Watching the current TV series "Lucifer" I always wonder at its tone - mixing exaggerated double entendres with an almost serious dependency on Christian lore (turned on its head). This playful Jim Enright feature from 20 years back is far more successful in providing light entertainment and proves once again that even a would-be hack (Enright simply made too many videos to be taken seriously) can outdo mainstream peers on a given day.
The devil is wittily played by scriptwriter George Kaplan, one of those porn stalwarts who fashioned an exemplary career without commensurate praise or nooky. The Faustian story is familiar, but perfect casting of Shayla LaVeaux, a beauty also known for her many dominatrix appearances, plus a clever story line win over the fans.
Enright, who made a classic trilogy of adventure fantasies at this time with Jonathan Morgan, is really in touch with the genre, and provides the cream of the crop in femme talent with sex scenes for Chloe, Stephanie Swift, Johnni Black and Alexandra Silk, all beloved by genre connoisseurs. Kaplan's dialog is sharp and it's hard to fault any element. Best is the conflict between convincing meanie Tony Tedeschi and our heroine LaVeaux, leading to a most satisfying conclusion.
The mainstream correlative with "The Devil to Pay" would be those classic but minor '40s fantasy rom-coms, often directed by the underrated Alexander Hall, which delighted me no end when shown on the Late Late Show in film syndication packages of my youth, helping to make me a lifelong film buff.
The devil is wittily played by scriptwriter George Kaplan, one of those porn stalwarts who fashioned an exemplary career without commensurate praise or nooky. The Faustian story is familiar, but perfect casting of Shayla LaVeaux, a beauty also known for her many dominatrix appearances, plus a clever story line win over the fans.
Enright, who made a classic trilogy of adventure fantasies at this time with Jonathan Morgan, is really in touch with the genre, and provides the cream of the crop in femme talent with sex scenes for Chloe, Stephanie Swift, Johnni Black and Alexandra Silk, all beloved by genre connoisseurs. Kaplan's dialog is sharp and it's hard to fault any element. Best is the conflict between convincing meanie Tony Tedeschi and our heroine LaVeaux, leading to a most satisfying conclusion.
The mainstream correlative with "The Devil to Pay" would be those classic but minor '40s fantasy rom-coms, often directed by the underrated Alexander Hall, which delighted me no end when shown on the Late Late Show in film syndication packages of my youth, helping to make me a lifelong film buff.