**_Underground satanists terrorizing women in SoCal_**
A couple in Los Angeles want to take their relationship to the next level so the man introduces the woman (Ginger Lynn) to an odd group with which he’s involved. This gets her in trouble with the police in which she’s assigned a defense attorney that allows her to stay at his manor (Wings Hauser). Ken Abraham (aka Ken Hill) is on hand as a studio guy who warms up to her and assists.
“Mind, Body & Soul” (1992) is a comic booky crime thriller with occultic horror on a TV budget and a ‘B’ or ‘C’ level of proficiency. The producer/writer/director (Rick Sloane) tries to make up for this with plenty of female breasts on display. The story reflects the Satanic Panic that started in America in the 80s and spread in the 90s. There’s even a reference to heavy metal fans influenced by the deviltry in their music to (supposedly) commit a particularly grisly crime.
The flick’s entertaining enough for what it is, but it’s brought down by plastic sets, hammy acting, a lack of artistry and predictableness. Concerning the hammy acting, the main actors aren’t so bad, like Ginger Lynn, but some go over-the-top, like the security guard at the prison.
A good example of a movie of this sort having a sense of artistry is “Gargoyles” from two decades prior. In other words, a production team can be strapped with a low budget, but that doesn’t mean they can’t utilize their strengths to make a worthy ‘B’ flick with a sense of artistry. As for the “predictableness,” when you meet a certain character, you’ll know exactly who he’s going to turn out to be.
Aside from the star, brunette Toni Alessandrini works well as Priestess Tura in the female department.
In some ways, it’s comparable to “Howling IV: The Original Nightmare” from four years prior, just not as ‘good.’ In other words, as dubious as that one might be in its entertaining way, this one’s not up to that level.
It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was in Los Angeles.
GRADE: C-
