Def by Temptation (1990)

An evil succubus is preying on libidinous black men in New York City, and all that stands in her way is a minister-in-training, an aspiring actor, and a cop who specializes in cases involving the supernatural.

Director:

James Bond III

Writer:

James Bond III

Stars:

James Bond III, Kadeem Hardison, Bill Nunn

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Bond III	...	Joel
Kadeem Hardison	...	'K'
Bill Nunn	...	Dougy
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Minister Garth
Minnie Gentry	...	Grandma
Rony Clanton	...	Married Man
Steven Van Cleef	...	Jonathan
John Canada Terrell	...	Bartender #1
Guy Davis	...	Bartender #2
Cynthia Bond	...	Temptress
Najee	...	Himself
Freddie Jackson	...	Himself
Melba Moore	...	Madam Sonya
Z. Wright	...	Young Joel
Michael Rivera	...	Gay Guy

Storyline

A gorgeous temptress who is a succubus in disguise is murdering African American men in New York City. It is up to Joel, a young man training to be a minister, his friend K who is an actor, and a cop who investigates supernatural activity to stop her.

---

Plot Keywords:

cult film | blaxploitation | woman wearing black lingerie | woman on top | actor | 

---

Taglines:

She's every man's dream... and your worst nightmare!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Temptation

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,218,579

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bonded Filmworks, Orpheus Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson and Bill Nunn all played together 2 years before in Spike Lee's "School Daze".

---

Goofs

When Dougy is showing K the information on the computer, the word "Caucasian" is misspelled.

---

Quotes

Joel: New York is wild - nothing seems normal - everything seems out of place.

---

Connections

References Demonwarp (1988)

---

Soundtracks

Sex and the Single Man
Performed by Slick Love
Written by Mark Plaza, James Bond III
Music by Richard Drain, Jerome Scott
Produced by Richie "D", "Dasez", James Bond III for Bonded Enterprises Inc.
Co-Produced by Mark Plaza for Bonded Enterprises Inc.

User Reviews

Not bad

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.