Def by Temptation
Tags: cult, blaxploitation

Plot synopsis:
Joel [James Bond III] is almost to the end of ministry school when he feels the need
for a break before taking on the final plunge, so he calls his brother
"K" [Kadeem Hardison], an aspiring actor in New York City, and asks "K" whether he can come
stay with him for a little while. "K" is only too happy to show his little
bro around the wild city. First stop is the One Step Down club that "K"
visited the night before. It was here that he met the girl of his dreams [Cynthia Bond],
and he is hoping to run into her again. What "K" doesn't know is that she
is a demon succubus who picks up men in the bar, takes them home to her
apartment, has wild sex with them, and then kills them.Before "K" can hook up with the girl again, she has already laid her
latches on Joel and pretends not to recognize "K". At first, "K" thinks
she's playing a joke on him, but it soon becomes apparent that she's not.
The next day, when she drops by the apartment to pick up Joel, "K" notices
that she casts no reflection in a mirror, and he becomes concerned. He
consults his detective friend Dougy [Bill Nunn] and asks for advice. Turns out that
Dougy has been following her for years. He's been watching her pick up men
at the bar, and the men she picks up are never heard from again. Dougy has
a long list of her victims from as far back as the 1800s who all seem to
have been murdered by the same modus operandi, same satanic rituals
performed before killing the victims, and fingerprints that are not human.
Her file name is "Temptation".In order to gain more knowledge about Temptation, "K" and Dougy pay a
visit to a psychic. Madam Sonya is able to tell them that Temptation, whom
she calls "It", exists to corrupt the part of man that seeks God and good.
"It" uses man's sexuality to place them in a state of lustful existence.
"It" incarnates periodically for the sole purpose of seducing and
destroying souls. "It" is an ancient demon, and she lured Joel to New
York. As Madam Sonya [Melba Moore] is telling them how to destroy the demon, Temptation
takes over Madam Sonya's body and warns "K" and Dougy that she knows about
them and will not let them live."K" decides that it's time to take matters into his own hands. First,
he tries to warn Joel about Temptation, but Joel insists that he can take
care of himself. Next, he calls their Grandma [Minnie Gentry] back in North Carolina, who
has been having bad dreams about Joel. Finally, "K" and Dougy head over to
the club to kill Temptation. They get the bartender to fix her a drink
using holy water as the mixer. As Temptation lies thrashing on the floor,
Dougy tries to thrust a knife through her heart, but she makes Dougy turn
the knife on himself. Fortunately, "K" is able to turn the knife away from
Dougy. Knowing that they're fighting something bigger than they can
handle, "K" and Dougy run from the bar, but Temptation catches up with
Dougy."K" runs home, but Joel isn't there. "K" takes a drink from a soda
bottle in the refrigerator and begins to hear voices. Grabbing a knife, he
tracks down the voices to the television but, when he goes near, he is
sucked into it. Joel has gone to Temptation's house, where she is busy
trying to get him to drink liquor and become sexually aroused. She kisses
Joel, and he immediately passes out. Joel awakens to find himself lying in
his childhood bed next to Temptation, his deceased father [Samuel L. Jackson] standing over
them. Joel realizes that this cannot be his father just as Grandma bursts
in the door, but Temptation belts her one, then does the same to Joel.
Temptation transforms into her demon-self and tries to strangle Grandma.
Joel crawls to where his Bible and cross have fallen, grabs the cross, and
holds it up to Temptation until she explodes. Grandma and Joel hug each
other.Epilogue: A car drives up to the One Step Down. It is chauffeured by "K".
Dougy gets out of the back seat and saunters into the club, putting on the
same act that Temptation used to use. Joel, walking down the street,
assures himself that he and Temptation will meet again someday. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]

Review: I thought the casting was perfect, particularly in Kadeem Hardison (who's career I had thought should have been, by rights, much larger), and Cynthia Bond, who's feature turn as the succubus was terrific—both terrifying and seductive at the same time.
There were references to this film being firmly in the genre of "blackspoitation," but again, given the obviously low budget and other factors, I thought they did a bang up job with what they had to work with.
