Tragic Ceremony (Dark Sky Films DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
Riccardo
Freda’s Tragic Ceremony (1972) is
something of a precursor to the many (and often awful) Asian Horror films with
deathly apparitions counted on for offering chills, though this is more
interesting and effective than twisted faces on regular bodies or young gals
with long black hair and longer white t-shirts.
Once again, a group of counterculture kids out for fun take the wrong
turn and this time, here come some killer Satanists!
Being an
import makes this interesting, but another reason for this to be a curio is
Carmille Keaton, the actress later known for playing the victim who goes killer
in the ever-controversial I Spit On Your
Grave showing up among the vacationers here. Fans of her later infamous success should
know that several shots from this film seem to have been repeated in Grave and that this is a slightly
better film. That does not say much as
this film hits a run-on when it should hit some stride and does not totally
know what to do with the Supernatural.
Bond fans will want to see it for Thunderball
villainess Luciana Paluzzi, who is always a plus for any film.
I give it
credit for trying to be different and being ahead of some bigger films before
it, but all in all, it is a curio at best with a few highlights.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is soft, but color consistent and the
print is not in bad shape. Director of
Photography Francisco Fraile (Murder In
A Blue World, Ricco The Mean Machine)
gives the film a visually consistent look that helps elevate the suspension of
disbelief, but I just wished this were a bit more detailed. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish Mono shows its
age, but the recording is consistent and luckily not as compressed as
expected. Extras include the original
theatrical trailer with sharper shots than the main print and featurette
interview with Carmille Keaton called Carmille’s
European Adventures, both worth your time.
For more
on other films noted, try these links:
I Spit On Your Grave
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4916/I+Spit+On+Your+Grave+(Elite
Murder In A Blue World
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1826/Murder+In+A+Blue+World+(PAL
- Nicholas Sheffo
