The Ghost Galleon (1974) User Reviews

El buque maldito: Such a let down

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 8 March 2018]

Horror of the Zombies otherwise known as The Ghost Galleon is the third movie in the Blind Dead franchise and presently the lowest rated on IMDB.

I loved the first film, I found the second rather disappointing and this deserves its place as the lowest rated.

It tells the story of two women out on the ocean who run into a huge galleon. Upon investigating they fall afoul of the Blind Dead and their employers come looking for them.

The ship setting was a great idea and had limitless potential but sadly the whole thing is a real sorry swing and a miss.

For a start everything looks shoddy, the sfx have taken a step backwards and look terrible. The ominous charm of the franchise is all but gone and truth be told very little actually happens and our ocularly challenged undead friends are barely on screen at all.

I can't believe such a great franchise is nose diving so badly, I can only hope the finale ends it on a high but it's not looking good.

The Ghost Galleon is a weak entry and an all round pretty lame film.

The Good:

Some great ideas

The Bad:

Timeline is still confusing

Very dull

Lacks everything that made the first movie so effective

Some beyond bad sfx

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

A petrol fueled motor boat cannot move out the way of slow moving incoming traffic

Religious scientists, still the most baffling oxymoron

The weakest n slowest in the series.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 6 October 2020]

I saw this for the first time recently. Have enjoyed the first two but this one is a disappointment. This film is the third in Ossorio's Blind Dead series. This is the weakest one n nothing compared to the first two. It has some genuine atmosphere n claustrophobic feel along with a solid ending. The templar's horses' r missing n the film moves at a very slow pace, more slower than the zombies. Some of the scenes r shot in the dark which is annoying.

A pair of models lose contact with the ad agency while busy shooting on a boat in the middle of the ocean. They cross a dimension n board a mysterious dilapidated ship covered by thick fog. A friend of one of the models contacts the agency regarding the whereabouts but is abducted by the boss of the agency. She unwillingly takes part in the rescue op along with the businessman, his secretary, his bodyguard n a scientist in their search for the missing models and their boat.

Blind dead in a bathtub

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 13 December 2020]

What shall we call this movie? The Blind Dead 3? Horror of the Zombies? Ship of Zombies? Or The Ghost Ship of the Swimming Corpses? Let's just go with The Ghost Galleon and know that it's the third Blind Dead movie after Tombs of the Blind Dead and Return of the Blind Dead.

Writer and director Amando de Ossorio is back, again pitting the former Knights Templar, now zombie horde against some swimsuit models and the rescue party that comes to get them. Now, they have the power to appear within the fog, taking over the ocean and killing all that they come near.

Jack Taylor, who worked with Jess Franco often, shows up here. He was in everything from Mexican films like Nostradamus and the Monster Demolisher to The Vampires Night Orgy and Pieces.

This movie is like being in a trance. A trance that has a flaming ship in a bathtub for a special effect, which is perhaps one of the finest trances to find oneself. The Blind Dead themselves are wonderful as always, but the idea that a sporting goods store owner could get publicity by stranding models and then somehow a galleon filled with the graves of Knights Templar who sacrificed women to Satan find them and take them inside their fog world and...ah, why am I complaining? That's actually a perfectly logical plot.

Quite effective and eerie third Blind Dead film does the best it can with it's obvious limitations

[DrLenera · 23 November 2005]

Although one wouldn't know by the title,this is the third entry in the Spanish Amanda De Ossorio directed Blind Dead series,and as usual doesn't really have anything to do with the others except the Blind Dead themselves,those scary skeletal Templar knight zombies. This film is often considered the worst of the series,and it's certainly the tamest in terms of gore,but it's actually a very underrated film.

Skillfully exploiting it's main setting-a ghostly ship,Ossorio really manages to turn somewhat unpromising material into something quite effective. Yes,the plot hardly exists-some people are stranded on a ship inhabited by the Blind Dead,and that's really it,but the build up is ominous,the interior of the ship is made into quite a frightening place even without the Dead,and the Dead themselves,even shorn of their horses,are extremely creepy. Ossorio doesn't really get round the problem of the Dead being extremely slow moving yet able to catch their victims,but the climax of the film features the most effective shots of the Dead in the series,rising out of the water,looking truly spooky.

Hardly a classic,and there's no getting away from the unconvincing models of the ship,but this film really works very well within it's limitations.

A cool kind of cheese.

[DigitalRevenantX7 · 5/10 · 2 May 2012]

Plot Synopsis: Sporting goods magnate Howard Tucker sends two models in a speedboat into the Atlantic for a publicity stunt. Contact with the pair is lost, but not before they report being stuck in a fog & coming into contact with a 16th Century galleon. Along with another model, his modelling agent, a henchman & a scientist, Tucker organizes an expedition to find the missing models. They board the galleon where they encounter the blind zombies of the Knights Templar, who were banished to the sea for devil-worship.

Film Review: The Ghost Galleon (known in some countries as either Ghost Ship of the Blind Dead or Horror of the Zombies) is the third film in Spanish director Amando De Ossorio's Blind Dead saga. The original film, TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD, was one of the finest zombie films that Spain has ever produced, only matched with the relatively recent effort REC.

In keeping with the series' tradition, The Ghost Galleon is less a sequel than an outright remake. As was the case with all the sequels, the rules are changed with each film – here the Knights Templar are devil worshippers who are condemned to sail the seas for eternity.

