Lillith (2019) User Reviews

Adequate horror comedy, but lacking that unique ingredient...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 26 June 2021]

I stumbled upon the 2019 horror comedy "Lillith" here in 2021, without ever having heard about the movie. Needless to say that I opted to sit down to watch the movie, given the synopsis, it being a horror comedy movie that I hadn't already seen, plus I had the chance to do so.

While "Lillith" was entertaining enough for what it was, this was by no means a milestone in horror comedy. Writers Lee Esposito and Luke Stannard sadly opted to play it safe and bet on formulas that have been seen and done in other similar movies before. So "Lillith" didn't really offer all that much of anything new or innovative.

The movie had a fair enough cast of actors and actresses, all of which I weren't previously familiar with, and that is something I like in movies. So that was a definitely plus in favor of "Lillith". And I will say that the actors and actresses put on good performances, though they were somewhat restricted by a somewhat inferior script and not overly-well-written characters.

"Lillith" was watchable, but the storyline was suffering from being somewhat inferior and generic. And the movie was just rather predictable, which makes for a movie that you watch once and never return to watch a second time.

All in all, then this was a rather bland attempt at a horror comedy, one that came and went without leaving much of a dent on the scene. I am rating "Lillith" a five out of ten stars.

Watchable enough but rather flawed effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 5/10 · 10 July 2021]

After discovering her boyfriend cheating on her, a woman and her friends decide to summon a succubus demon to take care of him, but when the demon they brought forth is interested in playing games and toying with the rest of the student body must try to stop it before she kills everyone around them.

Overall, this one was just a generally decent enough effort. One of the better features here is the decided comedy take on the idea of having this demonic figure loose in the area and preying upon men the way she does. The exuberance and unrestrained glee with which she announces how she kills her victims or promoting her conquests to the group as if a puppy showcasing a trick to its owners adds a fun tone to the idea of the creature rampaging throughout the community. This becomes even more prominent once she turns her attention to the group and using her powers and seduction techniques to begin killing off her friends with a flair and style that's highly impressive, especially with the final confrontation that's the lone graphic encounter in the film. Combined with the great look of the demon in their make-up form, there are some likable factors throughout here. There are some issues to be had with the film. The biggest problem here is the wholly bland style and presentation that manages to get the film going which is nothing new or unique. The idea of a scorned woman looking to get revenge on a cheating boyfriend through the summoning of a specific demon to make his life turn upside down is quite commonplace and predictable in this kind of film there's little about this that sticks out from the dozens of other films involving this setup, especially with the films' other big problem in that there's a surprising lack of real sleaze or gore for a film about a sex-crazed succubus on the loose. The general setup and atmosphere here support this one really going into a darker and more overtly dirty territory, yet there isn't anything remotely close to steamy or graphic anywhere close to the encounters here. With the sex scenes filmed at angles that make it unclear if they're even removed any clothing at all and all the kills generally happening off-screen. Without these aspects in a film this familiar, the film doesn't really do much to stand out here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Better than I expected.

[shaun8305 · 5/10 · 24 September 2021]

I wasn't expecting much from this when I saw it pop up on Tubi, but I figured I would give it a chance anyways. To my surprise it was better than I expected, still not great but better than what I was expecting.

Lillith is about a college girl named Jenna who after catching her boyfriend cheating on her, gets the help of a friend to summon Lillith, a sex demon to exact revenge. Needless to say it doesn't go as planned.

Lillith is for all intents and purposes a c-gtade horror flick. However I give it props for some ok make up effects, and a mostly entertaining story. What makes the movie particularly entertaining is the character of Lilly the Succubus who hams it up pretty well and makes for an entertaining villain. She's really the highlight of the movie with a decent amount of wit and bubbly personality to shine through. For a modern horror film I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Be careful what you wish for

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 24 July 2022]

No pun intended - and a succubus being summoned definitely is not the greatest idea ever. That being said, the movie may be on this side of horror - but your suspension of disbelief has to be there.

