Writer-director R.J. Daniel Hanna’s Succubus explores the allure of dating via an app. The film appeals to today’s techies as the director uses text, video chats, apps, and websites to help unfold the story. Chris (Brendan Bradley) is a doting family guy whose wife, Sharon (Olivia Grace Applegate), is out with the girls as the two are going through a trial separation. Chris’s best friend and God’s gift to woman (in his own mind at least), Eddie (Derek Smith), encourages Chris to join a dating app called StarCrossed “just to see what’s out there.”
On the app, Chris matches with many women, including a co-worker. But it is Adra (Rachel Cook), a seductive, flirty, scantily dressed woman with a mysterious past, who captures his interest. Chris begins to lose himself in Adra’s words as they talk and titillate each other. Adra pulls Chris into a realm between his world and hell when she reveals she is evil and plans to imprison him forever. But Adra is being stalked by Dr. Zephyr (Ron Perlman), who has discovered her true nature as a succubus who steals souls. Can Chris escape this quagmire with help from Dr. Zephyr? Or has Adra already ensnared the man to the point of being hers forever?
Hanna creates a world of glossy eroticism reminiscent of The Red Shoe Diaries. Many genre films refuse to deal with sexual moments other than in parody or from a distance. Succubus shows sexuality with the subtle leather peeling away to reveal lace. Just enough so you know what is happening without it turning to more extreme moments, pivotal to a story of this nature. It is necessary to the plot and is tastefully handled while still being titillating.
“Adra pulls Chris into a realm between his world and hell when she reveals she is evil…”
The cast is a delight. Brendon Bradley, who gets sucked into the world of evil sex and does so with wide-eyed, if not self-rationalizing, glee even when he is in the parallel world. He realized that he was way too far and desperate to get out. Derek Smith’s Eddie is excellent as the mischievous counterpoint to Chris’s more grounded character. Olivia Grace Applegate looks dreamy throughout yet has a nervous vulnerability about her, making one think she doesn’t want to leave Chris.
Rachel Cook’s look is devastating, and her mannerisms seethe with sexual power. Yet she never makes her desires seem crude, and she hides the danger nicely until the reveal of her true form transpires. Besides Cook’s obvious physical attributes, her eyes and honey-laced voice recall Lena Horne singing Honeysuckle Rose. Perlman takes on Dr. Zephyr’s voice of reason role with aplomb as he tries to reason with Chris. Rosanna Arquette is as witty as the worried, concerned mother who dotes on Chris even though he is a full-grown man with a child. She provides a few excellent laughs.
Succubus is a parable for the tech-savvy. Its warnings on the perils of casual encounters create tension as, this time, the Devil is looking to destroy you. As the clever tagline says, “Swipe right, and she will take your soul.”
"…witty...clever..."
Given that almost the entire film takes place in an apartment, i was amazed how they managed to keep the proceedings this compelling. I loved the (bleak) ending of this film. His tears felt earned.