Devil's Ecstasy Review

Distributor: VCX Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Horror Run Time: 73 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1974 Director: Brandon G. Carter Written by: uncredited Cast: Cyndee Summers (as Deborah Whitney), Tara Blair, Patrick M. Wright (as John McNight), Ric Lutze (as David Lamont), Debbie Garland, Linda French, Robert Coe, Deanne Forrest, Cash Hamilton, Lewis Avery, Fran Francis, Tallie Cochrane (as Grace Turley), Pete Krump, Paul Scharf Voice of: George “Buck” Flower Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

Devil's Ecstasy is an odd adult film and horror hybrid that came out from the early 70s burgeoning adult film industry. Directed by, the likely pseudonymous, Brandon G. Carter, Devil's Ecstasy appears to have gone through some likely unplanned transitions during production. There is a good chance that Devil's Ecstasy started out as a softcore movie that during production was changed to hardcore due to the waning softcore film industry at the time.

The signs of the change are most notable in the sex scenes. There are some sex scenes, with some of the leads, that were clearly shot for this film specifically. However, there are others that are clearly just hardcore inserts and likely don't have the principle cast in them at all. This is an indication that either these were shot later during post production or cast members involved didn't want to shoot hardcore when the production switched over.

The inserts cause an issue with the eroticism that Devil's Ecstasy tries to create. The inserts contain footage that is only gynecological close-ups so that the sexual participants can't be identified. This reviewer finds no eroticism in random body parts being inserted into other random body parts. The sex scenes that are shot for the film, where the cast members are identified and consist of more than just random body insertion footage aren't badly done at all. However, they are too few and too far between.

The film can be clunky in more than just the sex scenes. The story isn't bad, however, the viewer often gets the feeling that some of the key footage was either never shot or managed to get left on the cutting room floor. There isn't a huge amount of mystery to the viewer as to what is going on, due to how the film was edited. Despite the lack of surprise, the story is enjoyable and even with some key moments missing can keep the viewer entertained for the 73 minute run time.

In the film, Helen Adair (Cyndee Summers) has reached her 21st birthday and learns through lawyer John (on screen actor Pete Krump with the voice of George 'Buck' Flower) that her father Lexington (Paul Scharf) died on the day of her birth and her mom went crazy and died exactly one year later. Her aunt Marion (Tara Blair) takes care of the family estate Darwood, that was once a church of God. There is a local rumor around Darwood that Marion is a witch. Since she has turned 21, Darwood is going to Helen now and she heads out to the estate where she begins to experience visions and ultimately learns the truth about her family's past.

The film does utilize some excellent locations and sets, which do add to the atmosphere of the film. The locations and sets are above average for this genre of film, also indicating that this was likely a softcore venture originally. The camera work is decent, except for the previously mentioned hardcore sexual insert footage.

Overall, Devil's Ecstasy is a unique adult film and horror hybrid that never truly works but still manages to be enjoyable. Most of the hardcore material that has been inserted into the film is a loss, however, the story, despite its issues, is enjoyable to watch. Fans of the genre will likely want to give this a view, if for no other reason than to see another take on the horror world on the blue screen. Fans of sex with no plot will want to avoid Devil's Ecstasy.

VCX has done a good job with their DVD release of Devil's Ecstasy. Devil's Ecstasy was shot on film and VCX has either utilized a film print or a high-end video master for this release. Devil's Ecstasy is presented in the academy aspect ratio in 480i. The image, as can be expected, contains grain, artifacts, and print damage. The colors in the film are good although dark scenes come across a little murky. Overall, the film is very watchable on this release.

Devil's Ecstasy is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track. The dialog in the film is clear and can be understood at all times, however, there are volume dips in the audio during the film.

VCX hasn't included any extras on this release.

Devil's Ecstasy is truly a film upon itself. The film came out during the period where hardcore films were starting to rise and softcore films were steadily declining. Hardcore was not yet chic yet signs looked promising and the films produced tried to be more than just hardcore sex. Devil's Ecstasy likely started life as a softcore film that was changed to hardcore during the production. The film itself is a horror and adult hybrid, where the adult portion doesn't work so well but the horror portion is entertaining. VCX has done a good job with their bare bones release with good video quality and decent audio quality.

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