Satan Lives: The Rise of the Illumanatti Hotties

Director - Sean Donohue (Naked Cannibal Campers, Zed's Dead)

Starring - Jessa Flux (Voorhees: Night of the Beast, Cannibal Hookers), Sushii Xhyvette Holder (Kill-Cam, The Cheerleader Sleepover Slaughter), and Bob Glazier (Cannibal Claus, Amerikan Holokaust)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     

     Sean Donohue is a filmmaker that I greatly admire. I try not to send too much praise his way for fear of it going to his head but he truly is one of my favorite filmmakers especially when I’m in the mood for blood and nudity. He is the extreme counterpart to filmmakers Chris Seaver and Richard Mogg in my opinion. I’ll spin a Seaver or Mogg flick if I want some laughs and cheap effects with a story that parodies or pays tribute to films I grew up with. On the opposite side of the same coin, Donohue is when I’m in a more serious mood and want blood and boobs. His films are more polished than other indie horror productions and rarely let me down. When he announced his newest film, Satan Lives!: The Rise of the Illuminati Hotties, I was ready for it. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of depravity he was bringing our way. A few days back he reached out to me to review it and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. As always, I want to thank Sean and GatorBlade Films for supporting Horror Society and myself. 

      The film follows documentary filmmakers who are filming cult leader Richard Lemeau (Glazier). Lemeau is known for his sexual antics and strange occult practices. In the middle of the of this is a stripper who is tasked with killing him by a new organization known as the Illuminati Hotties. 

      I’m not attempting to suck up to Sean because I wasn’t a fan of his latest film, but I truly believe he is one of the better filmmakers in the indie horror community. His films Die Die Delta Pi and Death-Scort Service are still finding new audiences almost a decade later. While his films may be skin filled and bloody, they are still beautifully shot with stories that appeal to the horror fans that are sick of the remakes, sequels, and prequels to franchises that should have died years ago. I’m not kissing ass or blowing smoke up his, but I honestly believe he is one of the most entertaining filmmakers in the game right now. With that being said, not everything he does appeals to me. His found footage film Dead Residence was a tough one for me to finish but most of you know how much I hate found footage films. Satan Lives!: The Rise of the Illuminati Hotties was one of my most anticipated films especially after he unleashed Naked Cannibal Campers and Sushii’s Sex Séance where he seems to have embraced the sleazier side of his films but the movie just didn’t do it for me. It was 100% a GatorBlade Film’s release but the story didn’t hold my attention like usual and the pacing just didn’t work for me. I wanted to love it but I couldn’t find something to latch on to aside from Jessa Flux and Sushii. The acting in this one is a lot of fun which is exactly what I expected from Sean and his arsenal of actors. We have some familiar GatorBlade faces like Bob Glazier, Sushii, Katie McKinley, Ashley Lynn Caputo and Joe Makowski to name a few. They all deliver great performances and the characters they brought to life made the film for me. Honestly, what the film was lacking in story it more than made up for with wild performances from this cast. I also liked that Sean brought indie starlet Jessa Flux on board and gave her a bigger role than just a cameo. I hope these two work together again in the future.  The story for this one is the kind of story that really gets me excited for indie productions. It’s wild and out there but I found it to a bit too dull. The cult with a sexually abusive leader harboring a dark secret who finds his congregation infiltrated by gorgeous assassins is something straight out of a 70s exploitation flick. I liked the set up and style of the film but the drawn out scenes and dialogue left me wishing more of the world around the cult was explored instead of just the leader. Finally, the film has plenty of blood and boobs but if you are looking for memorable kills then you are out of luck. A few of the deaths are effective head shots that fit the film but the lack of carnage is more than made up for with beautiful women. Overall, Satan Lives!: The Rise of the Illuminati Hottie is decent for a first time watch especially if you are a fan of Sean’s other films but this is one of the few projects of his that I don’t see myself revisiting. I respect the hell out him but you can’t make everyone happy all the time and I’m sure I will be the minority here.