None of the films in the Blind Dead series particularly stand out in terms of script quality, but the writing for The Ghost Galleon is noticeably shoddy. One may get past the idea of a platoon of zombies roaming the seas in a derelict ship, but the idea of a salesman sending a pair of models in a speedboat into the Atlantic shipping lanes for a publicity stunt is ridiculous to say the least – what is the point of this? The models aren't displaying anything & only have a small boat to stay in. Not to mention the fact that the visual effects shown here are ridiculously unconvincing, with the model galleon shown in wide shots being a toy model, while the coffins being thrown overboard look like small Tic-Tac boxes painted brown & being dropped into a pond.

The characterisations are, for the most part, decidedly mixed. Jack Taylor & the scientist both switch their opinions as soon as they get on board the galleon – the scientist at first dismisses the idea but later displays remarkable knowledge of the subject & has some practical skills at exorcism. Taylor, on the other hand, has a staunch disbelief of the supernatural that becomes more absurd the longer things go on – even being on the ship, he still doesn't believe it.

Despite the poor writing & shonky effects, The Ghost Galleon does manage to entertain, having a modest atmosphere. The shot of the zombies rising from their coffins to the accompaniment of some chanting is undeniably creepy (although the scene might be undermined by the fact that the chanting does tend to sound hysterically funny, especially during the opening credits).

Second sequel in short budget with the creepy Templars dead and set on a ghostly ship

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 14 February 2007]

The Templars Zombies return in this average sequel , now in a medieval ship . Two models with advertising aims embark aboard a yacht when find the damned ship . Later on , a diverse group (Jack Taylor, Maria Perschy , Manuel De Blas , Carlos Lemos and Barbara Rey) on board and sail to look for the models and again encounter the ghastly vessel drifting like the Errant Dutch boat .

In this second following (the first sequel was ¨Return of evil dead¨) from the original ¨Tombs the blind dead¨ also we find the famous blind dead zombies which rise from the tombs 500 years after to wreak havoc upon a beautiful bikinied Euro-babes . This scary horror movie contains eerie and creepy scenes when appear the living dead Templars . The fable is sometimes silly and laughable , though the action and terror moments are middlingly made . It is the following to the first great success and immensely popular ¨Tombs of the Blind dead¨ which to be continued by a trilogy : ¨Return of evil dead¨ , ¨Horror of Zombies¨ and ¨Night of the seagulls¨ . The zombie-like pack of ancient priest warriors awake and rising from the graves to kill and torture the unfortunate victims . They were condemned and eternally dammed by cult practising human sacrifices and blinded by crows . They meet their victims by means of screams and sounds . This is a cheap Spaniard production with lack luster and low budget , and it has been released multiple times on DVD over the years. . Special effects are ridiculous and embarrassing , just like the ship , an absurd toy-miniature into a bathtub that is frankly lousy . In the film appears known Eurotrash actors as Maria Perschy (¨Fumanchu castle¨ , ¨Hunchback of Morgue¨ , ¨Exorcism¨ ; however , she played for Howard Hawks in ¨Man's favorite sport?¨ with Rock Hudson) and Jack Taylor (usual player for Jess Frank : ¨Eugenie¨ , ¨Count Drácula¨ , ¨Necronomicon¨, ¨Commando Mengele¨), he posteriorly worked for Amando De Ossorio in ¨Hydra,sea serpent¨.

Eerie and frightening musical score especially when the Templars clergymen appear , being composed by ordinary Anton Garcia Abril . Colorful and atmospheric photography by Raul Artigot . The motion picture was regularly directed by Amando De Ossorio . Amando began in films as a writer and assistant director and continued his career by making short films and industrial documentaries . He was one of the main directors of the Spanish horror boom in the 70s, specially for his quartet of films about the living dead Templars which started with his first great success and immensely popular ¨Tombs of the Blind dead¨ which to be continued by a famous trilogy . Amando owns his own studio and created and/or designed many of the simple special effects sequences you see in any of his many imaginative undertakings . He displayed a varied career and specialized on all kind of genres as Western in "Rebels in Canada" and "Grave of the Gunfighter" , Historical as ¨Los Cantabros¨ , Monster movie as ¨Serpent of sea¨ and , of course, Terror as ¨Malenka¨ , The possessed¨ and ¨night of witches¨ . Ossorio also studied painting and photography , moreover, he also made his living as a painter of creepy images of the Knights Templar in his later years. ¨El Buque Maldito¨ is a mediocre attempt to cash of following exhausted medieval warriors saga . Followed by another inferior sequel ¨Night of the seagulls¨ also titled ¨Night of the death cult¨.

Cool zombies, great concept, terrible screenplay

[lemon_magic · 3/10 · 24 August 2007]

First of all, "Horror Of the Zombies" (the title of the version I saw) makes it sound like the movie is about something that scares the living dead. This turns out not to be the case. If fact, these aren't conventional "zombies" at all; they are more like undead pirate skeleton mummies; and it turns out that this is actually a sequel in a franchise called "The Blind Dead". Now, if you ask me, "The Blind Dead" is a much creepier (and much less overused) concept and would stand out quite a bit from the usual overexposed run of undead horror flicks, so the distributor was missing on a good bet here.

