Deadly Embrace, A Poor Man's Body Heat

As William Hurt found out in "Body Heat," and Craig Wasson found out in "Body Double," being just some poor schmuck can have dire consequences.  These two films from the early 1980s heavily influenced the low budget, but spirited, 1989 movie, "Deadly Embrace." B Movie fans will love the cast; Jan-Michael Vincent as a plotting husband, Linnea Quigley ("Beach Babes From Beyond" and "Nightmare Sisters") as the girl in danger, Michelle Bauer ("Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" and "Bimbo Penitentiary") as a nympho-spirit, and Ty Randolph (who played the body double in "Body Double") all do heroic jobs.

The plot: Stewart (Vincent), a sleazy real estate developer, hires a young schmuck named Chris (Ken Abraham) to "help out" his wife while he works late and travels.  Chris is given a bungalow to live in for the summer and immediately is lusted after by Charlotte (Randolph), the wife.  That's no great tragedy as Stewart is in a torrid affair with his bimbo secretary (see picture below) and scheming to divorce Charlotte because "...she just doesn't do it for me anymore." Charlotte does everything she can to seduce young Chris, including enlisting his aid in applying suntan lotion to those hard to reach areas on her back and legs (see above picture).  Chris better be careful, as his girlfriend is an aspiring actress, Michelle (Quigley).  Charlotte's seduction is successful and Chris and her spend a most torrid night together.  Unfortunately for Charlotte, who clandestinely videotapes her trysts, Chris is still committed to Michelle...again, "committed" is such a relative term in our youth.

Charlotte, married to an unloving husband and in the midst of being rejected by the capable, but thick, pool-boy, hatches a plan bordering on criminal insanity.  Knowing Chris has invited Michelle to spend the night in the bungalow, Charlotte thinks up a murder plot that involves showing Michelle the aforementioned video before putting a bullet through her skull.  What would a B Movie be without some measure of criminal insanity?  As the naive Michelle visits, she is lured by Charlotte's charm and hospitality.  The sad, but plotting wife puts her plan into action as Michelle and Chris "celebrate" their night together.  Not knowing Charlotte is watching and video-taping the entire endeavor, the dumb schmuck (Chris) may not be able to shield the naive Michelle from a most gruesome and humiliating fate.(see picture below).

Will Michelle's acting career end with her performance with Chris on some Bulgarian snuff cable channel?  Will Chris pay the ultimate price for being such a schmuck?  Will Charlotte's homicidal plans extend to Chris and her husband?  Oh yes, I have failed to mention Michelle Bauer as the nympho-spirit, but rest assured, she is a very prevalent plot device in this work.  B Movie limitations may have prevented "Deadly Embrace" from being as stylish as "Body Heat" and "Body Double," but the makers of this flick never sacrificed eroticism.  Fans of two of the most famous scream queens ever (Quigley and Bauer) will not be disappointed by "Deadly Embrace."