maldito'', is a 1974 Spanish horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio and starring Jack Taylor. It has numerous alternate titles, including ''The Blind Dead 3'', ''Horror of the Zombies ...
'' (1974).
Plot
The film starts in medieval times, when a young couple is attacked by the
Knights Templar. The man is instantly killed, and the woman is carried away to the Templars' castle, where she is sacrificed.
The story then continues in the 20th century. Doctor Henry Stein (Víctor Petit) and his wife Joan (
María Kosti) are moving into a very primitive coastal town, where they are met with distrust and hatred from the locals.
It does not take long before the doctor and his wife find out that the town harbors an ancient evil: Every seven years, undead Templars rise from the sea for seven consecutive nights to demand the sacrifice of a young maiden. The doctor and his wife then try to save one of the maidens, Lucy (
Sandra Mozarowsky), from her horrible fate, aided by the local village idiot, Teddy (José Antonio Calvo).
Cast
* Víctor Petit as Dr. Henry Stein
*
María Kosti as Joan Stein
*
Sandra Mozarowsky as Lucy
* José Antonio Calvo as Teddy
* Julia Saly as Tilda Flanagan
* Javier de Rivera as the Doctor
Release
The film was released by BCI on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
as a multi-disc set on December 3, 2002 and again on April 15, 2003.
Blue Underground
Blue Underground is an American company specializing in releasing authoritative editions of cult and exploitation movies on Blu-ray Disc and DVD.
It was originally formed as a shell company to oversee 'making of' documentaries during founder ...
later released a limited edition version of the film on September 27, 2005. It was also released November 14, 2005 by
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television se ...
in the UK. Blue Underground re-released the film on DVD on September 26, 2006.
Scream Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released the film on
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
for the first time on February 13, 2018.
Reception
Writing in ''The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia'', academic
Peter Dendle
Peter Dendle is a professor of English at Penn State Mont Alto, teaching classes on folklore, 20th and 21st century representations of the Middle Ages, Old and Middle English (language and literature), and the monstrous (in film, folklore, and s ...
said, "The film competently delivers the usual atmospheric settings, well-composed shots, and glacier-slow zombies, though overall it's probably the least interesting of the tetralogy". Paul Corupe of
DVD Verdict wrote, "Although a weak story still dominates most of the action, ''Night of the Seagulls'' is in many ways a return to form for the series, yet another variation on the Templar legend that lacks continuity with the earlier films". Adam Tyner of
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
called it "outright boring". Glenn Kay, author of ''
Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide'', called it "a fitting end to the exploits of its ancient skeletal villains".
References
External links
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*
*
Online Trailerat
Blue Underground
Blue Underground is an American company specializing in releasing authoritative editions of cult and exploitation movies on Blu-ray Disc and DVD.
It was originally formed as a shell company to oversee 'making of' documentaries during founder ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Night Of The Seagulls
1975 films
1975 horror films
Knights Templar in popular culture
Spanish zombie films
1970s Spanish-language films
Blind Dead films
Spanish supernatural horror films
Films shot in Madrid
Spanish sequel films
Films directed by Amando de Ossorio
Films scored by Antón García Abril
1970s Spanish films