(1972) Tragic Ceremony/ Estratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di una capitale europea
(In Italian with English subtitles)
HORROR
Four friends of Bill (Tony Isbert), Jane (Camille Keaton), Joe (Máximo Valverde) and Fred (Giovanni Petrucci) are coming out from sailing, and decide to make camp. Bill then gives Jane a pearl necklace, we find out the reason he gave it to her is because his own mother showed no interest in it after she found out it may have been cursed as a result of some exorcism. And upon Bill driving everyone home on his dune buggy, he then stops at gas station where no one is carrying any cash. Bill then tries to pay him by write him a check. The gas attendant refuses but does give him enough gas to drive to a villa nearby where Rolls Royce are parked on the driveway. After they find a pail of gasoline, they are then decide to wait until the storm dies down and stay at the villa as house guests by Lord Alexander (Luigi Pistilli) and his wife, Lady Alexander (Luciana Paluzzi). Lady Alexander then lures Jane to go with her to sleep on one of the rooms while her three male friends decide to hang around in the kitchen helping themselves to baloney and cheese. Meanwhile, while Jane is taking a bath, Lady Alexander and her husband walk down below and are practicing witchcraft ceremony while one of it's own members are playing the organ. For some strange reason, while Jane is listening to the organ music, she becomes entranced by it while her other three friends are still hanging around in the kitchen and unable to hear it at all. Jane then without saying nothing walks straight down to where cult followers are practicing and they appear to expect her presence. When Joe decides to investigate he first finds her clothes and her not in her bedroom. He then calls his other friends while carrying her clothes just so they can try to track her, and while going down the stairs they notice the pearl necklace is broken, and manage to save her when Bill manages to direct Lady Alexander to stab herself.
Some of the questions I had while watching this, is that the four stars had no reason to run away as the cult followers were planning to kill and sacrifice Jane anyway. Everyone amongst the cult group end up killing one another and are witnesses to the entire event to the police. The other thing I could not stop thinking is the fact that on one hand Jane says her parents are waiting for her, only then the next scene she never calls them or ask the Alexanders whether they have a phone to call them. And if the gas attendant never existed how did they manage to garner enough gas to drive up to the "secret ceremony" villa.
