Director – James Bond III
Starring – James Bond III (ABC After School Specials, School Daze), Kadeem Hardison (White Men Can’t Jump, Vampire in Brooklyn), and Bill Nunn (Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, New Jack City)
Release Date – 1990
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Tagline – “A terrifying tale of vampires and lust”
I’ve been a Troma fan for so long that I can’t really remember what it was like before I discovered Troma. Hell, I was watching Troma before I knew what Troma was. As a kid I fucking adored The Toxic Crusaders. It was one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons along with Mutant League and Creepy Crawlers. I was also renting Troma movies before I cared about production companies.
When I was in elementary school I remember renting Def by Temptation at my local video store. It was enjoyable but it was one film that I never revisited as I got older. Sometime back Vinegar Syndrome released the blu of this 1990 vampire flick and I was lucky enough to get a copy for review. Thank you Vin Syn for showing this underrated vampire flick some love!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a young man, Joel (Bond), who is on the path to become a man of faith but starts questioning his life after having nightmares about his deceased father who was also a preacher. He goes to visit his cousin K (Hardison) in New York so he could live a little and see if religion is truly where he wants to take his life. However, he crosses paths with an unnaturally beautiful young woman who shows who is infatuated with him. K had spoke with her previously and when she acts like she doesn’t know him and casts no reflection in the mirror he knows his cousin is in trouble. He partners with a government agent tasked with the supernatural and they try to stop her before she can kill Joel.**Spoiler Alert**
Most of you know this already but for those of you that are new to my reviews I had to warn you now that I was a huge fan of vampires growing up in the 90s. I fucking loved movies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Children of the Night, and Vampire in Brooklyn. In fact, Vampire in Brooklyn is why I picked up Def by Temptation as a kid. The shop owner told me they were very similar so I grabbed it. Looking back I think I still enjoy ViB more but this one is still highly entertaining.
The acting in this one is great. James Bond III feels genuine in his character and does a great job…but his character is extremely underwhelming when compared to the rest of the cast. I get that he is a shy, backwards, and awkward country boy fish out of water type of character but when he’s in the same scene as these other characters he is overshadowed by their personality. Kadeem Hardison is my favorite of the film. I loved his personality and his character is so 90s that a wave of nostalgia passed over me. The supporting cast is well played as well. They all had great personalities and did not feel flat or one dimensional. The writer really took pride in his work and made sure these characters were anything but cliched.
The story for this one is simple, straight forward, but fun. We get your typical vampire searching for virgin blood only to find in with the pure of heart that is dedicating his life to his faith. It’s a real heaven and hell type story with vampires. I really enjoyed it and how this simple story was more character driven than story. The cast is able to carry the film and it works for what it is. I can see why some people wouldn’t enjoy this one but I personally enjoyed it very much so.
Finally, the film is filled with blood like a good vampire film should be. We get some solid practical effects and the blood is the perfect shade of crimson. Overall, Def by Temptation is one of the least talked about Troma releases but it deserves so much more than that. Vinegar Syndrome did a fantastic job with this release and I highly recommend grabbing this for your collection.
Special Features:
Newly scanned & restored in 2k from its 35mm original camera negative
Brand new career-spanning audio interview with writer/producer/director/actor James Bond III
“Ernest & Lloyd” – a candid conversation between cinematographer Ernest Dickerson and Lloyd Kaufman
Film historian and critic Michael Gingold on Def By Temptation
Original trailer
Archival article gallery
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles
