1990 Directed by James Bond III
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.
James Bond III's Def by Temptation, Surmansuu, Succube, Tentación Diabólica
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 is never silly—peppering 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…
Somehow they made a blaxplo horror MOONLIGHT almost 30 years ago and nobody noticed.
The vote is in! YUS to the succuBUS! Def by Temptation don'tcha change this station. A Vinegar Syndrome film that I overlooked but I'm glad I finally arrived! 90s New York to the max, there's no shortage of swanky saxophones, old school hip hop and a gritty edge. Packed with style there's blasts of hypnotic colours, the hazy glow of low budget surrealism and ambitious dream sequences. The perfect backdrop to all of the demony succubus mayhem that ensues! Giddy up!
A deadly succubus named TEMPTATION is haunting the mean streets of New York city. Choosing her victims wisely, this succubus preys on the scummy horn dogs that litter the dive bars sprawled across the city. It's up to a…
[90's Boom Bap Beat drops]
Yo. Yo. Turn me up in my headphones.
uh-huh-huh-ha-ha-huh-huh
Yo. Yo. Uh. Uh. Uh.
Well my name is Remobo and I'm here to say,
that I'm here to rap in an old school way
about a 1990 horror that's a bit absurd;
"Def by Temptation" by James Bond III
It's about a freaky woman that seems innocuous,
until you start to get freaky, and she becomes a SUCCUBUS!
Gay, straight or Bi, she loves 'em all,
But she has a special taste for some Cristal.
With her powers of seduction she's a dangerous creature.
It only takes her one night to turn a Southern preacher!
But coming to his rescue are Radio Raheem
and my…
Viewed with the Amazing Edith’s Collab Film Group.
I have to say I really wanted to like this more. Some aspects I certainly do, but there’s a lot getting in it’s own way. The source of these matters stems from writer, director and actor James Bond III (sick name dude) who clearly put his all into making a horror film that would become his passion project (having dedicated it to his late father and brother, and also, never doing much in film again hereafter). There are a bunch of interesting things going on here, particularly that of an all black cast strutting their stuff and having a good time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t totally translate to small-film-with-tons-of-charm, unsung-horror-gem, or amazing-piece-of-black-cinema. Def By…
Zero-budget horror with a million dollar message. Temptation can and will get your ass. Awesome music. Genius practical effects. Hero grandma. Sam Jackson doesn’t say motherfucker. I love both Bill Nunn and Kadeem Hardison, especially when they get to play Demon Hunters. James Bond III ain’t no secret agent or quality actor, but he does write and direct something very unique. Horror fans need to experience this!
James Bond III's Def By Temptation feels like if Mausoleum ran amok through downtown NYC with a banging old-school hip-hop soundtrack and some legit hilarious jokes. Yup... It fucking rules!
Joel is a devout Christian who needs a break from his rigorous piety so he decides to leave North Carolina and visit his childhood friend K, an up-and-coming actor living in NYC. Little does he know, a succubus is roaming K's watering hole and ready to swallow their souls. Let the sleazy demon antics ensue!
Yet another gem that I'm surprised did not make it to my VCR in my bowl cut days because this horror flick is an absolute blast! I loved the hilarious lines ("That girl's got a…
A horror film involving much African-American talent, including a writer/director/star named James Bond III? It sounds great - but the end result is terribly messy in terms of narrative and tone. Despite some stylish visuals, enthusiastic acting and a creative death effect involving a possessed television set, it's too directionless to work on any level.
Samuel L. Jackson makes a pre-stardom appearance as a church minister.
Big City Woman is the source of all man’s ills in this parable about a southern country preacher straying from Grandma’s (and Samuel L. Jackson’s) wisdom, only to end up tempted by the devil and the wide monstrous world she inhabits, making for a charmingly prudish - a Troma first - super fun, no-budget horror take with a staunch Southern Baptist soul.
The depiction of Woman as Lilith, not just unredeemed but utterly coopted from her Mesopotamian roots (Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke, the female demon in league with serpents) and forged by Christianity 600 years later into the worst aspects of all MANkind - muting the more complex ideas of early Bronze Age demonic depictions - would be a lot more grating if…
CW: sex references, religion
To echo everyone else, this really did defy the expectations set by the word "Troma" being associated with it. It takes the sex equals death idea and wraps it around the ur-example of the succubus, bringing in a little dose of religious imagery and backstory. It does this all in a neon haze of silk stockings seductions and New York-in-three-sets quasi-erotic setting, but it still manages to have fun (it is not at all self-serious), find some depth of character (not much, but enough to be interesting), and skillful horror direction (that mirror reveal was the most fun I've seen with that sort of thing in a long time). There's no way this isn't a sexist mess to some degree, but if you assume the succubus is a tragic hero, it works out all right.
October count: 47/31
1st James Bond III
Def by Temptation falls into that subgenre of horror that we can call 'religious nightmare cinema'. Like The Exorcist and The Omen, the concept of Hell and the potential for damnation is tangible, concrete, painful. Where Def forks differently to those two heavy-hitters, though, is how it is rooted in African-American culture. It might be perhaps be better to consider this film in relation to the 40s films of Spencer Williams, of which I've seen The Blood of Jesus. Instead of the Southern revival church, though, the action is moved to the mean streets of New York circa the late 80s where Joel's brother K lives and works as an actor. Joel comes to New York…
As a kid I can remember marvelling at Toxic Avenger VHS tapes, only to be informed that they weren’t appropriate. By the time the Toxic Crusaders rolled around, I was too old for its scatological humour. Still, in my early teens I became obsessed with Troma studios. It wasn’t easy. For every random Redneck Zombies that popped up at the Blockbuster on the edge of town, their was a veritable catalogue just out of reach. The trailers at the start of the tapes added insult to injury. The most frequently appearing ads: Eve’s Beach Party Fantasy, Rowdy Girls (Announcer: starring international superstar Julie St---raain), and Def By Temptation. Appreciation for Ms. Strain aside, I have not sought out the first…