Compared to say, "Vampire In Brooklyn," a big budget studio film starring Eddie Murphy, this little film succeeded in every important way, and in comparison fared so much better for all the reasons you watch a movie in the first place, two hours of solid entertainment.
In this regard, I think the film succeeds quite well—funny, scary, hip and funky, with a strong undercurrent of the mystery of faith.
In New York City, there is a beautiful temptress (Cynthia Bond) who seduces men at bars then takes them to her place only to murder them and drain their blood as she's actually a vampire.
Joel (James Bond III) is a student from out-of-town who just came to the city to seek the advice of his actor friend named K ( Kadeem Hardisan), he also shows Joel a good time around the big apple especially at bars then has the help of Joel and a detective to find out what's behind these bizarre murders.Very interesting and underrated vampire blaxplotation thriller from writer-director-producer-star James Bond III.
What works in this movie is a good storyline with some sex and violence around, the movie was released by the popular independent studio known as "Troma" in theaters and has gained a small cult following.
The acting is very good especially the writing on the dialog, there's also some great cinematography that captures the mood and feel of this flick.If your into vampire flicks or supernatural horror movies then i suggest you watch this one!
Also recommended: "Vamp", "Dracula" (1931), "The Hunger", "Vampire Hunter D", "Basic Instinct", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Near Dark", "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"( Movie and Show), "The Forsaken", "Innocent Blood", "Blackula", "Tales from The Hood", "Fright Night 1 & 2", "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", "Blood The Last Vampire", "Blade Trilogy", "American Werewolf in London", "The Lost Boys", "Daughters of Darkness", "John Carpenter's Vampires", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Salem's Lot" ( 1979 and 2004), "Once Bitten", "Lifeforce", "Demons", "Suspiria", "Interview with the vampire", "Queen of the Damned", "The Night Flier", "Evil Dead II", "Lair of the White Worm", and "Martin"..
Def By Temptation: High Caliber Horror.
"Def by Temptation" is one of the sleekest, most genuine independent horror films to come out in the past 20 years.
It is easy to dismiss its credibility due to the reputation Troma has built for itself (and the film does include plenty of creative gore), but it is one of the most poignant and original works of the modern horror genre.
An original story, talented actors, great low-budget special effects and a skilled eye on the part of director (and writer/producer/actor) James Bond III for genuinely creepy visuals make this a horror film on the same scale of such other cult classics as "The Hunger" and "Nadja".
It is a rarity to find a horror film that still focuses on old-fashioned traditions such as plot and character development, and this film has a refreshing amount of both.
James Bond III is pioneer in the spirit of Oscar Micheaux, and has truly created a horror masterpiece with "Def by Temptation.".
(Unfortunately a fixed film budget can only go so far when you're making a horror film which requires special effect's on the order of the, 'Exorcist'.) Mr. Bonds point was well taken here!
This movie had more of a religious theme than a horror theme.
It is low-budget but a good first effort for James Bond, III.
There are a lot of know people from the 80's and 90's in the movie who, I am sure, were just there for the publicity; however, some of the actors actually did a pretty good job, including James Bond, III, who also played in Spike Lee's SchoolDaze along with Samuel L.
If this movie would have had at least a couple more million dollars in the budget, It would have been a hit and everyone would know about it..
I think most of the bad reviews for this movie are from people who aren't familiar with the Troma franchise.
"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.
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.
Jackson is on the cover of the DVD and video, he's only in the movie for about 15 minutes.
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.
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.
The movie takes itself more seriously than you'd expect, but it never gets too serious.
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 helps date the film, but not in a bad way.
This movie is so bad it hurts.
I really like low-budget movies, as far as there is any vision you can explore or at least: something.
Stylish erotic horror film really takes the bite!.
Rarely does Troma release a "high-quality" movie.
DEF BY TEMPTATION is an exception, however, so it's no big deal that Tromaville gets whatever their fans can chew on.
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!
When you look at the title of this film, what do you think the word Def means?
Now, I cannot be certain, but if you watch this film than look at the title it only makes sense.
A word of advise to those looking to title films out there ...