Apparently this particular variety of skeleton mummy has a predilection for attacking European supermodels (or whoever the producers can afford to hire to pretend to be supermodels) and there is an ugly violent sexual undertone to much of the proceedings. This includes a nasty gratuitous rape scene near the beginning and two excruciatingly extended scenes where young women are dragged, screaming and begging for help, to their doom. None of this is visually all that explicit, but the soundtrack is mixed way up to capture every gasp, sob, and moan from the young women. I realize that this is a "grindhouse" film, and so that is a large reason for the film to exist in the first place, but it still means the film doesn't age very well.

On the good side: cool looking zombie designs, with the skeletal figures, tattered cloaks and empty, shadowy eye sockets; they're nicely framed and shot and the best parts of the movie consist of watching them advance like a wave of human leprosy. They really do look implacable and sinister (as opposed to the normal run of zombies, who are somehow pathetic in their advanced states of decomposition). Also good is the rest of the art direction and the set design for the main set of the ghost ship; the swirling fog and gloomy sets really do give the impression of a pocket version of Hell. And someone had the brilliant notion to accompany the march of the undead skeletons with some disturbing chants and antiphonal choral sounds; these add a great deal of ooomph to the impact of the actual zombie scenes. And the last five minutes or so deliver a nice, grim comeuppance of sorts.

On the negative side, the camera keeps cutting from the viscerally creepy and claustrophobic closed sets to one of the worst miniatures of a ship since...actually, these are even worse than the miniature effects in "Danger! Death Ray", which previously held that title. Looking at these travesties of a so-called "ghost galleon" completely undercuts all the atmosphere and tension, and the effects where coffins sink to the ocean floor are even worse. (Why didn't the director just show the coffins sinking into the water on the surface when he saw how awful the miniatures of the coffins on the ocean floor were? Was he that desperate for usable footage?)

But mostly, the screenplay just doesn't deliver. Most of the scenes leading up to the Undead's appearances drag like leaden galoshes. The characters (with the exception of the professor) are not likable or admirable at all (it was nice that "Supermodel" Noemi was concerned about the fate of her best friend, but I was almost happy when she got killed off after 50+ minutes of watching her). The logic of the film is constantly falling apart - since when does a professor "just know a little bit about exorcisms", and since when did exorcisms involve brandishing a flaming cross? If the zombies only attack at night, why did they rise off the ocean floor in the middle of the day? If the zombies come up from the hold when they attack, why didn't the party find a way to seal the hatch? And the "acting" is barely there - all though I will admit that the dubbing here is not as awful as you would normally expect in a cheapie like this. Maybe the guy who did the sound design for the zombie attack sequences had a hand in the ADR and mixing of the vocals for the English version.

Based on this entry I might conceivably watch the first "Blind Dead" movie if it appeared on a cable channel or something. Mummy skeletons in cloaks are never a complete waste of time...but this one comes close. If not for the final three minutes of the film (which are reminiscent of some of John Carpenter's grimmer tales), I'd rate it even lower.

Templar Knights on the high sea.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 24 September 2008]

My first taste of the Spanish 'Blind Dead' franchise happened to be the third entry of director Amando de Ossorio's saga. 'The Ghost Galleon' is a creaky and spotty ultra low-budget presentation with plenty of limitations that only hold it back. While it had a thick confined atmospheric setting and an original (and crazy) story concept, eventually the simplicity of it all became lacklustre and threadbare kitsch. However its cheap nature is its charm.

Two swimsuit models on a publicity stunt go missing at sea when they radio in that they have encountered an ancient looking ghost-ship. Their employer a sporting goods promoter uses his own yacht and gathers a group (a scientist who believes they could enter another dimension) to search for them, and comes across the same ghost-ship covered with fog. Unknown to them the Templars reside below deck.

The laboured pace only seems to bog it down, where the suspense is drawn-out and the script is flimsily put-together. For most part the execution is patchy and material thin, but there are few moments that come off (one ghastly damaging death scene caught on screen) and spooky visuals that impress (like the claustrophobic gallon covered with blue filtering fog and of course that unforgettably doomed closing). The air has an eerie build-up, as the authentic sound effects work overtime (howling wind, boat rocking, and water splashing) and the music score has a brittle, shady chime to its cues that causes goose-bumps. Camera-work can be murky during the darker passages and the special effects are lame (mainly surrounding the ridiculous use of a model boat), but the hypnotically chilling make-up for the rotting Blind Dead keeps the macabre, potent features in mind. Too bad they spend too little time on screen. Sure they're slow and slouch after their victims, but in their glory they're an effective sight to see. Flooding the screen are leaden actors (and some bikini-clad models too) with little to do but wander and whine. Jack Taylor and Maria Perschy show up for the boating ride.

Credit for trying, but it's merely a so-so affair with the sea-bound undead.

ZZZZZZZombies on a ship.

