Incubus (1966)In the universal war of good and evil, only corrupt souls can be harvested for the "God of Darkness". This basic truth vexes the ambitious succubus, Kia (Allyson Ames), who has grown tired of seducing already corrupt souls and leading them to damnation. When she discovers the pure-hearted Marc (William Shatner), she sets her sights on corrupting his benevolent soul and claiming him as her prize in order to ascend in the ranks of Hell. Kia even goes so far as to summon the vile "Incubus" (Milos Milos) to assault Marc's equally kind sister, Arndis (Ann Atmar). But what Kia doesn't count on is that her own soul is being slowly redeemed by Marc's virtue.
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Incubus (1966) is a rare film among rare films, thought lost for over thirty years, with the original negative thought to be forever missing. In the late Nineties, a print was discovered in France playing as part of a long-standing midnight movie showing a la The Rocky Horror Picture Show, befitting this obscure cult hit. Restored with the aid of The Sci Fi Channel, Incubus was given a new lease on life as a strange and unsettling gem of independent cinema. Incubus was filmed entirely in the fabricated language of Esperanto, which adds to this uncanny, dreamlike world--a place where succubi and incubi roam the hillside meadows and plague the country folk of the ominously named town of Nomen Tuum, translated as "your name" in Latin. Incubus feels a bit like a crash course in this purported "universal language"; viewers with even a modicum of linguistic knowledge will identify root words in the dialogue from other Romance languages. (An interesting experiment would be to disregard the subtitles and try to interpret the meaning of the plot by language alone.) As Incubus was a low-budget flick with no "dialect coach", Esperanto enthusiasts--I never thought I'd write that--have described the film as an unintentional comedy due to the strange pronunciation by the cast. (One presumes that this would add to the surreal atmosphere.)
Arguably the most recognizable performer in Incubus is the iconic William Shatner, whose reputation blossomed primarily from his role as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek". Incubus precedes the landmark science fiction series, and represents a time when Shatner was a barely a blip on the Hollywood vidscreen--a hard-working and struggling actor, taking experimental and daring roles, including Roger Corman's The Intruder. The arc of William Shatner's career somewhat resembles that of another Corman collaborator, Jack Nicholson; films like The Terror share the same kind of "gothic terror" aesthetic as Incubus. This film has an expressive, stylized quality to it, with dramatic performances set against a largely rural backdrop. Much of the action in Incubus is set among the rolling hills and meadows with tall grass blowing in the persistent wind. When Kia stalks Marc through the glades, she resembles a feline predator as much as a demon, and her wreath of black feathers holding back her hair resembles the sleight horns of a devil or the perked ears of a cat. Nomen Tuum is famed for the legend of the "Deer Well", purported to possess healing powers as well as making those who drink its waters more attractive. This makes the mystic shrine a gathering place for demons like Kia and her sister, Amael (Eloise Hardt), a place to harvest the souls of those vain enough to put their faith in pagan mysteries. Marc is not a superstitious man; from the way he wears his coat and his physique, it's implied that he is a former soldier. During an eclipse, he reassures his sister and Kia that it is not an "omen", but merely the moon passing in front of the sun. Marc is knowledgeable about science, but is also a bit naive; he fails to understand a coy allusion Kia makes when she tells him that she hails from "Avernus"--a play on words to describe both the volcanic crater in Italy as well as the Underworld. Marc lives with his equally virtuous sister in a cabin, where they keep largely to themselves. Marc is moral and religious, and he and his sister come across as genuinely reverent, unlike the village's clergy, which is depicted as corrupt. The suggestion is that Mark and Arndis are pure souls by abstaining from the hollow rituals of Nomen Tuum, at one with God and nature in their devotion.
