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Click above to purchase "Incubus" at amazon.com
Incubus
review by Anthony D.
Studio: Fox Lorber Films
Running Time: 76 minutes
Starring William Shatner, Allyson Ames, Robert
Fortier, Ann Atmar, Eloise Hardt, Milo Milos
Written and Directed by Leslie Stevens
Retail Price: $24.98
Features: Filmograhpies, Video Release Trailer,
Interview with Producer and Photographers, Audio
Commentaries with Star William Shatner and Producer Anthony
Taylor, Photographers Conrad Hall and William Fraker, The
Curse of Incubus, Web Exclusive
Specs: 1.33:1 Full Frame, Dolby Digital Mono
Esparanto, English Subtitles, French Subtitles, Chapter
Search
Kia is a beautiful blond demon who has tired of snatching
the souls of ugly, poor sinners for her master in the
inferno. Though warned by her older sister, Kia sets out to
capture the soul of a "pure" soul because there are no heros
or martyrs in Hell. Kia sets her sights on a returning war
hero, so good and pure that he maintains a cabin with his
sister. As quickly as a solar eclipse creeps onto the scene,
Marc falls head over heels for this woman's captivating
ways, and offers to guard her on her journey back home. Kia
promises Marc that they will lie together naked on the
dunes, to which Marc retorts that without giving his soul in
love, the lust he feels would mean nothing. Kia doesn't like
this turn of events and passes out. Marc carries her into a
nearby mission church, where she comes to, scratching and
clawing her way out of Marc's arms. Now tainted with the
ravages of purity, Kia and her sister unleash the greatest
demon on the unsuspecting world: the Incubus. When the
Incubus rapes Marc's sister, Marc it is up to Marc to either
give in to the dark forces through vengeful murder, or to
seek comfort from his despair through the pure act of
forgiveness. With Kia standing lustily beside him, his
choice will be difficult and life-altering.
Filmed amidst the stark beaches and forests of Big Sur,
California, INCUBUS is a stylish metaphysical thriller with
shades of Hitchcock, Bergman and Roger Corman. Stylishly
filmed in stark black and white, this 1965 thriller was once
considered to be lost. Fortunately, valiant producer Tony
Taylor was able to track down one single print - in Paris,
of all places, where it was playing to packed midnight movie
audiences - and from that print create a new print for
"Incubus'" video release.
As expected for a film of this age and history, the
full-frame black and white presentation of "Incubus" is not
without its share of problems. The starkness of the
photography by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Conrad
Hall ("Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "American
Beauty") is a major contributor to the film's evocative
tone, and while there are many artifacts present (hair,
splice marks, dirt) they rarely detract from the film. There
are times when the film seems to have been reproduced at a
lower contrast level than necessary, but these instances are
few. In its own special way, "Incubus," is a beautifully
photographed essay in suspense: shadows are deep, and whites
are absolute. Practically every frame of "Incubus" is
composed in a painterly style to which the chiaroscurro is
appropriated to the best advantage. With only the flaws
previously mentioned, "Incubus" has a very fine print with
grain only evident in the day for night processed shots. Not
an earth-shattering transfer, though kudos must go to The
Sci-Fi Channel for funding the restoration of "Incubus," and
to Fox Lorber for making it available to a new generation of
viewers.
Yes, it's true: "Incubus" is the only film ever released
in the language of Esperanto. This language was first
presented as a universal secondary language by Polish
oculist Ludwig L. Zamenhof in 1887. Not the first "planned
language," but it remains the most prevalent, as followers
of Elvis Costello can testify. (The liner notes for his
album Blood and Chocolate were written in Esperanto). The
language sounds very Teutonic, and is ably presented on the
film's mono soundtrack. Somehow, the language doesn't come
off as a trick; the other-worldly beings populating this
tale - - right down to Shatner - - seem perfectly at ease
with the language, their Esperanto places them in no
particular time or place. Dominic Fronitere's musical score
is highly effective in creating a suspenseful tone to the
demonic goings on.
Following a hysterically funny (intentionally) trailer:
"...even before STAR TREK..there was INCUBUS! ...LOOK ON
with Bewilderment as William Shatner speaks in Tongues!" I
chose the audio commentary tracks to listen to Shatner speak
in English about his role in the film. Speaking
sporadically, though intelligently, Shatner offers up a
memorable stroll down memory lane as he relates the
difficulties of Esperanto and working opposite the
director's semi-clothed wife. Shatner's tone is often
soporific, but he has some interesting tales to tell.
Following Shatner, I went to the much better Audio
Commentary supplied by producer Anthony Taylor,
Cinematographers Conrad Hall and William Fraker, as
moderated by "Outer Limits" historian, David J. Schow. With
rarely a silent moments, these four present an entertaining
and informative scene-specific commentary, touching upon
topics not brought up in the 23 minute "Interview with..."
special feature. The interview takes place in a theatre,
where the four are about to watch the film, and to me one of
the scariest things on the disc is the gaunt, near-skeletal
appearance of Anthony Taylor! Taylor is quite thin, and
looks enough like the villainous Count Orlock of Murnau's
"Nosferatu" to make one sit up and take notice. A couple of
text files are up next: "About this DVD" is a one-pager
tracing the history and restoration of "Incubus;" "The Curse
of Incubus" textually relates those considered to be touched
by ill fates, possibly owing to their association with the
film. Three pages of information spotlight director Leslie
Stevens, who went bankrupt and divorced not long after the
film's release, co-star Eloise Hardt who suffered through
her daughter's kidnapping, co-star Ann Atmar who committed
suicide and the Incubus himself, Milo Milos who engaged in a
murder/suicide with Mickey Rooney's estranged wife. A
weblink also appears.
All in all, this is quite a good package, considering
that the film itself fizzles out toward the end. A highly
stylized horror film, "Incubus," is one that will weave a
spell on the intrepid viewer. Fans of Ingmar Bergman's "The
Virgin Spring" should find that viewing both films together
to be a rewarding experience, though "Incubus" does have a
fair share of similarity to "The Seventh Seal" as well.
Certainly for me, I found "Incucbus" to be a deft little
thriller with a haunting quality, lovingly packaged with
care from its creators that will be remembered long after
William Shatner is no longer a household name.
 (4/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (3/5)
 (2.5/5)
 (3.5/5)
(3.5/5, NOT an average)
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