[capkronos · 3/10 · 30 July 2006]

EL BUQUE MALDITO (GHOST GALLEON), third entry in de Ossorio's Spanish Blind Dead series, following up TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1971) and RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD (1973) and followed by NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (1975), features the novelty of the skeletal Knights Templar at sea. It's an interesting concept, but sadly this film fails to make much of it. As part of a publicity stunt, a modeling agency puts bikini-clad models Kathy (Blanca Estrada) and Lorena (Margarita Moreno) in a boat way out at sea hoping they'll be rescued by a passing ship and make front page news. Unfortunately, both girls become lost in a thick blanket of fog, run across a large ghost ship and disappear immediately after boarding; first getting word out (via radio) what's going on. Fearing the bad press headed their way if they don't locate the girls and bring them back safely, photographer Lillian Perry (Maria Perschy), agency head honcho Howard Tucker (Jack Taylor) and his sadistic assistant Sergio (Manuel de Blas), who all spearheaded this odd campaign, decide to take Howard's yacht out on the sea to find them. Also going along are Professor Gruber (Carlos Lemos), who is schooled on the Phantom Ship legend and wants to see if there's any truth to it, and blonde Noemi (Barbara Rey), who lets everyone know there will be hell to pay if her roommate and best friend (Kathy) isn't found. At nightfall, the five enter into the mist (which is actually another dimension altogether and is invisible to radar), run into the galleon, board the boat and begin looking around. Their boat disappears and instead of finding Kathy and Lorena, they find a bunch of large chests, which are the coffin-like resting places of the hooded, skeleton-faced Knights Templar zombies. They rise from their slumber every once in awhile to spill some blood for Satan and are scared of fire and crucifixes. We also discover there's a hidden treasure on board the boat, but this revelation almost seems like an afterthought thrown in at the end to ensure the death of one of the characters.

The cult reputation of this series, as far as I can tell, seems to rest mainly on the fact they have cool-looking zombies. They're definitely the highlight of this movie; creepy and menacing looking as they rise up from their tombs, slowly shuffle toward their victims and reach out their bony hands at them. Raúl Artigot's cinematography and Antón García Abril's score are also worth praising and help to make it all fairly atmospheric. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is pretty much a boring mess. My biggest problem with GHOST GALLEON is that is lurches along with the same exact momentum as the featured shambling undead. The pace is deadening slow throughout... The annoying, thoroughly unlikable characters bitch, walk, sleep and stand around with their mouths gaped open for minutes at a time anytime anything weird happens. And when the ghouls corner a victim, if you're expecting a nice bloody killing to commence, then you're just s--t out of luck with this one. Almost all of the mayhem takes place off-screen, aside from one dismemberment murder which we only see about three quick flashes of (and this scene itself has been cut out of some of the video prints). I still have no idea why it's rated R. The dubbing and dialogue are both bad bad bad, not that I expected otherwise.

The Blue Underground DVD comes with a few extras (namely a poster and still gallery, a couple of trailers, a TV spot and radio spots). They also released a box set with all four Blind Dead titles.

In another dimension, a ghost ship in a bathtub awaits..

[leagueofstruggle · 7/10 · 29 April 2004]

El Buque maldito suffers from several alternate titles, perhaps distributors fear a stigma if it is out in the open about being the third of the Blind Dead movies? Amando de Ossorio delights those that follow the Blind Dead series with a third installment. I have to admit those pesky Templars seem to end up just about everywhere by the time you've made it through the fourth installment. This review deals with the cut version, as I have been unable to locate an uncut version as much as I would like to find it. Special effects are adequate although the ghost ship that is the Templars' residence this time is severely lacking. The sets themselves are decidedly creepy and evocative. Given, most hardened viewers will not find themselves terrified by the lumbering skeletons and may well ridicule the slow moving protagonists in this film. By today's horror standards the Templars are not the most threatening but make up for their snail pace by just being patiently tenacious. Dubbing is a disaster in this film, all foreign horror films for the 70's and 80's get the royal raspberry treatment when it comes to dubbing. The lines are delivered dead pan and generally seem more concerned with matching lip movement than conveying plot points. Anyone familiar with the Blind Dead mythos will most likely figure out there's more going on within the ship than just the Templars randomly killing. I assume the sacrifice scenes ended up chopped out of the release I watched. The film has its weak points as well as strong. None of the characters are particularly likeable, although all the females are decidedly attractive. Apparently Ossorio decided to spice the weaknesses of the film up by distracting the male audience with eye-candy. The plastic ghost ship in the bathtub may cause humorous howls from the more FX sensitive.

The film is atmospheric and conveys dread with an even hand. The camera work is excellent throughout. More than anything else the film is purely hamstrung by budgetary constraints. The confined space of the galleon apparently reduced the budget but not near enough to cover all the bases.

If you enjoyed Amando de Ossorio's previous Blind Dead films this one should not disappoint. Others may find the film too slow moving and come away disappointed.

Eerie .sometimes gory ..gorgeous babes from Spain !

[profundovic-537-325729 · 5/10 · 19 September 2020]

The search for missing models leads idiotic people to a ghost ship full of damned boney Monks who won't have any company.. they are slow and this is truly a fun dubbed movie. Plot kinda sucks characters pure dummies and the boney guys can be spooky .Pretty good sequences and very pretty women but ..doesn't cut it in the end even with the total eerieness of it all.

