Dana Vespoli takes another walk on the dark side, and those who were impressed with Forsaken and Hollywood Babylon will embrace A Thing of Beauty. For inspiration, the brainy director hits on a literary wellspring: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, the early-19th-century masterwork of German literature that has inspired operas, symphonies, novels, plays and … porno. And this Evil Angel production does justice to the demonic undertones of the work.

Vespoli, of course, is the Mephistophelean figure: Victoria Hook, star of a series of infomercials promising her disciples that “everything’s going to change” after they call (800) 666-6655. Absorbing her spiel apathetically is Bree Daniels, curled on a couch, disheveled, tarted down to look unappealing (no easy task for the redheaded beauty). The next day her character—also named Bree Daniels—reaches the breaking point when she’s canned by her temp agency. So she dials 666 ... and Vespoli’s there with a contract, which Daniels signs with the same level of attention she would grant an iTunes agreement.

Sure enough, everything changes. With blown-out hair, no glasses and perfect posture, she soon finds herself in the arms of Logan Pierce, who recognizes her from her time as a temp at Pierce and Pierce. “Something about you is different—in a good way, I mean,” he says.

And that leads to the movie’s first sex scene. With Pierce worshipping her breasts, face, lips and pussy, Daniels couldn’t ask for a more solicitous lover. Even when she’s blowing him, he fingers her to ecstasy and then enters her slowly. The pace doesn’t stay slow, but Pierce keeps things sweet and romantic.

Not so sweet is her next liaison—the first sign that perhaps she should have read that fine print. Dropped off by the bus in the middle of nowhere for her new job at an art gallery, instead she finds Sinn Sage and Karlie Montana, lesbian succubi who take her to a dank, graffiti-scarred tunnel and force her into a twisted three-way. Among the twists is a crucifix-shaped dildo. “Look at you, taking all of Christ,” they giggle. “Shall we take her back home with us?” one asks. “She doesn’t really have a choice,” comes the reply.

There’s spooky blasphemy aplenty back at that home, including demented ballerina Lea Lexis pirouetting to Helen Kane’s “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” and two seductions of fallen angels, marked by the bloody stumps of their shorn-off wings. In the first scene, Aiden Starr tells former angel Skin Diamond, “They’re never going to let you into heaven again after what I’m going to do to you today.”

Once Starr proves her point, it’s time for Vespoli to take possession of Mick Blue. “You smell like heaven,” she murmurs. “It’s so nice when they cast you guys out and bring you here.” Initially hesitant, angelic Blue gets deep into the sex—and Vespoli’s ass.

After she gets her hooks into Blue, Vespoli’s character comes for Daniels. Will the devil get her due? All is revealed in a surprise ending (no spoiler here).

In the BTS footage, Vespoli talks about her ambition to create a worthy vehicle for her leading lady, and she’s certainly met that goal. As in Forsaken and Hollywood Babylon, which put Ash Hollywood and Sovereign Syre in the narrative spotlight, Vespoli uses A Thing of Beauty as a different kind of star showcase—one that focuses more on the inner character of her performers and less on their personal attributes.