Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 30, 2018

In 1978, director Al Adamson was tasked with turning 1974’s “Lucifer’s Women” into a different picture, effectively burying the earlier production (directed by Paul Aratow), which, apparently, never saw the light of day. The restoration efforts of Vinegar Syndrome have returned “Lucifer’s Women” to life, bringing the “lost” feature to Blu-ray along with Adamson’s “Doctor Dracula,” offering cult film fans their first opportunity to watch both incarnations of the Aratow endeavor, with the first pass more of a softcore satanic panic chiller, while the second pass goes goofball with a patchwork quilt of exposition and additional characters, with Adamson laboring to leave his fingerprints on another helmer’s work. It’s not exactly a thrilling cinematic discovery, but for those who live for B-movie archaeology, this is a suitably strange viewing experience.

Author Wainwright (Larry Henkin) has released a book celebrating his claim to be the reincarnated spirit of Svengali, using powers of the mind to wow crowds. His publisher is Philips (Normal Pierce), a menacing man who’s also a fixture on the Satanic magic scene, in need of a pure soul to destroy to secure an extension of life for himself and Wainwright. Trilby (Jane Brunel-Cohen) is such an innocent, working as a burlesque dancer while figuring out her sexuality with help from pal Barbara (Tweed Morris), while targeted by predator Roland (Paul Thomas). While Wainwright works to befriend Trilby, hoping to charm her into death, he also falls in love with the young woman, upsetting Philips, who needs a blood sacrifice to live, maintaining his day job as a high priest in Satan’s service.

Surprisingly, “Lucifer’s Women” takes itself seriously, imagining itself to be an edgy examination of innocence erased and dark forces rising, using trends in Satanic curiosity to fuel what’s actually a strangely talky endeavor -- one more interested in mind games than broad threat. Trilby is the object of desire here, and there’s a provocative overview of her sexual awakening, as her interests in X-rated comics leads to a lesbian seduction with Barbara, and she eventually experiences with a three-way -- a perk during her employment as a stripper. She’s not exactly Snow White, but “Lucifer’s Women” simply needs a character capable of denying outside influences to act as the moral core, with the plot eventually taking shape as a hunt for Trilby’s purity, as Philips needs it to live, Roland demands it for kicks, and Wainwright requests it for love.

“Lucifer’s Women” plays some twisted games, most notably with Philips, who’s ready to destroy anything he can get his hands on, targeting young females for spiritual annihilation. There’s overt domination with Black Mass sequences, watching victims lulled into submission and eventually raped by a figure in a Goat’s Head mask, delivering a broad depiction of Beelzebub horror that was reportedly choreographed by Anton LaVey, the founder of The Church of Satan. There are a few kink sequences with Philips, suggesting a wilder S&M tone that was muted along the way, as the character gets his kicks terrorizing female victims, establishing a master/slave relationship that’s as close to creepy as “Lucifer’s Women” gets. Wainwright is a less dominating force dramatically, with Hankin wrong for the part of a practiced seducer, expelling more energy on his arched eyebrows than his smooth talk. The ladies get less to do in the movie, as Aratow spends most of the effort studying nude bodies, trying to remain as sexually potent as possible without sacrificing his R-rating. It’s all well and good in the name of exploitation, but a few creeper shots seem unnecessary, suggesting a few personal itches were scratched along the way, inserted to keep the helmer interested in the overall production.

Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pulled from obscurity, without a previous home video release, "Lucifer's Women" makes its debut on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Freshly scanned for HD distribution, it's clear Vinegar Syndrome is working uphill with elements, fighting to create a pleasant viewing experience that doesn't distract with age-related issues. Softer cinematography is prominent, but clarity is adequate, with heavier grain delivering a filmic appearance. Fine detail isn't extraordinary, but bodily textures are present, and facial reactions from the cast are intermittently open for study. Colors are refreshed, with some moments working hard to reawaken lost hues, but the macabre interests of the feature remain, including blood reds. Skintones are reasonably natural. Delineation occasionally struggles, but solidification isn't an issue. Source has its share of scratches and speckling, and overall visual quality dips for a few sequences, identifying the hard work required to stitch "Lucifer's Women" together.

Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't built for grand dimension, keeping to the basics in performance for the bulk of the feature. It's not a crisp track, showing its age throughout, but thespian achievements remain, detailing Satanic authority and hushed bedroom encounters. Scoring isn't sharp as well, but supports the intended mood with a jazzy presence.

Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (20:04, HD) with Paul Thomas returns to the actor's early career, when Broadway ambition won him multiple roles, including a turn in "Jesus Christ Superstar," eventually participating in the film version of the musical. Hoping for a mainstream career in Los Angeles, Thomas was hit with rejection, refocusing efforts in San Francisco, where he began what would become a longstanding association with X- rated entertainment, soon starring in big-budget adult movies. Thomas discusses this professional choice, and his time with R-rated productions, recalling his experience with "Lucifer's Women," which included a sex scene with co-star Jane Brunel-Cohen that required multiple pauses to help tame erection issues. Thomas seems to like "Lucifer's Women," and he remains highly amused with Larry Hankin's miscasting as Svengali.

• "Doctor Dracula" (90:39) is the 1978 reworking of "Lucifer's Women," with director Al Adamson shooting significant amounts of new footage to reimagine the story as a battle between supernatural forces, bringing in John Carradine and Regina Carrol (and Hankin, who returns to patch narrative holes) to help with the cause. A commentary with producer Sam Sherman is offered.

• Digital Essay (2:42) is a text-based overview of "Lucifer's Women" and "Doctor Dracula" from journalist Samm Deighan.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:05, HD) is included.

Lucifer's Women Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Lucifer's Women" has select moments of horror, saving its biggest frights for the Black Mass sequences, which provide a feel for possession, showcasing how Philips and Wainwright conduct themselves when out of the public eye. The rest of the movie is much chattier, offering power plays between anemic characters, and Aratow often stops the feature altogether to create sex scenes filled with grinding and carefully positioned heads and arms. There's strangeness here that's appealing, especially with Trilby's comic book fascination, but the sluggish pace doesn't do the freak-out any favors, throttling material that feels like it wants to snowball into something more outrageous. Fans of obscure cinema are sure to get more out of it than casual horror hounds, and the fact that it's even available again is impressive, with Vinegar Syndrome continuing their efforts to pull titles out of the distribution abyss, pairing the lost endeavor with its more widely seen reimagining, allowing fans to finally get a hard look at the extremes of producer panic.