Podcasts
Adapting the AIDS Mary Urban Legend in ‘Def By Temptation’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Sinister Succubus.
After three weeks of films with objectionable content (real-life kangaroo murder in Wake in Fright, an injured actress and problematic killer in Incident in a Ghostland and “consensual rape” in Perdita Durango), we did what might be our hardest pivot yet with last week’s episode on the 2002 live-action adaptation Scooby-Doo. Now it’s time to get a bit more serious with writer/director James Bond III‘s Troma classic Def By Temptation!
In the film, quiet divinity student Joel (James Bond III) starts to question his faith. So he leaves his hometown in North Carolina and heads to New York to visit his friend K (Kadeem Hardison), a struggling actor, who takes him out bar-hopping. They meet a gorgeous seductress (Cynthia Bond) who turns out to be a succubus, a demon spirit luring black lotharios to their deaths. When she sets her eyes on Joel, K turns to the help of Dougie (Bill Nunn), a drunken cop who specializes in supernatural investigations.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 182: Def By Temptation (1990)
Warm up Fistina and Palmette because we’re heading to NYC circa 1990 to discuss the sinister succubus at the center of James Bond III’s Troma classic Def By Temptation! Joining us for the conversation is DBT superfan (and Bloody Disgusting Podcast co-host) Zena Dixon!
Join us as we give a bit of a Troma primer (it’s our first Troma film!) before jumping into the film’s treatment of its queer character, as well as a discussion of the dreaded AIDS Mary urban legend. Oh, and all the praise for Kadeem Hardison’s K.
Plus, debating Joel’s effectiveness as a protagonist, Samuel L. Jackson(!), stockings vs. tights and the ultimate question: would you jump in them drawers?
Cross out Def By Temptation!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re unlocking the Patreon vault and releasing our episode on 2020’s long-delayed comic book movie The New Mutants!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for more than 180 hours of additional content! This month, we’re discussing our favorite horror movie posters, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Black Phone and releasing an audio commentary on Gremlins 2: The New Batch!
The Halloweenies hitch a ride out to the small town of Abaddon in Upstate New York to check out this totally killer haunted house that’s opening: Hell House LLC.
Join Michael Roffman, Justin Gerber, and Rachel Reeves as they discuss director Stephen Cognetti’s found footage gem that has since spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs. But, as with anything, nothing is ever quite as good as the original.
Note: This episode was originally released to our patrons in October 2025.
Stream the whole conversation below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and Universal Monsters.
This year? Hellraiser AND The Omen.
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Child’s Play) and one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, 28 Days Later, Manhunter, Near Dark). Each month promises something new and unexpected from the wildest corners of the genre.