Dangerous Seductress (1992)

Dangerous Seductress is an Indonesia/Philippines co-production from the director who made Lady Terminator, and in some ways it’s even more fun. Although it starts with a spectacular car chase and shoot-out it’s much less of an action movie than Lady Terminator. It’s more a straight horror film. Susan is raped and beaten up by her boyfriend and decides it’s time to get out of LA. She heads off to Jakarta where her sister works as a model. At a party she is given a book on Indonesian magic, and decides to have a go at it. She summons up the Queen of Darkness, who is prepared to grant her supernatural powers. She then uses these powers to take revenge on an assortment of unpleasant bozo men. She picks up these low-lifes at various bars, but what they think is going to be slightly kinky sex turns out to be more fatal than kinky.

The amusing thing is that it’s a movie all about sex that contains absolutely no actual sex or nudity. This gives it a very dated feel, more like 1962 than 1992 in some ways, but this dated quality adds to the (already considerable) cheesiness factor. It’s trying so hard to be sexy, but its sexiness is like a bizarre mix of 1950s cheesecake and 1980s fashion. In fact the whole movie is trying very hard to be modern and hip and daring, and it’s not succeeding at all. There’s also an absolutely extraordinary re-animation sequence early on, with a walking severed finger, a hand-mirror and lots of blood bringing the Queen of Darkness back to life. It’s a scene that really defies description.

I don’t think anyone is going to claim that Dangerous Seductress is actually a good movie, but it has considerable camp appeal and a great deal going for it in the so-bad-it’s-good department. And if you love cheesy special effects and outrageously bad acting, this one certainly delivers.

The Mondo Macabro Asian Action Deadly Dolls two-movie set that includes this film and Lady Terminator is highly recommended, and comes with (as usual from Mondo Macabro) some great extras.