When the menu to the blu-ray you’re about to watch is nothing more than a naked Julie Strain rubbing her breasts and stomach with oil, you know you’ve got a certain type of focus to the film you’re about to watch. It doesn’t matter that classic genre actors like Linda Blair and Michael Parks are part of the film. When sleaze maestro Jim Wynorski is at the helm, you know there’ll be more bare breasts than plot points. Saying you’re watching the film for Linda Blair is the equivalent to reading Playboy for the articles.
Then double down on that, because that titillating shot from the menu is actually the very first scene of the movie, as Julie Strain’s Erica is about to cast a sexy spell on the co-worker of her husband, making sure his convertible never makes it home and her beau Larry a shoe in for the promotion. Only Howard, the victim of her spell, happens to have a wife, the aforementioned Blair, who is also a capable witch. Before long they are casting spells on anyone and everyone and oddly enough most of the spells involve getting naked and having sex. Only Parks and Blair seem immune from the nudity, mostly because they are the only ones who seem to have a career outside of Skinamax classics.
That doesn’t mean that Sorceress isn’t any fun. The actors, while their thespian skills might not be great, are lovely to look at and they throw themselves completely into their roles. No situation is too ridiculous, or too weird, to get naked in. Sorceress knows exactly what time of film it is and wisely stays in its lane. There are no aspirations for high art and it leans heavily into it’s soap opera stylings.
If you know the name Jim Wynorski, none of this will come as a surprise. His filmography is littered with porn-lite titles, but the man has also given us fun genre flicks like Big Bad Mama II, The Return of the Swamp Thing, 976- EVIL II and of course the horror classics, The Bare Witch Project, which apparently made it to an unbelievable five films.
In other words, as a viewer of the movie, you’ll know if you’re on board within moments and will know exactly what to expect. Myself, I was mostly excited for the small role given to Blacula himself, William Marshall. I’m guessing his role was limited because he wasn’t a nubile late twenty year old, but he certainly was memorable while he was there.
Sorceress won’t ever convince anyone its a great film, but arguments can be made that its entertaining.
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
