Bloody showers. Shot impeccably by DP god Ernest Dickerson, loaded with colors/lighting, Spike Lee alumni, and soundwaved with a dope soundtrack, Def by Temptation does it’s thing and peppers in scary succubus shit like bloody showers and eroticly choosing sleazy scumbo guys as victims along the way until that awesome final act kicks into gear... highlighted by a body getting sucked into a blood spewing TV which is my favorite tv oriented horror kill ever. DBT is also legit funny too, James Bond III really made something special here and I see a few producer credits since but really wish he got to write/direct again.Probably my second favorite Troma movie after Screamplay (might even be my fav Troma movie tbh) with 1990 nyc vibes galore plus some of the most genuine and effortlessly believable on screen friendship chemistry between Joel and K. Also, I loved the special feature on the disc with Lloyd Kaufman interviewing Ernest Dickerson... and being very un-Lloyd-like… talking about being a DP on a couple of reshoot scenes and not wanting to fuck with ED’s art might just be the humblest convo I’ve seen Lloyd partake in.
I didn’t know James Bond made a movie what the hellNew York... a psychological limbo whose depths seem to liberate a cultural distinctive spirit from its own restraints, overflowing with the experimentation that deserves to be appreciated. Bond creates... in my opinion... such an amusing temptation, dancing between the eroticism of the vampire genre and the aesthetics of the music video, blending his characters with his own and his team’s influences, that the bloodthirsty succubus begins to feel like an adventurous experience in itself.Now I did a little digging, and what feels essential to mention if you’re planning to watch this film is its small piece of production history. Joel is probably Bond’s own personal avatar for exploring the religious themes, particularly the way he finds himself lost between two conflicting identities. One is more rooted in religion, family, and a morally structured world, while the other emerges when this character arrives in New York, where Cynthia Bond, absurd theatrical demon in the best possible way, lures men from bars into her own little “bedroom games.” 😏On top of that, the film is surrounded by remnants of the early Spike Lee filmmaking circle, and it is interesting how it breaks away from those traditions by wandering into the supernatural. Like I said, Bond is experimenting with the sociological side of his own story, how a city, or in this case a supposedly “good,” religious man, can end up being carried away by his own desires. This is the whole setup, and it begins with as much exploitation energy as you could possibly imagine, with Samuel L. Jackson’s magic words as the priest setting the whole thing in motion. Also, he isn’t in the film for very long, so don’t watch it expecting some major Samuel L. Jackson showcase.And it’s a somewhat outdated horror I guess, which, despite its own stumbling blocks, puts itself in a position where it deserves to have a voice of its own. From the production side, the film eventually drifts into this evil dead territory with its horror, especially during the final act. There’s definitely a tonal shift, because Bond seems to have a much stronger authorial hand over the first half of the film than he does as it moves toward the end.But if there’s one thing he, and cinematographer Dickerson, succeeds at, it’s creating an environment and a vibe on such a small budget that feels alive in all its absurdity and amusement. Strange world, fragments of culture and forgotten dreams blend together, sucking the blood out of its own memories while laughing like a lunatic inside its own beautiful hybrid mess. So heyyy 3.5 stars.72/100
