Sorceress
Director: Jim Wynorski
Cast: Linda Blair, Edward Albert, Julie Strain
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
This is an unabashed skin flick from unabashed skin flick maker, Jim Wynorski. It is very much something that would be right at home on Skinemax back in the day. From the moment you put the new Blu-ray from Synapse in your player, the menu has a naked Julie Strain gyrating and oiling herself up. As soon as the movie starts, it opens with that same scene, only now, because this is the uncensored director approved edition, with full frontal thrown in for good measure. So points for honesty as this movie and Blu-ray puts it all up front. You know exactly what you’re getting here.
And I loved it.
No, not for the tons of gratuitous nudity (although that didn’t hurt anything) but because of the cheesiness of it and the perfect time capsule feel of it. Jim Wynorski did one of my all-time silly 80s flicks, Chopping Mall, that captured that era so wonderfully. I feel that he does that again here, for the mid-90s, with this movie. The only thing it was missing was grunge music, and since I was never a fan of grunge, I’m fine with that. Here you get the kind of “adult thrillers” that just aren’t made anymore, and it’s out and out cheese-factor is a lot of fun.
The story, such as it is, has Julie Strain as a sexy, often naked, wicked witch doing some mojo against the husband of Linda Blair. Quickly the witch dies (thanks former Penthouse Pet of the Year Julie Strain for coming in and showing off the goods), the targeted hubbby is left crippled, and life goes on. Sometime later the widower of the dead witch soon becomes the target of Linda Blair’s (no spoiler there as this is shown before the halfway mark in the film) own witchcraft shenanigans. What follows is lots of nude scenes, a three-way lesbian dream, perhaps the world’s longest shower, some awkward acting, Michael Parks appearing out of nowhere and then remembering he’s too good of an actor to be there and then vanishing after about four minutes of screen time, and not one ounce of fear, fright or horror. But lord help me, I could not stop laughing at this movie. I don’t know if that was the filmmaker’s intention, but I sure got a kick out of it, and that’s all that really matters.
On to the extras on this new, beautiful looking Blu-ray from Synapse Films. There is an audio commentary with director Jim Wynorski and another with the director and make-up artist mastermind, Tom Savini. Why is Mr. Savini on this commentary? Just because. No, he didn’t have anything to do with this movie, but he is here now. Yay? I do have to say that both commentaries are a load of fun, as Jim Wynorski is all out of fucks to give about anything. Oh and it’s clear that him and Tom are drinking, a lot, as the movie goes on. Those are the only special features on this disc, but they are well worth the price of admission.
If you are looking for lots of skin in your flicks, Sorceress will do that for you, but come on, there’s the internet. There is no reason to watch these movies anymore if that is your only goal. But if you want a so-bad-it’s-good movie that will make you laugh (and just so happens to have tons of nudity in it), then again, Sorceress will do that for you. So for fans of sexy cheese, I highly recommend this one. If that’s not you, then give this one a pass.