The acting was amateur, the cinematography was preschool standards, and the overall plot of this film reached further than I could when I was in high school.
This may have helped as well because then viewers would not have been so anxious to see just Jackson or Hardison, they would have wanted to see what this film was truly about.
This was nothing more than Troma capitalizing on two more famous people than the main character played by James Bond III.
Not even Jackson could perform well in this film.
I needed more substance, and I think this is what was generally missing from this film.
I felt that they had spent too much time on her, because she was the "beauty" part of this film, and therefore rushing the remaining portion of the movie.If you were to ask me the question about "K" and Joel being friends, I would not have believed it.
If you watch some of the comments before the film, there is an interview with a gentleman from Troma that talks about how the camera guy left at the end of the film to "bigger and better things", and you shouldn't be able to tell the difference in one camera style from the other.
The end of this film was nothing like the beginning, and the change of camera style was very evident.
It did make me interested in seeing more Troma films, but definitely stay clear of the one entitled Def By Temptation.Grade: * out of *****.
They are seen talking about the movie for less than two minutes each in videos in the special features section.
There is only one audio track for the movie, and no commentary track by anyone.Cynthia Bond, playing the "Temptress" is not pictured or even credited on the box.
Still, she's one of the main stars of the movie, and that's hardly fair to her to not credit her on the box.Not sure what this what was shot on.
Another Below Average Black Exploitation Horror Film.
The only reason I'm even putting any comments in for this film is because I just finished reading an interview of Samuel L Jackson and someone asked him if he was still in contact with Troma.
Def by Temptation is an all black cast vampire movie starring the writer/director James Bond III, Kadeem Hardinson and Mr. Samuel L Jackson himself.
The acting is pretty bad, but in a funny kind of way.
It's about as good as Eddie Murphy's Vampire In Brooklyn, but funnier and scarier at times.
There's nothing great about Troma's "blaxploitation" horror outing about a seductive vamp preying on men in New York.
Ernest Dickerson's ("Jungle Fever," "Do the Right Thing") cinematography and Samuel L.
I Should Have Been Wise To DVD Blurbs By Now. I saw this on DVD and if you`ve seen the DVD case I`m talking about you`ll know that both the name and face of Samuel L Jackson is the most prominent thing on the DVD cover but don`t be fooled because when you play the DVD you`ll notice Jackson is credited fourth in the opening credits .
So let`s see Jackson`s face and name are plastered all over the front cover and he`s credited as being fourth in the opening credits behind three other actors I`ve never heard of !
Well guess what - It`s not , and DEF BY TEMPTATION isn`t the only DVD cover to con a potential audience into thinking they`re going to be watching a star name in a recent movie .
Have you ever noticed DVD covers never mention what year the film was made ?
Strangely though despite it having a grade Z budget the cast give performances far in excess than the film probably deserves , but the story is just basically " Female vampire goes on the prowl for victims " which isn`t exactly riviting  Please note that Samuel L Jackson only appears in three short scenes.
The movie was poorly written but i thought it was some really funny scenes in there.
Boy did she get really ugly in the end i wonder if John C Terrell will get naked in something again that was such a funny scene to watch will never forget it.
This cheap and cheesy all-black horror film is about a female demon in human form who goes around killing sexually promiscuous men.
A pity, then, that the execution is all wrong in this often laughable amateurish effort, which was unsurprisingly distributed by the team at Troma.Everything about this film is bad, from the dated attempts at stylish direction to the rubbish acting (the possessed woman goes way over the top) and the even-more awful gooey effects.
I used to see this film around on VHS and DVD back in the day although I never got around to purchasing it, and now I can see why.Really, the only reason anyone would go out of their way to watch this film these days is to see a few famous actors in early roles.
The blame for this film's failure can be laid at the door of writer/director/star James Bond III, who definitely bit off more than he could chew.
As a blaxploitation horror film, it's a dog..
As a blaxploitation horror film, it's a dog..
Licensed to make weak horror movies..
