Classic porn company Paradise Visuals has just released John Holmes’ final movie, The Devil in Mr. Holmes, a classic tribute to the porn legend’s last days before he fell victim to HIV.
Devil was originally shot in 1987 when an Italian company offered Holmes $30,000 to shoot two movies overseas. At the time, Holmes already had HIV but was telling people he was sick from colon cancer. His attitude was that everyone in the business would eventually get the disease. Luckily, his prediction has proved anything but true. Nevertheless, he did exercise some degree of caution. Amber Lynn, the only American girl in the movie aside from Tracey Adams, said that when Holmes popped at the end of the final orgy scene, he pushed her out of the way.
“We’ve already sold 1000 copies of the title in just two weeks,” said Paradise Visuals co-owner Jason Green. “No classics do these numbers.”
Part of the reason Devil has moved so well right out of the gate — aside from it being one of the most recognized Golden Age porn titles — is the attention Paradise Visuals pays to details. All of the company’s classic releases feature re-mastered prints, re-touched artwork and substantial bonus features. Devil includes a 90-minute interview with Holmes’ widow, Laurie Holmes, arguably one of the best accounts of Holmes’ last days.
Paradise has only re-released 3 of its catalog titles in the past two years and treats each one like a brand new production. That sort of attention earned its first re-release, Ginger Lynn the Movie, the 2006 AVN Award for Best Classic release.
Paradise isn’t living completely in the past, though. The company recently began producing its own features — the first of which is The Make Up, a story-driven title about a troubled couple that goes to a resort for counseling. But the resort turns out to be a swingers’ club.
Picture of Green by Gia Jordan.