Although it may be an unintentional result of the age of the film print, the sharp contrast between sunlight and shadow in the daytime scenes gives Incubus an oppressive edge. This suggests that Incubus is from Kia's point of view; the sun is like a source of overwhelming holy light in which demons like Kia must tread cautiously as they hunt. This gives Incubus the same "waking nightmare" quality found in Ingmar Bergman's expressive gothic horror film, Hour of the Wolf, which also features depraved demons resembling human beings trying to corrupt the soul of a rustic man like Marc. Incubus developed a bizarre legend after its release, similar to other horror films like Poltergeist and Rosemary's Baby. Tragedies attributed to this "curse of Incubus" included Milos Milos (the actor who portrayed the Incubus) committing a murder-suicide with his girlfriend, Carolyn Mitchell, as well as the suicide of Ann Atmar, and the daughter of Eloise Hardt being kidnapped and murdered. This grim history aside, the miraculous recovery of Incubus allows new audiences the chance to experience this cult film, defined by its unusual choice of language and its B-movie budget paired with its Sixties-era arthouse aesthetic.
Recommended for: Fans of a wholly unique cult film experience; released over fifty years ago, Incubus represents a strange, dreamlike vision of horror, a heady concoction combining the artificial language of Esperanto, a pre-Star Trek William Shatner, and an eerie, occult story, all merged with a mix of expressive, low-budget flair. Truly one of a kind.
Arguably the most recognizable performer in Incubus is the iconic William Shatner, whose reputation blossomed primarily from his role as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek". Incubus precedes the landmark science fiction series, and represents a time when Shatner was a barely a blip on the Hollywood vidscreen--a hard-working and struggling actor, taking experimental and daring roles, including Roger Corman's The Intruder. The arc of William Shatner's career somewhat resembles that of another Corman collaborator, Jack Nicholson; films like The Terror share the same kind of "gothic terror" aesthetic as Incubus. This film has an expressive, stylized quality to it, with dramatic performances set against a largely rural backdrop. Much of the action in Incubus is set among the rolling hills and meadows with tall grass blowing in the persistent wind. When Kia stalks Marc through the glades, she resembles a feline predator as much as a demon, and her wreath of black feathers holding back her hair resembles the sleight horns of a devil or the perked ears of a cat. Nomen Tuum is famed for the legend of the "Deer Well", purported to possess healing powers as well as making those who drink its waters more attractive. This makes the mystic shrine a gathering place for demons like Kia and her sister, Amael (Eloise Hardt), a place to harvest the souls of those vain enough to put their faith in pagan mysteries. Marc is not a superstitious man; from the way he wears his coat and his physique, it's implied that he is a former soldier. During an eclipse, he reassures his sister and Kia that it is not an "omen", but merely the moon passing in front of the sun. Marc is knowledgeable about science, but is also a bit naive; he fails to understand a coy allusion Kia makes when she tells him that she hails from "Avernus"--a play on words to describe both the volcanic crater in Italy as well as the Underworld. Marc lives with his equally virtuous sister in a cabin, where they keep largely to themselves. Marc is moral and religious, and he and his sister come across as genuinely reverent, unlike the village's clergy, which is depicted as corrupt. The suggestion is that Mark and Arndis are pure souls by abstaining from the hollow rituals of Nomen Tuum, at one with God and nature in their devotion.
Although it may be an unintentional result of the age of the film print, the sharp contrast between sunlight and shadow in the daytime scenes gives Incubus an oppressive edge. This suggests that Incubus is from Kia's point of view; the sun is like a source of overwhelming holy light in which demons like Kia must tread cautiously as they hunt. This gives Incubus the same "waking nightmare" quality found in Ingmar Bergman's expressive gothic horror film, Hour of the Wolf, which also features depraved demons resembling human beings trying to corrupt the soul of a rustic man like Marc. Incubus developed a bizarre legend after its release, similar to other horror films like Poltergeist and Rosemary's Baby. Tragedies attributed to this "curse of Incubus" included Milos Milos (the actor who portrayed the Incubus) committing a murder-suicide with his girlfriend, Carolyn Mitchell, as well as the suicide of Ann Atmar, and the daughter of Eloise Hardt being kidnapped and murdered. This grim history aside, the miraculous recovery of Incubus allows new audiences the chance to experience this cult film, defined by its unusual choice of language and its B-movie budget paired with its Sixties-era arthouse aesthetic.
Recommended for: Fans of a wholly unique cult film experience; released over fifty years ago, Incubus represents a strange, dreamlike vision of horror, a heady concoction combining the artificial language of Esperanto, a pre-Star Trek William Shatner, and an eerie, occult story, all merged with a mix of expressive, low-budget flair. Truly one of a kind.