Succubus Review

Sexuality and horror have gone together for a very long time. Joe D’Amato and to a lesser extent Jess Franco both directed films in which some hardcore sex was involved and they usually managed to weave a story around it all as well. One of my favorite films They Call Her One Eye has some hardcore sex scenes spliced into it as well. So hardcore sex in horror has been done before as far back as the 70s. But not long after the practice stopped because all of the grindhouses that played those films died out. Since that period in time we haven’t seen too many. That is until very recently where I think with the advent of DVD gives people a medium to do so.

Succubus is just that kind of film. A little bit hardcore sex but it doesn’t lack on story or plot either. I don’t consider this a porno but rather a horror movie with hardcore sex scenes. It’s something that I hope the industry can pick up on and hopefully deliver more of in the future. In order for that to happen however they really have to do what this film was able to accomplish. Get some decent actors who are familiar with both sides of the film both porn and film, and also get a great script and director.

Raven Riley stars as herself when she discovers that something unruly is happening in her hometown. It appears that the long vanquished Lillith has been awakened and is killing people left and right. Raven enlists the help of a local police man she must hunt down Lillith from causing any more havoc on her great grandmothers ranch which is now owned by the scummy Uncle Joey. As the body count rises Riley begins to learn more about her family and what she must do to stop Lillith before its too late.

I was pleased this was much more then just your average skin flick. You could easily edit out all of the hardcore scenes and it would make for a pretty good indie horror film. That is really what sets this apart from all of the other horror themed pornos. Succubus is an actual film and not just another porno. Yea some of the sex scenes are a little odd to be thrown in but I’m not complaining.

Raven Riley really sells this film.  Having her cast in the lead was a brilliant move and she definitely owns the screen. She has made a fan out of me and will definitely make many more with this film under her belt. The rest of the cast did a pretty good job, acting of course isn’t most of these peoples strong points but they managed to get by without anything coming across as jarring. There is also an interesting cameo with Ron Jeremy which I found pretty humorous.

The deaths in the film are not entirely great though. But there is one that is very horrid and without it being this kind of movie you would never see it happen again. Just picture a naked chick and a hot hair curler. Yea… ouch. There is also this crazy dildo prop that is simply hilarious. It comes into play later in the film and it is pretty damn funny to hear Raven talk about her Grandmother buying it over seas. Something you have to see to believe.

To wrap this all up if you don’t mind a little hardcore sex with your horror you will dig this one. Raven Riley is smokin hot and this will hopefully put her on the map. I would really love to see her continue this character into more films maybe investigating other supernatural phenomenon. I can see it now. Fighting demons, werewolves, mummies, vampires while gettin it on with some of the locals. Bring it on!