: Unlike standard adult fare of the time, the film followed a complex, existential plot about a withdrawn woman who commits suicide and strikes a deal in the afterlife to experience a life "consumed by lust".
Georgina Spelvin’s 1973 breakthrough remains a fascinating study of how an artist from the world of Broadway could redefine an entire genre and capture the curiosity of a nation. Inside Georgina Spelvin (1973) - IMDb inside georgina spelvin 1973 hot classic best
: Unlike the plotless loops of the previous decade, filmmakers began incorporating complex narratives, psychological depth, and high production values. : Unlike standard adult fare of the time,
: The film is famous for its dark and "sex-negative" conclusion—Justine's ultimate punishment is an eternity in a room with a man who ignores her, leaving her desires forever unfulfilled. The Devil in Miss Jones movie review : The film is famous for its dark
The production is noted for its lead performance, which differed from typical genre standards of the early 1970s:
Spelvin reportedly performed most of her own harrowing stunts, including the infamous "grinder" sequence (a metaphor for purgatorial torture). She once said in an interview, "I wasn't just playing a woman who wanted sex. I was playing a woman who wanted to feel anything at all."
The film follows Justine Jones (Spelvin), a repressed and lonely virgin who commits suicide by slitting her wrists in a bathtub. Upon reaching a bureaucratic limbo, she is told that while she was blameless, her suicide dooms her to Hell. Desperate to have at least "earned" her damnation, she strikes a bargain with a divine intermediary to return to Earth and experience the sin of Lust.