Maldición

Burnt out retired cop Lou Cherney (Robert Forster) reluctantly takes the case of a missing 19-year-old girl. He has no clues until a model is killed in downtown L.A. and a search of her apartment produces a picture of the missing girl. This leads Lou to a modeling agency run by Nicole St. James (Lydie Denier), who just may or may not be a soulless human (like everyone else in the fashion industry). This was Bert I. Gordon's last film to date and nary a colossal beast is seen during its quick running time. Instead, audiences get a real genre blender that is part cop flick, part satanic possession flick, part softcore Skinemax outing, and part monster movie. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of it is that that Forster really gives his all for the performance of the wounded ex- cop. There is also a good performance given by the kid who plays Cherney's retarded son (Phillip Glasser, who did the voice of Fievel in the AN American TAIL flicks). Denier is stunning, but has a really thick French accent that makes her "w" heavy dialog rough to hear. Gordon is definitely trying to deliver a competitive modern flick with all the T&A on display (including a Forster/Denier sex scene where he slaps her ass), but it is surprisingly low on blood. Well, until the end where St. James rips off her skin to reveal a goofy SPECIES-looking dread-locked beast underneath.

Apart from the always solid, Robert Forster, this film features some very telegraphed performances, an uneven script, connect-the-dots direction and the sizzling Lydie Denier, who steals the show every time she peels off an article of clothing, which is in just about every second scene. Kudos to director Bert Gordon for at least understanding that when you're dealt a bad script, there's always the lovely Lydie to keep the interest levels up.

My review was written in December 1990 after watching the movie on Paramount video cassette.

Fifties sci-fi maven Bert I. Gordon is back with the sexy horror film "Satan's Princess". Okay performances lift this mundane direct-to-video release.

Robert Forster comfortably essays his familiar role as a down-and-out detective hired by Nick Angotti to find his missing daughter Leslie Huntly.

Trail leads to vampiric beauty Lydie Denier (a stunning Canadian actress) who runs a modeling agency. She turns out to be over 500 years old, periodically killing people to stay young.

Plenty of nude scenes keep the viewer awake until Forster predictably fights fire with fire by unleashing a flamethrower on Denier in the final reel.

Alternately running through several shooting titles, including "Heat from Another Sun", "Princess of Darkness" and "Malediction" (last named referring to a 17th Century painting Denier owns), film is poorly structured. After reels of searching for the alluring young Huntly, Forster accidentally bumps into her at the modeling agency, chases her and she commits suicded rather than be apprehended.

Typical epilog to set up sequel possibilities is trite. A subplot establishing Denier as a lesbian is not followed up but merely included for its titillation possibilities.

Forster, Denier and underutilized heroine Caren Kaye all deserve more challenging assignments than this potboiler.

Cult film maker Bert I. Gordon, best known for his films that feature oversized monsters (which gained him the affectionate nickname 'Mr. B. I. G.'), ended his career with several pictures that saw him becoming more exploitative by bringing sex into the mix. Satan's Princess is a supernatural cop movie, but it features an awful lot of T&A and soft-core romping, making it great fun for those who like 'em sleazy.

The always great Robert Forster plays tough retired police detective Lou Cherney, who doesn't let his crippled leg (caused by a bullet to the knee) stop him from roughing up the bad guys (his no-nonsense methods see him ramming a peeping tom's face down a toilet). Approached by a desperate father, Cherney investigates the still unsolved case of the man's missing teenage daughter and finds himself embroiled in the world of voodoo and witchcraft, the girl having fallen in with a very bad crowd led by wicked modelling agency owner Nicole St. James (played by the drop dead gorgeous Lydie Denier), who is a lot older than she looks.

The plot, which also concerns a 500 year old painting that somehow depicts Cherney and St. James, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but the film rattles along at a decent enough pace - Forster giving it his all despite the preposterous nature of proceedings - that the lack of logic doesn't really matter. Of course, the frequent nudity from delectable Denier doesn't hurt, plus we get some wild nonsense courtesy of Cherney's possessed mentally disabled son Joey (Joey), and the occasional spot of gnarly gore for splatter fans, the juicy highlight being the smashed in face of a woman who has taken a high dive from an office building.

The ending of the film is a bit daft, St. James tearing the flesh off her face to reveal that she is an ancient demon with dreadlocks, but it's still a lot of fun.

Master shlock film-maker Bert I. Gordon makes a return to the director's chair for this sleaze classic. Satan's Princess is portrayed by Lydie Denier (man she's HOT!)and Robert Forester stars as mr. paycheck...er a detective looking for a missing girl (she looks waaay to old for a runaway). The path to the young woman's disapperance leads him right into the arms of Lydie (lucky Chump). Satan's Princess feature's adequate directing, hammy acting and a pedestrian script. But it all takes a back seat whenever Lydie makes a very welcomed apperence.

I like It!

B+