Extraído dos Arquivos Secretos da Polícia de uma Capital Europeia

A free-spirited quartet of young hippie-types (Jane (Camille Keaton), Joe (Maximo Valverde), Bill (Tony Isbert), and Fred (Giovanni Petrucci)) are on a pleasure trip when their terminally unreliable vehicle becomes virtually unusable on a stormy night. They take refuge in the villa owned by the Alexanders (Luigi Pistilli, Luciana Paluzzi), who have a sinister agenda planned for the night. When our protagonists interfere, they are subject to more terror than they can handle.

Rather slow to start, and awfully talky at times, "Tragic Ceremony" is a standard tale in some ways (complete with the use of the "old dark house" and "stormy night" tropes), and delivers no big surprises, but it walks an interesting line between suspense and spectacle. The four main characters are set up as basically engaging people who are easy enough to watch, and the supporting cast is strong. (The great Paul Muller turns up at the very end as a doctor whose job is to provide a final bit of exposition.) Keaton, the memorable star of the infamous exploitation-revenge-thriller "I Spit on Your Grave", is a compelling, striking beauty from whom you can't take your eyes. The music (by the talented Stelvio Cipriani) is good, as well as the location shooting. But what really makes sitting through this somewhat obscure Italian genre flick worth it is the massacre that occurs at approximately the midway point. You can tell that the filmmakers were pleased with their "sword cutting into a guy's head" effect (the FX were by Carlo Rambaldi): we see it a total of five times before the film is over!

Director Riccardo Freda apparently resented the job of guiding this particular film, but the results on screen are still pretty effective. At least it doesn't play out in a *completely* predictable way; the films' second half makes it worth sitting through the first half.

Six out of 10.

Riccardo Freda may have a good reputation; but since we now that many of his best films were, in fact, directed by the late great Mario Bava; it's clear that he wasn't one of Italy's most gifted filmmakers back in the seventies. This film pretty much proves that as despite the simplistic plot; it's a sprawling mess and overall, I'd even have to go as far as to say that Tragic Ceremony is WORSE than Freda's insipid Giallo effort, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire. Freda apparently disowned this movie, and I certainly don't blame him! The plot simply follows a bunch of kids that run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere. They happen upon a house while searching for fuel; but it turns out to be a bad choice, as the owner is just about to conduct a satanic ceremony...ho hum. The film features a lead role for Camille Keaton, who would go on to star in the exploitation classic I Spit on Your Grave some years later, but fails to make an impression here despite acting alongside a cast of talentless performers. The film features one decent gore scene towards the end, but this really isn't enough considering that it takes eighty minutes of tedium to get there. I have a high tolerance for rubbish Italian films that don't make sense - but even I couldn't stand this one. Miss it, miss nothing!

This late-ish effort from Freda plays as a modern day (70's that is) Gothic thriller, but comes out short of thrills. Certainly it's not a dreadfully bad film, it's jut got that feeling which many of Freda's later films have of someone who has given up when he's seen the first daily's. It starts out good enough, almost giallo like in tone, then takes a turn into Gothic territories with a decent (albeit terribly cliché) set up. Then suddenly Freda seems to have lost interest in the film and all we get is prolonged shots of Camille Keaton and burning candles. Then circa an hour into the film we get some sort of violent climax with decent-to-poor special effects. This is followed by a slow paced outro with a very obvious twist ending (If it's even intended to be a twist?). And throw a few very halfhearted explanatory scenes along the way and you got Tragic Ceremony. Thus in parts it's got its qualities. But then suddenly stumbles and collapses in front of you. A pity.

btw stay away from the SHAROMA DVD, a useless murky pan& scan edition which kills of what could be a good visual experience.

Some stars are world-famous and forever immortal for just one role they played. Camille Keaton, for instance. She was the lead actress of the notorious "I Spit on Your Grave", in which she cut off the wiener of a rapist in a bathtub and instantly became a cult siren. What most people have forgotten, however, is that the lovely and damn sexy Keaton also starred in a handful of Italian gialli/thrillers, including this oddly amusing genre hybrid.

The official title roughly translates as "Extracts from the Secret Police Files of a European Capital". Since it's a downright horrible title, the film is commonly known as "Tragic Ceremony", but even that is slightly misleading. "Tragi-comical Ceremony" would be more apt, since the titular black mass where the film builds up towards to is literally a MESS. The film starts out with a free-spirited and hippie-like atmosphere, with four young friends on a yacht, around a camp site with a guitar, and in a dune buggy. There's one girl for three boys, so monogamy is definitely out of the question. The buggy runs out of gas on a stormy night, and a vicious gas station attendant sends them to the mansion of the wealthy Lord & Lady Alexander. Then quickly comes the hilarious "ceremony"! The intention is to sacrifice one girl (Keaton) but the whole thing turns into massive bloodbath, with extremely cheesy gore and chaotic shrieking. Although the undeniable highlight of the movie, the insanity doesn't stop here, since our young friends escape from the mansion but nevertheless die in mysterious and gruesome circumstances shortly after.

The plot is shamelessly and blatantly inspired by the, in 1972, still fairly recent murders committed by the Satan-worshiping followers of Charles Manson. The name of poor Sharon Tate is even boldly mentioned. There are quite a few dull moments, but "Tragic Ceremony" is curiously addictive horror oddity worthy of its cult status. Several great names involved, too, like director Ricardo Freda, writer Mario Bianchi, composer Stelvio Cipriani, and acclaimed cast members like Luigi Pistilli and Luciana Paluzzi.

An early appearance by Camille Keaton gives Tragic Ceremony its main point of interest. It's not as good as What Have You Done to Soalnge?, but her role is substantial enough for fans to check it out.

Probably it ranks as the second-best of her Italian-era appearances. Her icy beauty and blank expression are suited to her largely passive role.

The plot falls into the Old Dark House genre, with four fashionable and well-off young people becoming stranded at a mansion on a stormy night. Sort of like a straight non-musical version of Rocky Horror.

Black magic and other supernatural events follow, with logic going out the window. The supernatural elements keep this from really being considered as classical giallo.

But there is a fair bit of detective work and violent crime, so some people still put under the giallo banner. It's not apparent in the costumes and locations, but the action is supposed to be in the UK as Scotland Yard is mentioned.

Overall, it is a bit of a generic mix of Gothic horror and police motifs that never reaches its full potential.