Devil's Ecstasy 1976 (Facts & Review of Brandon G. Carter's Film)
Devil's Ecstasy is a US exploitation film by Brandon G. Carter from 1976 (some sources date it 1974, and others 1975). It combines exploitation of satanic sect topic with dark eroticism and even hardcore pornography.
This film is:
- cheap and sleazy
- sexy, spooky, and sinister.
Just like it was with The Curse of the Alpha Stone, I learned about Devil's Ecstasy thanks to the score compilation featuring this totally outstanding fragment from this film.
Plot Summary
A young and beautiful student Helen Adair (Cyndee Summers, credited here as Deborah Whitney) turns 21 and receives her inheritance. Her legal guardian presents her with her estate. He also tells her the story about the mysterious circumstances of her birth and her parents' death. Helen learns that she has an aunt Marion (Tara Blair) who lives in the mansion now inherited by her and who is believed to be a witch.
As the new owner of the mansion, Helen goes there to meet her aunt for the
first time. And that's where she gets involved into the filthy and insane
sexual black magic business of her aunt's satanist sect.
Helen doesn't return after a few days, and her boyfriend Joseph (Ric Lutze)
and professor (Patrick Wright credited as John McNight) are worried. One by
one, they decide to go after her to the mansion to make sure she is alright.
And they too become involved into the same filthy and insane sexual black
magic business of Helen's aunt's devil worshiping cult.
How Does It Feel?
I loved the film a lot. As stated above, it's old, cheap, sleazy, and has the
right spooky and sinister mood while also being sexy.
The location is perfect for a black magic-themed horror—an old, luxury mansion
with a chamber set up for mysterious unholy rituals. There is also a bit of a
graveyard. The decorations, characters' outfits, the setting and amazing
soundtrack—everything gives that relaxing fantastic and comfortable vibe. The
film isn't very gory, though there are a few scenes of human sacrifice and
some blood.
I liked even the pornographic love scenes that are usually really boring in
old porn and sexploitation films, but not in this one.
During these scenes, it was funny to hear from the characters dirty, rude sexual swear words and phrases normally used in regular porn, while according to the plot the characters were supposed to love each other and be intelligent people (one of them is a professor). So I expected them to use more gentle phrases during lovemaking instead of vulgarities. This contrast made me smile. But in general, the two genres—pornography and horror are combined very organically here.
During these scenes, it was funny to hear from the characters dirty, rude sexual swear words and phrases normally used in regular porn, while according to the plot the characters were supposed to love each other and be intelligent people (one of them is a professor). So I expected them to use more gentle phrases during lovemaking instead of vulgarities. This contrast made me smile. But in general, the two genres—pornography and horror are combined very organically here.
What Is Known About the Film?
Too little except for the basic data in the opening titles.
The director Brandon G. Carter either hasn't filmed any other films or it was
a pseudonym. Most of the cast can't be seen in any other movie. However,
almost all the actors who played the main roles (and a few others who played
secondary ones) were pretty-well known in the adult, exploitation, or
mainstream/TV film industry, as show the IMDB profiles of
Cyndee Summers
(a famous porn star),
Ric Lutze, and
Patrick Wright. Another actress who played one of the main roles—Tara Blair—can't be
tracked to any other movies: this is her only appearance I can find.
Devil's Ecstasy was first released to home video by
VCX in 1981. In the
listings of the film on the official site of the company (Video on Demand, DVD), the plot summary is
written very inaccurately: the characters' names are mixed up. Descriptions on
other sites also contain mistakes: the writers either didn't understand what
was going on in the film or haven't watched it at all.
During my online research I've seen the title of the film mentioned in two
books about non-mainstream cinema among other examples of films incorporating
hardcore pornography in the horror genre. But there was nothing said
particularly about this film.
It was also discussed in a TV show "Dave's Old Porn" featuring such
celebrities as Judah Friedlander (actor), Joanna Angel (pornographic
actress), and Rob Zombie (musician and horror film director). But I haven't
watched it, unfortunately.
There are original film posters available to collectors for sale online on
sites like Amazon.
In this review
the author makes a good point about the likelihood of this film being
initially planned to be a softcore erotic horror, but then transformed to a
pornographic one. Because some of the pornographic scenes are likely inserts
taken from elsewhere, and not filmed specially for this movie.
Apart from that, I only found
this article in French
that is also just an analysis of the film that doesn't spill much more light
on the story about how it was made.
If you know more, please share it with me either in the comment section under this post or via email or private message on social media (find my contacts here).
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