One of the Greatest Zombie Films Ever Made

[Crystanubis · 8/10 · 6 May 2001]

This film was my first introduction to the severely underrated Blind Dead mythos. Despite their age, they stand as some of the most hauntingly eerie and frightening horror films of all time. The film centers (for its first half) around two models (we shall call them #1 and #2) lost at sea on their way to an assignment who come across an old Galleon. #1 goes aboard, #2 too frightened to come aboard, and disappears. After a long contemplation, #2 decides to face her fear and board the decrepit vessel. Naturally, #1 does not answer her calls, and she assumes it is simply a cruel joke and camps out in one of the ship's rooms. Eventually, she is awakened to a noise outside and becomes confronted with the ship's long dead crew of 13th century Templar Knights. They slowly approach, extending their skeletal arms. Of course, #2 attempts to escape, however, her attempts are futile as she is caught and (almost gloriously in a sickeningly sadistic way) lifted onto the shoulders of the knights and carried off to certain death. I suppose it is hard to look at such films objectively without Wes Craven's cleverly written satire "Scream" coming to mind. As the second model tried feebly to escape the malicious Templars, the line "always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door!" reverberated in my head and I fought the urge to laugh as I was seeing this principle in action. Then I realized just how much principles such as those addressed in Scream fail to work outside the other Wes Craven films. The fact of the matter is, #2 did try the "front door" (the boat) but the boat had vanished. So, at that point, all she could do was run feebly "up the stairs". It is easy for us the viewer to make such remarks at such situations considering that we are not there on that galleon surrounded by bloodthirsty Templars. It is a simple fact of human nature that in situations of high stress, coherent thought becomes jarbled as raw instinct (and the will to survive) takes over, making even the most futile escape routes seem like open doors to havens of unrivaled safety. So, to all those who have lambasted such works of art as this for such reasons as those presented in "Scream", try to tell yourself to run out the front door instead of running up the stairs whenever you're being attacked by a deranged killer (or killers, alive or undead!). In conclusion, the Blind Dead series stands as the epitome of the horror film for their abilities to make the sly, satirical remarks of "Scream" fans null and void in the face of true danger.

old-fashioned Spanish zombie film, with nautical setting

[django-1 · 7/10 · 10 March 2006]

note: this review is of the US release version, titled HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES and released by Independent-International. While this is part of the famous Spanish "Blind Dead" series, it has little to do with the others and has a completely different feel. The ancient zombies do appear, but this time they are at sea in a plot that reminded me initially of THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE. There's not much gore and except for one ugly sexual attack (committed by one of the human cast, not by a zombie), there's little here you couldn't show to a 12 year old. In fact, this is really an old-fashioned zombie film--an abandoned old Spanish galleon that seems to exist in another dimension is stumbled across by two young models on a publicity stunt in the sea, and it turns out to be populated by the Blind Dead. The whole film plays like an amusement park haunted house--the kind where you cruise through it in a boat and are exposed to shocking sights, zombies flying out at you, etc. I found the film wonderfully entertaining on that level. I don't really care for gore films, so I found the tame nature of the film to be refreshing. The two "stars" in the film (in other words, NOT the models or the professor who is enlisted to help in the mission) are old favorites of international b-movies, Jack Taylor (legendary for his Mexican horror films and Spanish films of all types) and the lovely Maria Perschy, and like most established actors who find themselves in these type of films, they manage to keep a straight face yet communicate that they are having as much fun as the audience. Some viewers have complained about the many cheap-looking miniatures used for the ship, but they are well-done in an old Republic Picture serial kind of way, and those who cannot go beyond today's computer generated effects need to get a little "willing suspension of disbelief" and have some fun. Overall, this is a wonderful, old-fashioned zombie film that is quite unlike the rest of the Blind Dead series in tone and in amount of gore. You can still find the VHS of the US release titled HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES for next to nothing used (mine cost 99 cents), and except for not being letter-boxed, it's supposedly the same cut as that now being sold on a new Blue Underground DVD.

absolutely worthless

[hoosierthunder · 3/10 · 31 October 2006]

This was an absolutely relentless piece of garbage. I love zombie movies, and I am also a fan of some of the other Blind Dead films. However, this worthless waste of time contains nothing of interest whatsoever. The "ghost ship" is a terrible model floating in three inches of water. The USA video title is "Zombie Flesh Eaters", although there is no flesh eating. I know what your thinking, "this guy just doesn't know b horror movies." Oh, but I do. Avoid this at all cost. I want the two hours of my life back, and so will you. This movie is a boring waste of time and one of the worst I have ever seen. If you want to watch the Blind Dead films you would do well to skip this one. There is no suspense, blood, no nothing. Want a good zombie movie besides Romero films? Watch a Lucio Fulci movie, not this.

Terror at sea

[DJ Inferno · 22 May 2002]

C´mon people, this film is not that bad as often said! In any case it´s much better than the awful fourth part of the series! Okay, gorehounds surely will be disappointed, because there is only one splatter scene brought on, but director Armando de Ossorio did a good job with creating a wonderful creepy atmosphere with lots of fog, half-dark pictures and middle aged monk chorales. Somehow this film even could be watched as a predecessor to John Carpenter´s classic "The Fog", because both movie are quite similar to each other in view of the mood and the style. If you like the Blind Dead-series you should not miss this one!

The Boring Dead Return

[Bezenby · 4/10 · 6 August 2016]

I thought I was too harsh on the first Blind Dead film, finding that it took too long to get to bits where actual things were happening on screen. Now I've watched the third film in the Blind Dead series, I'm beginning to think that somehow that's part of the plot - to have nothing remotely interesting happen for the first half of the film.

This one stars some models out on a motor boat for some publicity stunt (which didn't make sense to me) going missing once a ghostly ship comes out of nowhere. It's up to their mates, some shady guy, and a couple of others to look for them. And this film involves a lot of people wandering around looking for each other, something I hate in a film.

Not much gore here, by the way. Just lots of people wandering around a ship arguing and looking for each other. As usual the Blind Dead turn up just about the time you're about to switch off the film, and they look creepy as usual, but if only they actually did something constructive.

