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Def by Temptation
An evil succubus is preying on libidinous black men in New York, and all that stands in her way is a minister-in-training, an aspiring actor, and a cop that specializes in cases involving the supernatural.
Release : | 1990 |
Rating : | 5.2 |
Studio : | Troma Entertainment, Bonded Filmworks, Orpheus Pictures, |
Crew : | Director of Photography, Costume Design, |
Cast : | Cynthia Bond Kadeem Hardison Bill Nunn Samuel L. Jackson Minnie Gentry |
Genre : | Horror Thriller Romance |
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Reviews
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Though I'm not sure if that's a badge of honor or not. Lloyd Kaufman (Mr. Troma himself) says in an intro video to the movie, that this is the best movie Troma has done ... ever. That might be saying more about the other movies than this one I guess ... But seriously though, I remember this from the first time I watched it and when I did re-watch it recently it did not age that badly. Especially if you consider the fact that it has no budget and many things that were "in" in the 80s, but look ridiculous now! Don't be fooled by Samuel L. Jacksons face on the cover. Yes he is in the movie, but of course not really that much. The star of the movie is someone else. The dialogue seems crazy at times, but one particular dialogue is almost enough to rate this a "10" (no I haven't but the scene is really hilarious!) -> Reply being "we've got to do all that ...". You'll know it, when you hear it! I'm looking forward to listen to the audio commentary.
I think most of the bad reviews for this movie are from people who aren't familiar with the Troma franchise. Troma is an independent film company that showcases unique, unusual and often very twisted projects from up-and-coming filmmakers who can't get a break from other (more hypocritical) film companies. "Def by Temptation" is certainly the work of an amateur, but I can tell that James Bond III put his passion into the movie and he did make a moderately good effort. I can't lie and say that the movie doesn't look low-budget, but its cheapness adds to its charm. And there's never a dull moment. The acting is often good, since quite a few of the actors are alumni from Spike Lee's films. Bill Nunn, who many might remember as Radio Raheem in "Do the Right Thing," gives the strongest performance and to this day I feel like he's one of the many underrated actors who never gets proper recognition for his talent. As you can expect, though Samuel L. Jackson is on the cover of the DVD and video, he's only in the movie for about 15 minutes. Once again, cashing in on the popularity of a big-name actor, who wasn't such a big name at the time. Kadeem Hardison, who many remember as Dwayne Wayne on "A Different World," does a fine job in the lead role, as does the female lead who plays the Temptress. About the only bad apple in the bunch is the director himself, who plays second lead. Bond's performance just seems way too subdued and his emotions seem forced.I understand he's supposed to play a laid-back, repressed, Bible-toting individual, but he plays the role a little too low-key. The concept of an all-black horror movie has been done before in films like "Blacula," but it's not a concept that has been repeated very frequently. Even in our supposedly politically correct times, the black characters still tend to die off significantly quicker than the white characters in scary movies. Some of the dialogue is a little too cheesy, but there's also a lot of funny dialogue. The movie takes itself more seriously than you'd expect, but it never gets too serious. Nowadays, we see tons of campy horror flicks that seem 90 percent comedy and 10 percent horror, so it's cool that Bond didn't want to go that route. From a technical standpoint, the film's best aspect is its lighting, especially during the bar scenes. The DP is Ernest Dickerson, who's worked on Spike Lee's films. The camera-work is sometimes shoddy, with some bad eyeline matching during the dialogue scenes, but the lighting is great. It was also fun to listen to the movie's hip soundtrack, mostly composed of R & B from the early 90's. It helps date the film, but not in a bad way. "Def by Temptation" is far from a masterpiece, but it's entertaining and unique. Just don't expect to see Sammy L. in a big role and you won't be disappointed.
What? And why?Thinking of seeing this? Ha ha ha. My dear friend, greater pleasure can be derived from a root canal or a slow limb amputation, minus the anesthesia. Watch this only if you're into laughably bad make-up effects or "Diff'rent World" actors destroying their careers.I like a lot of celluloid garbage but this merits a 10 on the no effing way scale.A stake through the heart! If it had one.
***SPOILER***Like the moron I must be, I rented this movie because I like vampire films and I like Samuel L. Jackson. Maybe I didn't do enough research or something, because when the video box says that the movie "stars" Samuel L. Jackson and is what Vampire in Brooklyn should have been, I foolishly thought that (a)Samuel L. Jackson would be in the movie for more than 5 minutes (b) It would be about a vampire (c) it would be better than Vampire in Brooklyn. Boy was I wrong. I respect it as an ambitious independent film but I would have been more impressed had it been the first attempt at film-making. This was amateurish with a capital "A". A few genuinely frightening moments, but they were bookended by some genuinely terrible moments. If you are looking for a fun movie to "MST" with friends at a late night Halloween party...this is a good choice. Otherwise, beware of this temptation.