Directed by and starring James Bond III from '70s TV show The Red Hand Gang, Def by Temptation is an all-black horror ruined by dreadful dialogue (much of which sounds like it was improvised?), choppy editing, zero scares and an ending that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.Kadeem Hardison plays 'K', a streetwise New Yorker who meets an attractive woman (Cynthia Bond) in a bar who is, in reality, a succubus who picks up men, has sex with them and then feeds on them.
Before 'K' can become lunch for the demoness, his best friend Joel (James Bond III), a minister in training, catches her eye.
When 'K' realises the truth about the temptress, he teams up with an undercover government agent to try and save his pal from becoming prey.Dreadful early '90s fashion, lots of neon and smoke, and a surfeit of tacky directorial stylings (the worst being the sex scene during which a saxophone player, silhouetted in the background, warbles a tune) all go to make this an amusing time capsule, but as a horror film it's a dud.The aforementioned incomprehensible finale sees Hardison eaten by a television (his remains spewed out of the screen), and Joel somehow transported to the home of his mother (at least I think that's what happens), where he is confronted by his dead father (Samuel L.
K(Kadeem Hardison)must find away to stop a succubus/vampire/temptress(Cynthia Bond)from securing the desires of his young minister brother, Joel(James Bond III, who also produced and directed)who is visiting him from a bible belt town from North Carolina.
He'll seek help from ladies' man wannabe Dougy(Bill Nunn, well cast)who frequents a popular pick-up bar.
The plot and decision to use all black performers adds a special ingredient to the horror genre.
James Bond III is weak in the lead, but has enough charismatic supporters around him to sell the picture.
***SPOILER***Like the moron I must be, I rented this movie because I like vampire films and I like Samuel L.
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.
If you are looking for a fun movie to "MST" with friends at a late night Halloween party...this is a good choice.
One of the best movies with which Troma ever got involved..
James Bond III's ambitious "Def by Temptation" has entertaining characters, is done with style, and its theme is pretty universal; it doesn't necessarily have to apply just to religion.
It deals with the challenges one faces on their way to finding their purpose in the world and the battles they fight with themselves.The writer / producer / director also stars, as Joel, a divinity student from North Carolina who's uncertain of his future and thinks that visiting his brother 'K' (Kadeem Hardison), a film actor, in NYC will really do him some good.
He won't find a better example of this aspect than the super sexy form of a predatory barfly, known only as Temptress (Cynthia Bond).
'K' comes to realize that this lady is bad news and tries desperately to save his brother.The movie is enhanced by the moody and striking lighting schemes courtesy of the talented Ernest Dickerson, who of course went on to be a fine director in his own right, although Dickerson would have to leave the production early, forcing Troma boss Lloyd Kaufman to step in.
Bonds' movie is equal turns gory, atmospheric, comedic, and erotic, and is overall an impressive effort.Bond himself is admittedly quite low key in the lead role, but is inherently likable and one does want to see this guy rise to the challenge he's facing.
Hardison lends his strong comic energy to his role; one particularly funny scene has Joel modelling various choices in clothing.
Jackson as Joels' minister father, although fair warning to those who want to watch this movie for him: his screen time is quite limited.There's a lot of blood splashed around for all of us gore hounds watching; an early scene where the red stuff pours out of a shower faucet is visually powerful; the eventual demon makeup is not too bad although Bond never does stress the horror elements of his movie too much.
There IS a fun moment where a character is yanked into a TV, and that's certainly one of the highlights.Those looking for B genre pictures that are above the norm would be advised to give "Def by Temptation" a look, as it really is nicely done.Eight out of 10..
I note that IMDb member "babygraceblue" rated this film 10/10, titling his/her review "Def By Temptation: High Caliber Horror".
yet another very suspicious rating, and when I checked the member's record, I find he/she has reviewed only TWO movies in 17 years!
This "movie" is not worthy of being called a movie ~ and do the people playing the characters actually consider themselves actors?
This picture is a painful, amateurish attempt at movie-making, pitiful and despicable.
The cinematography stinks; I honestly cannot think of one good point about this dreadful flick.
Was it supposed to be a horror film?
I've rated and reviewed thousands of movies over decades (horror is one of my favourite genres), and recommend running away from this horrible thing.