I watched the washed out Mill Creek version here, by the way, so maybe a cleaned up version adds a bit of atmosphere. It just looks to me that the director had no money but made a film anyway - check out the 'sparkler used as a flare' bit. I've still got Night of the Seagulls to watch so hopefully that's better.

Lame, Cheesy, Stupid but also a Funny Trash

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 13 November 2012]

The model Noemi (Bárbara Rey) questions her employer Lillian (Maria Perschy) about her roommate Kathy (Blanca Estrada) that is missing after receiving a call from Lillian, and she tells that she will go to the police. Lilian explains that Kathy is in an afloat boat in the Atlantic with another model participating of a publicity stunt, and she brings Noemi to meet Howard Tucker (Jack Taylor) and his henchman Sergio (Manuel de Blas) that have idealized the advertising campaign.

Kathy uses the radio to report that a ghost galleon without crew has arrived and Tucker sends a helicopter to bring the models back; however the pilot does not find them at the location. Tucker contacts Professor Grüber (Carlos Lemos) that studies the Sixteen Century galleon and they use a boat to reach the ghost vessel with Sergio, Lillian and Noemi. Soon Professor Gruber learns that the damned galleon is stranded in another dimension and the crew is composed of excommunicated Templar zombies. Now they try to leave the galleon and return to their own dimension. Will they succeed in their intent?

"El Buque Maldito", a.k.a "Horror of the Zombies", is a lame, cheesy, stupid…but also a funny trash movie. I have never seen the other movies of this (unknown) series but the terrible story has an awful screenplay. The miniature boats in the ocean and the models's motorboat stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean are ridiculous. Noemi is an annoying character and I was glad when she was caught by the zombies. But the worst is certainly the dreadful dubbing in English. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

These zombies don't eat much flesh.

[Aaron1375 · 2/10 · 28 May 2004]

I saw this movie under the title "Zombie Flesh Eaters", but do not let the title fool you, this is not a gory zombie movie. In fact it is a really boring zombie movie. It is part of the series "The Blind Dead", and from what I saw here I am not going to rush out for the first two installments unless someone tells me they are a lot better. This movie has these two bimbos stranded on a boat and they run across a toy ship in a bathtub (well that is what it looks like). Something happens to them and a rescue team comes to find them. On board the toy ship are the slowest moving zombies ever to be seen on film...and they don't eat their prey, instead they drop their prey or they take an hour to drag their prey down stairs. The plot, the story, and everything about this film is very dull and boring for the most part.

The third Blinddead film doesn't live up to expectations

[The_Void · 5/10 · 4 April 2006]

I went into this third showing of Amando de Ossorio's Blinddead series with relatively high hopes after seeing the first two films; but unfortunately, these high hopes weren't met. I love the way that the director has decided to relocate the series away from the small community seen in the first two films, and while the 16th century galleon that provides the backdrop for the movie is suitably creepy and morbid looking, the film falls down because, oddly, there isn't enough of the series' stars; the Templar's themselves. The previous films did a great job of ensuring that the creepy zombies were in as many scenes as possible, but this entry in the series sees more time being spent on the characters, and since none of them are particularly interesting; that is its downfall. The plot behind the film sees two young women travelling into the middle of the sea on a publicity stunt. However, the Templar's have somehow managed to make their way onto an old galleon in the middle of the sea, and our heroines soon find themselves on board. Soon after, a troupe of people goes out looking for the lost girls...

The atmosphere of this film is, on the whole, better than the previous ones. The boat provides an absolutely great horror location, and one that is far better used than in sea horror adventures such as the recent 'Ghost Ship'. The Templar's themselves are once again morbid and disgusting, and the scenes where they do appear are striking and provide good horror. The cinematography goes a long way towards ensuring that this is a quality slice of Euroshock cinema, as it's crisp and clean and is a pleasure to view. However, despite all of its aesthetic positives; the film can't match it with substance. You can't expect a lot of substance going into a Spanish zombie flick from the seventies, but the characters could have been better. Only the professor really stands out, and he mostly just serves in being annoying. The film has a good idea involving another dimension, which makes the action claustrophobic and terrifying, but it's never really explored; and despite scenes that see boats disappear and a huge trawler that can't see our heroes, it's never properly explored. I can still recommend this film to fans of the Blinddead series; but don't go in expecting something on par with the first two.

"I was tired of being a vegetable." Rubbishy third instalment of the Blind Dead series of films.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 25 December 2005]

El Buque Maldito, or the more common English title of The Ghost Galleon along with various other's like Ghost Ships of the Blind Dead, Horror of the Zombies, Ship of the Zombies, The Blind Dead 3 & Zombie Flesh Eater, starts in a modelling studio owned by Lillian (Maria Perschy) who has been hired by rich businessman Howard Tucker (Jack Taylor) to supply two girls for a publicity stunt to promote his new boat. Kathy (Blanca Estrada) & Lorena (Margarita Merino) are the chosen two, they are to be stranded out at sea, rescued & then tell the waiting world how fantastic Tucker's boat was in their bid for survival. A perfect plan right? Well no because Kathy's best friend Noemi (Barbara Rey) threatens to call the police so Tucker's goon Sergio (Manuel de Blas) has to kidnap her & while out at sea Kathy & Lorena run into a ghostly galleon that sails in perpetual fog. Soon all contact with the girls is lost, fearing bad publicity for his boat Tucker decides to sail out there himself & look for them on the quiet, along with Sergio, Noemi, Lillian & a meteorologist named professor Gruber (Carlos Lemos) who has heard tales of the ghost galleon before. They quickly find the galleon (despite the whole Atlantic ocean to search) & board it but fail to find the girls, that night from deep within the bowls of the ship the undead Knight Templars rise seeking fresh blood for their cannibalistic rituals...