A love for B-movie horror is also quite helpful. The succubus of the movie is quite fun too. Well unless you are her target - you may find her less funny. There are some love stories and romances ... and there is an either satisfying end to this or one that almost is ridiculous ... not sure if you should read something into it. Best if you don't - you are not entitled to anything and no one owes you anything either. You'll understand with the ending, if you dare to watch that is.

very average

[darrenquick · 3/10 · 10 October 2021]

The beauty of this day and age is that we have the ability to stream online movies. This, makes available thousands of great movies to sit back and enjoy. Unfortunately this is NOT one of those movies. For starters if you want your lady that's just come back from the dead to look as such, you should probably make up the whole body and not just the face.

The acting was to say the least, droll. Venon wells should have no more dialog than he was given in mad max 2 and he wasn't the worst

To be honest, I didn't know this was a horr/com but after watching it, I understand where the comedy come in. It was the movie itself!

I wouldn't bother watching this movie but i'll leave that decision up to you.

Don't waste your time!

[hdxcmdf · 1/10 · 7 August 2021]

Not an original idea, or concept. Bad script. Bad acting. Bad effect.

Better Than Expected

[icocleric · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

It was fun, but a flawed effort. It is definitely a low budget horror, but the acting in it was overall pretty decent, and it was actually better than I expected. No one seemed cheesy or bad.

I thought the make up effects for Lillith were pretty nice. I think they really benefited from what looked like practical/make up effects rather than CGI effects.

Although overall I thought it had some nice touches, I don't think it quite hit the horror comedy mark. It was enjoyable watch, but I didn't really see the comedy aspect, I didn't really feel like it was a waste of time to watch. But I don't think it was good enough for a 2nd viewing in the future.

Ok entertainment

[john_roslyn · 7/10 · 26 November 2021]

Amazes me how some reviewers want every film to be a triple oscar winner. If you don't have much to do and want an amusing US comedy horror to watch, its ok.

men are only good for one thing ...

[lilydork · 9/10 · 13 July 2021]

As a fan of the horror pals and as a redhead named lily who loves irreverent horror movies about killing men (see: Jennifer's Body, The Love Witch, etc...) this was sort of the perfect film for me.

The most enjoyable parts of the film are definitely the chemistry between the friend group, Lily's sense of humor, and just the general likable quirk and well-executed horror troupes. For example, the fact that all of the main characters are taking a class together about demons AND it also seems to be the most stressful class in their schedule... was just so funny to me. I sincerely hope to see this sense of humor used more in Esposito's future films not only because its what makes this film so enjoyable but also because so many horror writers/directors fail on this front.

The gore / makeup all looked really good imo. The best scene was probably the one where Lily is seducing Brad and it cuts between her human and demon form. I'm not sure how "scary" most horror fans would find this film, but for me I would take a fun romp over a movie that genuinely terrifies me most days.

My one significant criticism for this film would be that the overall color pallet that sort of gave it this sort of autumnal-vintage-tumblr-aesthetic vibe just didn't really do it for me. I think a slightly more bright and/or colorful look would have fit the tone better as well as making it feel just a bit fresher and newer.

OK BIG SPOILER TIME NOW

Bestie really stabbed herself in the p***y. I'm honestly still shocked not sure how I feel about this ending. I am glad we got that little scene in the hospital at the end cause I was really expecting the credits to role right after she passed out and for us to just have to assume they all died at the end. I love a good final girl, or in this case final girl and her platonic friend lol.

Conjuring a demon is probably not the best way to handle boy troubles

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 25 July 2021]

When a college woman (Nell Kessler) in the New Jersey/Brooklyn area discovers her boyfriend cheating she accepts her Wicca friend's offer to call on a succubus for succor. Havoc ensues.

"Lillith" (2019) is micro-budget horror with limited camera angles, dubious cinematography and, occasionally, lousy sound, but the story is compelling and the acting/dialogue good; some of the music's not bad either. Speaking of the acting, Laurence Fishburne's son, Langston Fishburne, is on hand for the small role of the professor. But it's Savannah Whitten who steals the show as the lust demon made flesh. People call this a horror comedy, but it's really only Whitten's succubus that's amusing (in a good way). It's a refreshing way to approach the material. After all, why wouldn't an immortal demon relish 'her' work with a diabolical sense of humor?

The setting and tone are reminiscent of "Decoys" (2004) and "Decoys 2" (2007) mixed with a little "Jennifer's Body" (2009), albeit without the budget. If you don't mind technical deficiencies, "Lillith" delivers the goods despite a muted palette. For comparison, check out "The Devil's Nightmare," aka "The Devil Walks at Midnight" (1971), which is an entertaining classic flick involving a succubus, taking place in a castle in Belgium (on the border of France).

The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in the region of Cranford, NJ, and Brooklyn, NY.

GRADE: B-

I mean, I didn't see that coming.

[Timothynorris · 6/10 · 5 April 2022]

It's a little mediocre, but I did not see the ending coming. A knife to the grundle...WOW. It's worth the hour and a half just for the ending. Overall not the worst thing I've ever seen.

I Really Liked This!

[hannah0820 · 8/10 · 11 March 2022]

Great storyline! Great writing! I think Now obviously there's some room for improvement, but my eyes were glued to the screen the entire time. Scary with just the right touch of funny. I see myself as a lifelong horror movie critic and it takes a lot to keep my attention. So brush off the haters. Acting was good too. I hope to see more horror movies from Lee!

Low expectations lead to high reward

[filipus-64277 · 6/10 · 19 March 2024]

As low-budget B-movies go, this one was a lot better than anticipated.

The story itself isn't groundbreaking (invoking a succubus to take revenge on a cheating boyfriend), we've seen it before in some form or another, but then again the very first episode of Star Wars was about knights saving a princess, so originality is not always necessary.

Ok, so the production values were minimal. Lighting and sound could have used some TLC, the special effects weren't so special, and some of the acting was amateurish. However, Savannah Whitten was impressive in her role of the demon, invigorating the character with joyful abandon.

Without her, the movie doesn't work as a horror-comedy. But she makes the difference, if only because she has the most interesting lines to deliver, and she delivers them well, with rapid-fire precision.

For his first full feature as a director and writer, Lee Esposito shows promise. I haven't seen any of his other stuff, but it would be interesting to see what he could do with an actual budget.

In this instance, a rating of 6 is definitely a positive grade, as opposed to some highly-anticipated movies that can sometimes be a disappointing 7.

If a succubus ever gets me, I hope it's Lillith... lol...

[TonyB2594 · 8/10 · 21 July 2022]

Lillith (2019) - She's inventive. She's vindictive. She's relentless. She's attractive - well, at least sometimes. She's seductive. She's nasty.

But mostly, she's hilarious.

Whatever they paid Savannah Whitten to play murderous succubus Lillith, it wasn't enough. She knocked the role completely out of the park.

The entire relatively obscure main cast, really, came up aces in this excellent indie horror/dark comedy written by Lee Esposito and Luke Stannard.

Nell Kressler - who reminded me a little bit of Jenna Fischer from The Office - plays an adorable, quiet, mild-mannered college student named Jenna.

After attending a lecture which deals with demons, she tells her close friends Emma (Robin Carolyn Parent), Kim (Lily Telford) and Charlie (Taylor Turner) that she can't hang out with them later that night. She's excited to be celebrating her fifth anniversary with her boyfriend Brad (Michael Finnigan).

Jenna gets quite a surprise when she catches Brad in bed with another girl. Jenna, quite understandably, goes from being adorable, quiet and mild-mannered, to being raging and vengeful - but still adorable.

She finds solace with her friends, and also a way to get even. Emma takes Jenna to a wooded area and invokes a spell that brings back to life an immortal demon, whose specialty is wreaking havoc on guilty guys.

Enter Lillith, a rather grotesque beast who can shape-shift herself into being a goth-looking, red-haired, insatiable sex-seeking vixen who loves 'em and leaves 'em as a dead, bloody mess.

Let the fun begin!

Once Whitten gets rolling as Lillith, she simply never takes her foot off the gas. She not only takes out Brad, but sets her sights on half the male students at the college. Esposito deserves major credit for setting the scenes and creating the one-liners, but Whitten delivers in a wildly spectacular way.

It was understandably difficult for the rest of the characters to keep up with her. But I thought that Jenna, Emma and Charlie were great as they realized what they had unleashed and frantically tried to find ways to send Lillith back to the demon world.

As for the standard stuff, there is, ehhh, a fair amount of gore and violence. The language is pretty strong. There's only a smidge of nudity, and nothing graphic. The Lillith outfit, I thought looked pretty cool.

Hey, it's low-budget horror with a dark comedic twist, and it's readily available on Prime and YouTube. It made me laugh. It went down well with a few beers. I'd jump on board with that hard-working cast any day of the week.