Director – Jorge Grau (Story of a Girl Alone, Violent Blood Bath)
Starring – Lucia Bose (The House of the Doves, The Guest), Espartaco Santoni (Lisa and the Devil, The Feast of Satan), and Ewa Aulin (Death Smiles on a Murderer, Death Laid an Egg)
Release Date – 1973
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 3/5
I really respect what Mondo Macabro is doing. Instead of focusing on movies that everyone has seen countless times, they bring international horror and exploitation titles to us. These releases are hit and miss with me but I really do appreciate the hard work they put into these releases that may not be for everyone.
A few days ago I received a few Mondo releases for review. Among them was Blood Ceremony, aka Ceremonia Sangrienta. The film was edited and released in the US on VHS as The Legend of Blood Castle. I was curious about seeing the unedited version. Thanks Mondo for sending this one over.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a mean-spirited countess that discovers that blood makes her skin ageless. Soon she finds herself obsessed with bathing in blood to retain her youth. The townspeople believe that a vampire is among them but countess, along with her husband, kill for blood to fulfil her desire to remain young. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one still high on Queens of Evil. Queens was a fantastic horror film that blended amazing atmosphere with psychedelic’s. It was an absolute blast. Blood Ceremony was a solid horror fair but it did have it’s own issues. It’s far from perfect but I enjoyed what it brought to the table.
The acting in this one is solid but nothing that really stands out. The cast does a well enough job to progress the story but the characters don’t really stand out. I really wanted some of the characters to stand out but their performances were very one dimensional and easily forgettable.
The story for this one is one of the many film adaptations centered around the legend of Countess Bathory. Here it blends a gothic murder mystery with vampirism. I actually enjoyed the story and how it was delivered. It does get a little clunky at times and some of the scenes is a little confusing but if you stick with it, it can be a lot of fun.
Finally, this one has plenty of blood but if you want some gore to go along with it you will be very disappointed. The film makes good use with the blood and how it fits to the story but if you are looking for great practical effects you will not find them here. Overall, Blood Ceremony has a solid cast and plenty of blood but the story is the film’s hook. It’s entertaining but doesn’t really have much of a rewatch value. The blu release looks great as well which is what you can expect from all Mondo Macabro releases. It’s well worth it.
Special Features:
Brand new 4k transfer from original negative.
Fully uncut International version and alternate Spanish version.
Digitally restored.
Two archive interviews with director Jorge Grau.
Trailers.
Audio commentary from Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.
Audio commentary from Robert Monell and Rod Barnett.
Mondo Macabro previews.
