Witchcraft II: The Temptress (dir. Mark Woods, 1990)
Witchcraft II is, I must admit, a pretty fun movie, and one that I think I would recommend (cautiously) to fans of B-movie sleaze and goofy straight-to-video schlock. Most of the film’s enjoyment can be derived from the lead actress Delia Sheppard, onetime Penthouse Pet, a master of martial arts, and a doctor of alternative medicine. Sheppard plays an evil sexy witch who struts around in revealing outfits, waving her buttocks like a cat in heat, slurping down her lines with lustful brio. She is wonderfully terrible, and is the only actress in the film who seems to have any passion or energy. It takes a certain kind of gumption to act in a scene wherein you’re required to clean out your house’s rain gutters while wearing a halter top, black panties, black lace leggings, and silver high heeled shoes. That’s exactly what I wear when doing outdoor summer chores. You oughtta see my deck-building outfit.
The infant William has now grown into a strapping 18-year-old Southern lad played by Charles Solomon, whom we will be with for the next few movies. William doesn’t know about his warlock heritage, and his mother is dead. He is now being raised by friends of his mom (Jay Richardson and Cheryl Janecky), and trying to get into the pants of his virginal girlfriend Michelle (Mia Ruiz). His horny best friend is named Boomer. All horny best friends should be named Boomer. David L. Homb plays Boomer.
The evil Dolores (Sheppard) has been leaving trinkets on Will’s doorstep, and people around him begin dying. Thanks to a resourceful nerd friend, he learns that the trinkets are pieces of an evil chalice required to transform Will into the warlock lord he was always meant to be.
Witchcraft II is hardly a good movie, but it moves along at a decent clip, finally has some decent nudity (mostly in dream sequences, and an orgiastic Satanic masturbating scene), and the supporting characters are all fun and exciting. As in all Satanic thrillers, there has to be an attempt by a man of the cloth to exorcize the demons, and in this film, it is not a Roman Catholic priest. The minister in question laments, “I’m just a Methodist. Catholics are much better at this stuff.” The nerdy friend does die, but she’s cute and interesting until then (she’s played by Kirsten Wagner).
You would think with a subtitle like “The Temptress,” Witchcraft II would already be in softcore smut territory, but that hasn’t happened yet, surprisingly. There is a temptress, and a few wholly gratuitous sex scenes, but the film is clearly trying to be more of a real movie. This was from a time when sex scenes were sexier, and nudity used with more skill. Also big hair. I really like big hair.
This attempt to make the Witchcraft films legit will continue for two more films. I will be talking about one more this week. Let’s take a look at:
