The Devil in Miss Jones was reviewed by The New York Times, Variety, and Playboy. Roger Ebert, no fan of porn, admitted the film had "a kind of nauseating power." It was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame and is part of the Library of Congress' National Film Registry of culturally significant films? (No, that’s for mainstream, but it is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art). That cultural legitimacy proves it’s the best.
Georgina Spelvin did not fade away. She continued acting (even in mainstream films like The Seventh Commandment) and retired to focus on animal rescue. But the 1973 film created a template:
Why is this film still discussed with reverence, while 99% of 1970s adult films have turned to dust? inside georgina spelvin 1973 hot classic best
Directed by Gerard Damiano (hot off the unprecedented success of Deep Throat), The Devil in Miss Jones is not your typical "loops and gimmicks" feature. The plot is existential horror: A lonely, depressed spinster named Justine Jones (Spelvin) commits suicide. Denied entry to heaven for taking her own life, she is sent to a bizarre, waiting-room version of Hell. There, she makes a deal with the Devil: She can return to Earth for a short time to experience the sensual pleasures she denied herself in life, in exchange for an eternity of damnation.
It is, essentially, A Christmas Carol meets Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit—only with graphic, unsimulated sequences. The Devil in Miss Jones was reviewed by
To call The Devil in Miss Jones the "best hot classic" is to recognize it as a genuine work of outlaw cinema. It is not "so bad it’s good." It is simply good. It is a tragic, sweaty, poetic masterpiece about the human condition.
For those who can look past the frank biology, Georgina Spelvin’s performance is a revelation. She took a film about carnal sin and turned it into a meditation on spiritual isolation. That is why, fifty years later, the devil is still in Miss Jones—and she is still burning brightly as the queen of the golden age. Rating: ★★★★½ (Essential for students of cult film
Rating: ★★★★½ (Essential for students of cult film history)
Note: This article discusses adult film history from an academic and cinematic perspective. It is intended for readers aged 21+ and focuses on the historical significance of the material.
Spelvin’s performance is frequently cited by critics as one of the finest in the history of the adult genre.