This Spanish production was written & directed by Amando de Ossorio & was the third instalment of the Blind Dead series of films & it's not very good. The script by Ossorio is awful, it's painfully slow, lacks any sort of exploitation & blood or gore has terrible unlikable character's that irritate immensely & is a chore to sit through which is a shame because I really liked the central idea of a ghost galleon travelling the sea in a cloud of fog. Every character & most of their actions in El Buque Maldito are so dumb it's unbelievable, the stranded character's quickly discover that the Knight Templars only rise at night (which begs the question how can they emerge from the sea at the end in the middle of the day, but that's another question) which would give them a reasonable amount of time to try & figure out a plan right? I'd say 10 hours at least, so why does it take until half an hour before the Knight Templars are due to rise before someone finally has the ingenious plan to throw their coffins overboard? There is a scene that comes from nowhere when the weather professor casually says that he knows a little bit about exorcism, yeah right because that's the sort of thing everyone knows a little about isn't it? Especially meteorologists. So it continues with some of the dumbest scenes & dialogue you can think of. El Buque Maldito will put most people to sleep, it's over half an hour before we see the Knight Templars & even when they do make an appearance they don't do anything much, except walk, slowly, very slowly.

Director Ossorio creates a wonderful atmosphere on the galleon, the creaking wood, the torn sails, the period decor & fixtures, the dirt dust & the whole look & feel is quite unique, it's just a shame Ossorio made such a lame film around it. The Knight Templars look exactly the same as the rest of the series minus the slow motion horses while the gore is virtually none existent. During the entire film there is one on screen murder & it's actually a good one, someone has there neck sliced with a sword, the Templars then also get to eat their victims severed hands & drink some blood. Unfortunately one decent kill can't compensate for the rest of the film.

Technically El Buque Maldito is OK but the one thing that spoils it are the absolutely awful miniature ghost galleon effects, they really are that bad, they look like a paper boat in a bathtub & just wait until you see it burn & sink at the end, very funny & completely destroys the mood. The acting & dubbing are both poor as one would expect.

El Buque is a pretty awful film except for a couple of good ideas & some nice sets. There is very little here to recommend, Euro horror fans might like to give it a try but anyone else would probably be bored rigid & be more likely to laugh than scream. However, I still can't quite decide if this is the worst in the series or the next one Night of the Seagulls (1975).

A Mixed Bag In The Blind Dead Series

[AllNewSux · 6/10 · 4 July 2016]

This 3rd entry in the Blind Dead series may be the weakest link, but it still has a lot going for it. First of all, like all the films in the series, Ghost Galleon has some of the most original looking zombies ever committed to celluloid. We get to see plenty of them, but at times their presence on a dark boat can be obscured. They also don't turn in any kind of high body count which is what fans expect from a zombie film. This makes it kind of the oddball in this fine quadrilogy, but perhaps De Ossorio was being influenced by Italy's Giallo films at the time and was going more for atmosphere. I say this because this movie is almost pure creepy atmosphere with it's shapes, shadows and sounds. The main setting of the haunted, centuries old ship is also terrific even if the miniature version of the boat looks more like a 4th grade class project. Despite the lack of death, blood and serious action I never once felt the film was boring. The feel of dread and hopelessness kept me wondering who would win the day and the magnificent ending made me proud to be a horror fan.

The Ghost Galleon (1974) **

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 11 February 2006]

The third entry in "The Blind Dead" series is arguably the weakest: dull, uninvolving and peopled with thoroughly unsympathetic characters who are hard to identify with and, ultimately, care much about. The Knight Templars are, yet again, not the same 'characters' seen in the previous films, as these here have been punished for their evil deeds to perpetually roam the seven seas in the Ghost Galleon of the title; also, they seem to have diminished to a handful as opposed to the endless array of Knight Templars from the previous film. The ending, however, is a beauty: having disposed of the Blind Dead into the deep sea, the two surviving characters reach the shore and, supposedly, safety - only to see the Dead rise from the sea and make their way s-l-o-w-l-y but surely towards them! Some people have seen this film as being a major influence on John Carpenter's infinitely superior THE FOG (1980) but, to me, those comparisons are tenuous at best.

Zombie Flesh Eater???

[YankeeDood · 8/10 · 29 April 2004]

The title to this movie is way off. They're not really zombies, more like demonic skeletons, and they don't eat anyone's flesh. Whoever came up with this American title must be off his rocker.

But anyway, I liked this movie for the most part. Some death scenes were too long and the acting is bad. However, it does have a nice eerie atmosphere with all the fog and cultish chants. Plus, the skeletons look great.

The boat appeared like it was a toy floating in a bathtub. Obviously, the budget didn't allow for a real ship. But I could accept it. What annoyed me most was the scene where the blonde chick wakes up the mad skeletons. It takes forever for them to finally claim their prey. She does all this screaming for about 5 minutes, then finally loses her head (literally).

But the Exorcist-like ending was good. These guys are invincible!

