Sorceress (4½ Stars)

A tale of two witches!

I'm having difficulty sleeping tonight . I'm too excited about the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival starting tomorrow, or rather today, since it's already after midnight. What do I do when I can't sleep? Easy! I watch a film.

"Sorceress" is the best supernatural erotic thriller that I know. It was made in 1995 by Jim Wynorski, and it stars Julie Strain and Linda Blair. They play two sisters, both witches, who are jealous of the career success of one another's husbands. They aren't averse to casting love spells and death spells to one another's detriment.

The film has finally been released on Blu-ray, an "uncensored director approved edition". I'm not sure what that means. I wasn't aware that the DVD release was censored. When I have more time I'll compare them. However, there's one thing I can say for certain: I briefly compared the film with the screenshots that I made in my last review, and the picture is far superior. The cover notes don't state that the film has been remastered, but it's obviously the case. It's rare for a 20-year-old low budget film to look so good.

Linda Blair is the better known of the two leading actresses, but I'm a big fan of Julie Strain. Throughout the 1990's, a time when I didn't watch many films, she was my favourite actress. It wasn't just her appearance or the roles she played, it was her attitude. I was fascinated by the interviews with her in film magazines like "Femme Fatales" and "Fangoria". She's a tough bitch in real life, and that filters through into her films.

Over a period of 19 years Julie made more than 100 films, and she was commonly called the Queen of B Movies. Sadly, she retired from acting in 2009. I don't know why. She was only 47 years old. She could have continued for another 20 years. It's not too late for her to change her mind.