For the next ten or fifteen minutes the focus is completely on Virginia as we follow her through the ruins. This is where things begin to pick up, Sure, it slows down again for a bit, but this sequence in the ruins is extremely tense and nicely shot.
As night falls, the Templar rise from their graves in search for blood. Who do they find? You guessed it, Virginia! And she looks, er, sounds delicious! Sounds because, as we learn in the one significant scene of exposition, the Templar baddies had their eyes plucked out by crows leaving them to track by sound. So, what have we learned about being attacked by undead Templar Knights? Yes, be very, very quiet. Of course, sometimes even a loud heartbeat will rouse them.
I am not worried about offering this much detail. When it comes right down to it, this movie is not so much about Templars as it is about building tension and unleashing terror.
In any case, Virginia is a goner and Betty and Roger try to uncover the mystery. They begin to investigate, learning (during a scene of exposition with a local historian) that a smuggler operates in the area. Is he responsible for Virginia's death? Of course we know he's not, but they don't, not yet anyway. The police give them the idea, but seem disinterested in following up.
Soon enough, the couple are teamed with Pedro the smuggler and his promiscuous girlfriend. The investigation turns into a game of switcheroo as romantic partners are split: the smuggler girlfriend attempts to seduce Roger, while Pedro rapes Betty. It is rather disturbing how matter-of-factly the scene takes place, and when it's over it is treated as consensual. I cannot say this scene sat well with me.
Fortunately, by this time we are steaming towards the climax (sic), the Templars are up and out of their graves, the good guys are on the run and we are in for a good time. Without giving this away, the entire final sequence leading to the end is effective and rather stunning.
Article comments
1 - Luigi Bastardo
One of the best pre-"Dawn Of The Dead" zombie films ever and right up there with "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie."
The Blue Underground DVD release is soooo much better than the old Anchor Bary one, just for the glimpse at the very rare (and outrageous) "Revenge Of The Planet Ape" title credits alone!
2 - Chris Beaumont
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is another title I need to catch up with. That's a Jorge Grau film, right?
Was this the Planet of the Apes tie in? I thought that was tied to the second of this series, but memory could just be bad....