A more suiting title would be: "Ship of the Evil Dead". So, if you found this title because you're seeking Romero style zombies, keep looking. This film is more about demonic supernaturalism. Very spooky.

Welcome aboard for a cruise into another dimension of TERROR!

[El-Stumpo · 7/10 · 1 November 2007]

The Blind Dead leave the sanctuary of the Templar's crumbling monastery for the third in the series, the floating fright-fest Horror of The Zombies (aka The Ghost Galleon). If there was ever a film that's rooted firmly in the decade from which it sprung, it's this one. Oh, and Saturday Night Fever, but this one's from 1974: pre-disco, and post-taste.

Now, if we've all forgotten just how senselessly ugly Seventies fashions were, the opener will bring it all kicking and screaming back to us. It's at a swim-wear photo shoot, where top model Noemi is looking for her missing girlfriend. She's taken to a secret location by photo-frau Lillian (Maria Perschy) where the great mystery is revealed – her girlfriend Cathy and another model are out in the middle of the ocean as part of an elaborate publicity stunt to promote a weather-controlled boat, cooked up by cocky financier Howard Tucker (Jack Taylor).

Unfortunately for the girls, the fog rolls in (although, being the Seventies, everyone is huffing away on cigarettes and cigars, so how would you notice), and an ancient galleon, seemingly abandoned with rags for sails, floats into view. The girls radio the news of the Ghost Galleon back to base; the resident token egghead Professor Gruber goes a little strange, and despite his rigorous scientific training, suggests the legendary Ghost Galleon is from a another dimension outside of time and space. Clearly a huge fan of Eric von Daniken, Gruber seems to have read one too many supermarket paperbacks on the Bermuda Triangle, but, like I said, it's the Seventies – we ALL read Von Daniken. The girl's are here, he reasons, but they're not, and they won't be coming back. Nothing is real – the ship, the fog, you or I... A philosophical paradox, for sure, but the real mystery is this: how de Ossorio stretches such a flimsy premise to feature length truly defies all scientific explanation.

So of course they all go looking for the Galleon and the missing bikinis, or maybe Howard Tucker wants his speedboat back. Cue more fog, and the resurrected skeletons of the Knights Templar rising from their on-board coffins. We soon discover on a 16th Century boat, there really is nowhere to run. Or, you could swim, but wait for the water-logged ending to drown that theory. "Preposterous" is the key word here – de Ossorio asks a great deal of his viewers to suspend belief when what amounts to little more than chicken bones drags a fully grown woman down a flight of stairs to her complete and utter dismemberment.

Horror Of The Zombies features the two most popular stars in Spanish horror. Austrian-born Maria Perschy, and American expatriate Jack Taylor who starred in a string of no-budget shockers for Jess Franco and decided he couldn't go home ever again. And yet Horror Of The Zombies was the least successful of the Blind Dead quartet. Perhaps the film strayed too far from the formula, although how could you go wrong: girls in bikinis on a boat with zombies? Despite its limited scope, micro-cast and tendency to be stage-bound, it's still an entertaining exercise in tension, atmospheric and illogic, and the empty eye sockets of the Knights Templar are always a welcome sight.

All I can say now is "Welcome aboard" for a cruise into another dimension… of TERROR!… with the 1974 Horror Of The Zombies.

Best of the 'Blind Dead' films...

[burbs82 · 4/10 · 11 July 2008]

This is the best of the 'Blind Dead' films... but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement. If you're going to sit through any of them, I'd recommend you be on some sort of heavy narcotic. Morphine or any opiate derivative would probably be best, as this will slow down your brain's response time enough to match the pace of the film, and unlike alcohol, you'll be too languid to get up and find something better to do. A sense of humor will go a long way in getting you through the film as well.

The decaying corpses of the Templar Knights have given up their time-honored hobby of horse riding for boating in this one, and actually their creepy old Spanish galleon does manage to provide a rather foreboding atmosphere (that is, when it's not a poor scale model filmed in a bath tub). Also, some exposition about the boat existing in some sort of Bermuda Triangle-ish, alternate dimension which is inescapable once entered adds to the almost non-existent fun. But the nautical folklore only goes so far, and the film plods along.

It's a decent setting, and a basic premise that John Carpenter did wonders with in his classic 'The Fog', but obviously, De Ossorio is no Carpenter. This barely even works as camp, but that's really the only way you can view it. The characters are all stupid beyond belief, which usually works in a campy film's favor, but the movie moves so slowly, and the dialogue is so sparse that it sometimes takes a full ten minutes for a character to do or say something that you can laugh at. Also, it takes the Templars what feels like an hour to kill someone, and they go kicking and screaming the WHOLE way. I'm all for Scream Queens, but may I recommend a cut to the other characters HEARING them scream, or a really cool death scene to justify it all instead of just a little bit of blood drooling out of their mouth?

There's no nudity,which is a terrible shame as there is no shortage of hot models, but they do spend the whole film in bikinis, so that's kind of a plus. So, yeah, watch it for the creepy pirate ship atmosphere (with cool wind sounds and all), extremely stupid girls in bikinis, clunky dialogue,and of course the skeletal Templars, who were wearing hoodies and making it look good several hundred years before you were born. Or don't watch it and save yourself the anguish. But if someone's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to pick between this or the follow-up, 'Night of the Seagulls', for God's sake, PICK THIS ONE! 'Night of the Seagulls' will swallow your SOUL!