Satan Lives: The Rise of the Illuminati Hotties (2023) by Sean Donohue

Director: Sean Donohue

Year: 2023

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Cult; Exploitation

Plot:

Desperate to stop his reign of terror, a female assassin meets up with a dancer from a local strip club to help her infiltrate and eliminate the head of a Satanic cult who has a reputation for using and abusing locals for his own gain and set out to put their deadly plan into action.

Review:

Overall, this was an incredibly fun and enjoyable shot-on-video throwback. The great setup here, involving the simple-minded look into the influence of the cult leader's actions on the community around him through interviews and footage of what's going on in their compound, goes a long way to start this on a great point. Utilizing the strip joint and the various dancers within as a means of spreading their message brings a fun touch to things which is only enhanced by the presentation featuring cuts in the footage where goofy commercials or sleazy videos bleed through As if the whole film was mastered from several sources and the scenes don't match up properly. It makes for a great time here with this charming old-school approach.

Just as much fun as this presentation is the exceptionally fun series of exploitation scenes that are clearly placed for nudity and sleaze. Taking every opportunity to lovingly showcase the assets of its two leads in several strip club dance routines, bikini-laden training montages, or shower scenes together, this gives off the fantastic sleazy atmosphere to go along with the cheesy setup. Even with other scenes featuring the rest of the recruits being forced to partake in nude ceremonial rituals, the occult nature of their actions and the generally cheesy effects work here to offer a fine overall touch. While the budget shines through here in just about everything and some odd padding for a film this short which holds this one down, they're not enough to completely derail the film.

Overview: ****/5

A wholly effective grindhouse-styled throwback that's only let down by issues well within its intentions, overall this one manages to generate plenty of good times within. Those that appreciate this style or film or are fans of the creative crew will have plenty to like here while those who aren't into any of these factors should heed caution with this one.