Def by Temptation

Play trailer

Def by Temptation

R,

1990,

1h 35m,

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Stream Now

Watchlist

78%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Joel (James Bond III), a quiet divinity student from North Carolina, starts to question his faith. So he heads to New York to visit his friend K (Kadeem Hardison), a struggling actor, who takes him out bar-hopping. They meet a gorgeous seductress (Cynthia Bond) who turns out to be a succubus, a demon spirit luring black Lotharios to their deaths. When she sets her eyes on Joel, K turns to the help of Dougie (Bill Nunn), a drunken cop who specializes in supernatural investigations.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Stream

Prime Video

AMC+

Watch Def by Temptation with a subscription on Prime Video, AMC+, rent on Fandango, or buy on Fandango.

Tim Pulleine

Guardian

Mar 13, 2021

After a tolerably promising start the strain involved in parodying material that is to begin with essentially parodic increasingly betrays strain.

Go to Full Review

Steve Simels

Entertainment Weekly

Oct 26, 2020

C+

Def by Temptation is a relatively classy affair, redeemed by good performances.

Go to Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Oct 26, 2020

"Def by Temptation" is vital and funny, but is also reflective in ways not typical of genre fare.

Go to Full Review

Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 16, 2026

A great choice for anyone who wants their horror movies to be more colorful, both cast wise and lighting wise, and is interested in a horror movie that centers on a friendship between black men.

Go to Full Review

Sharai Bohannon

Dread Central

Sep 24, 2025

3.5/5

'Def by Temptation' is smart, sexy, chaotic, and weirdly progressive in so many ways.

Go to Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jun 21, 2022

3.5/5

Don't let the Troma label fool you: Def By Temptation has a lot more on its mind than just shock value.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Anakin M

Feb 25, 2018

RUBBISH ! I note that IMDb member "babygraceblue" rated this film 10/10, titling his/her review "Def By Temptation: High Caliber Horror". Hmmm... yet another very suspicious rating, and when I checked the member's record, I find he/she has reviewed only TWO movies in 17 years! So is the person a cast or crew member, or a friend or relative? That sort of review is plain ridiculous and does a disservice to the IMDb, imho. This "blaxploitation" movie is not worthy of being called a movie ~ do the people playing the characters actually consider themselves actors? Really? They come across as hideous caricatures. Another lamentably bad joke. Melba Moore's "guest appearance" was probably the highlight of this motion picture. The sex scenes are asinine and embarrassing, disgusting, in awful taste, made me cringe. This picture is a painful, amateurish attempt at movie-making, pitiful and despicable. I honestly cannot think of one good point about this dreadful flick. Was it supposed to be a horror film? Well, it sure was horrible! AVOID it at all costs. I've seen, rated and reviewed thousands of movies over decades (horror is one of my favourite genres), and recommend running away from this horrible thing unless you want to punish yourself for some reason. 1/10.

See more

Read all reviews

James Bond III

Director

James Bond III

Joel

Kadeem Hardison

'K'

Cynthia Bond

Temptress

Bill Nunn

Dougy

Minnie Gentry

Grandma

Brainscan

13%

60%

Brainscan

Watchlist

Watchers Reborn

14%

Watchers Reborn

Watchlist

Night Terrors

14%

Night Terrors

Watchlist

Dark Water

84%

65%

Dark Water

Watchlist

Bullet

70%

Bullet

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Joel (James Bond III), a quiet divinity student from North Carolina, starts to question his faith. So he heads to New York to visit his friend K (Kadeem Hardison), a struggling actor, who takes him out bar-hopping. They meet a gorgeous seductress (Cynthia Bond) who turns out to be a succubus, a demon spirit luring black Lotharios to their deaths. When she sets her eyes on Joel, K turns to the help of Dougie (Bill Nunn), a drunken cop who specializes in supernatural investigations.

Director: James Bond III
Producer: James Bond III
Distributor: Troma Films, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Bonded Filmworks, Orpheus Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Runtime: 1h 35m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings