Frank Thring had a career highlight when he shot (and starred himself in) this lesser known feature released by Private's fetish subsidiary Pirate. That label is responsible for its famous Tanya Hyde videos, but Thring outpaces the competition here.
It is touted (in the on-screen Bonus section) as the first shot in U.S. feature ever made by Private, a venerable porn label and adult magazine publisher that's been around since the '60s. I suspect that was part of the special sauce that contributed to such a wonderful result, quite special compared to the thousands of assembly line Euro Porn videos issued over the decades by this prolific purveyor.
Thring portrays a banker who has married his beautiful housemaid (Alexandra Nice), but unfortunately for him she is a satanist, rounding up fellow-minded souls to create a witches' coven and make human sacrifice to the Dark Lord.
Thring narrates the tale, in a nod to Billy Wilder's classic "Sunset Boulevard", as a corpse following a flash-forward sequence in which he is the sacrifice. Structurally this sequence and final reel's odd ordering of events prevents "Perversions" from qualifying for masterpiece status, but it is certainly the best film of its genre I have seen to date.
Nice begins her not-so-nice quest by acquiring an ancient tome from rare book specialist Evan Stone, not before humping him and later offing him. Stone's measured reading of important verbal exposition is terrific, making this brief appearance one of his better screen performances.
Also impressive is the delectable young Anastasia Blue in a key role and the husband-wife team of Rob Scott and Harmony Grant, who Thring had previously discovered in his Cannes-set feature "Double Confusion". Harmony is a spectacular beauty, for me the porno equivalent to that all-time great mainstream Hollywood glamour girl Joi Lansing.
But "Perversions" is carried to greatness by star Alexandra Nice, a revelation in the evil femme fatale lead role. With her hair severely pulled back, befitting her character's BDSM personality, and clad in a variety of fetish gear, she joins the pantheon of all-time villainesses, but unlike her peers underplays the role effectively. Supporting femme cast is outstanding with some superstars of the era like Olivia making their presence felt in well-shot and choreographed orgy scenes.
It is touted (in the on-screen Bonus section) as the first shot in U.S. feature ever made by Private, a venerable porn label and adult magazine publisher that's been around since the '60s. I suspect that was part of the special sauce that contributed to such a wonderful result, quite special compared to the thousands of assembly line Euro Porn videos issued over the decades by this prolific purveyor.
Thring portrays a banker who has married his beautiful housemaid (Alexandra Nice), but unfortunately for him she is a satanist, rounding up fellow-minded souls to create a witches' coven and make human sacrifice to the Dark Lord.
Thring narrates the tale, in a nod to Billy Wilder's classic "Sunset Boulevard", as a corpse following a flash-forward sequence in which he is the sacrifice. Structurally this sequence and final reel's odd ordering of events prevents "Perversions" from qualifying for masterpiece status, but it is certainly the best film of its genre I have seen to date.
Nice begins her not-so-nice quest by acquiring an ancient tome from rare book specialist Evan Stone, not before humping him and later offing him. Stone's measured reading of important verbal exposition is terrific, making this brief appearance one of his better screen performances.
Also impressive is the delectable young Anastasia Blue in a key role and the husband-wife team of Rob Scott and Harmony Grant, who Thring had previously discovered in his Cannes-set feature "Double Confusion". Harmony is a spectacular beauty, for me the porno equivalent to that all-time great mainstream Hollywood glamour girl Joi Lansing.
But "Perversions" is carried to greatness by star Alexandra Nice, a revelation in the evil femme fatale lead role. With her hair severely pulled back, befitting her character's BDSM personality, and clad in a variety of fetish gear, she joins the pantheon of all-time villainesses, but unlike her peers underplays the role effectively. Supporting femme cast is outstanding with some superstars of the era like Olivia making their presence felt in well-shot and choreographed orgy scenes.