Incubus

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Summary: Incubus does not Suckubus
Review: This review is inspired by the not stinkubus.
I saw this film on the sci-fi channel late night and was surprised how well it was. The show is in Esperanto considered to be the easiest language to learn. The story was about a Succubus trying to take the soul of a good man(Shatner). The Incubus comes in to help further this cause. I don't want to give away a lot. My recommendation is to watch the movie. It will also help in Esperanto comprehension if you are learning it which is a bonus.

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Summary: delightfully odd and enigmatic
Review: "incubus" is one of the best movies i've seen william shatner in, and setting aside a few episodes of "thriller" ("the hungry glass", for instance)this is certainly the scariest film he has ever done. the feel of the film brings the work of ingmar bergman to mind and does indeed *almost* replicate the atmosphere of "carnival of souls", although it does not even come close to equaling it. the only flaw in the movie is a hilarious scene in the end when a goat (satan) attacks kia. it looks like it's trying to get it on with her and it damn near gave me a heart attack because i laughed so hard at it. but setting that aside, this movie is definitely as worth watching and unjustly obscure as the description on the cover suggests. it is almost a study in the nature of evil, and it's relation to good. the ending is a little too happy and conventional for me,(...) but again this is a minor flaw. horror fans should buy this

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Summary: Spiritual Exploration and Character Drama
Review: "Incubus," an American-made movie shot in California with an international cast, is frequently misfiled as a "Foreign Film." If you are to enjoy this movie at all, this disinformation must be expelled from your consciousness. "Incubus" defies national categorization, and for good reason: it is the only feature-length film shot entirely in the planned language of Esperanto.

Based on a diluted Christian worldview, "Incubus" tells the story of a succubus, Kia (Allyson Ames), who is weary of tempting debauched men to early dooms. What's the point, she asks her sister and superior Amael (Eloise Hart), if they're already doomed? Disregarding advice, she takes it on herself to tempt a man of pure spirit and noble intentions, Marc (William Shatner). After a quick tryst, however, Kia notices that not only is Marc not made a sinner, she herself is infected with love. Fleeing, she seeks retribution by calling up the incubus of the title (Milos Milos).

This movie is short, sweet, and to the point. At a mere 78 minutes, it's only just barely long enough to count as a feature film. Special effects are largely non-existent, leaving room for development of character and situation. The movie is set in a sort of non-time and non-space, and the events take place in a forest where Marc and his sister Arndis (Ann Atmar) keep a farm. There is a cathedral, the tolling bell of which is an important symbol throughout the movie, but no one appears to tend the place. Indeed, there are only seven speaking parts and a small handful of extras in the entire movie. This is a very small, intimate film.

The spiritual dimension of this movie is inescapable. This spirituality is probably Christian, as the cathedral (actually a small adobe mission) has crosses on the roof, an altar statue of Mary, and crucifixes, while the sign of the cross repels demons. However, Christ is never mentioned; only God and the "God of Darkness," presumably Satan, are given specific mention.

This diffuse spirituality probably reflects an intended international appeal, further shown by the use of Esperanto as the main language of the film. Designed to be easily learned for international communication, Esperanto has failed to bring world peace, but has made it possible to share culture internationally with speakers of the tongue. This Esperanto isn't spoken perfectly, especially by Shatner, whose clipped vocal manner presages his declarative style as Captain Smirk in later years. However, this film shows the potential the language has to be of interest internationally.

Except for Shatner, the cast of "Incubus" is comprised of no-name actors who had limited careers. Even Shatner at this point was primarily a bit actor, making what name he had in Broadway starring roles. "Star Trek" was still in the future at this point. Two actors, Milos Milos and Ann Atmar, committed suicide the year after "Incubus" was released, while Eloise Hart's and Allyson Ames' careers petered out (both are apparently still alive). Robert Fortier, who plays a debauched sinner tempted to an early death by Kia, had a limited career comprised mainly of bit parts and town drunks before fading away. Paolo Cossa, who narrates the opening scene, apparently did nothing else in film and it's virtually impossible to find information on the man's life and career.

The simple visual subtlety also makes this film appealing. Writer-director Leslie Stevens (TV's "The Outer Limits," "It Takes a Thief") combines well with cinematographer Conrad Hall to co-ordinate a visual stream that, like a church service, makes the brain adjust its timing to match that of events. This is heightened by the dated but evocative incidental music of Dominic Frontiere. Everything about this movie is designed to force the viewer to adjust to the movie's timing, rather than pandering to the audience.

Some of the visuals are dated, and will fail to appeal to a modern audience, jaded on the magic of modern special effects. The make-up is spare, the costumes are uncomplicated, and the location setting is unsophisticated. Moreover, the lack of a neat ending tying up the loose ends risks alienating current audiences, who expect all plot elements to come to a neat conclusion.

The selling point of this movie is the story itself, inspired, it seems, by medieval cycle and morality plays, and colored by the increasingly unpopular Vietnam war. The unique use of Esperanto also draws some viewers, though some find this use of a planned language difficult to follow, especially since many of the actors don't speak it very well.

Not everyone will like this movie, but for lovers of thoughtful horror, thinkers who love the unusual, those interested in an exploration of spiritual dimensions that mainstream movie studios too often overlook (and Christian movie studios too often reduce to triteness), this movie is one of the best ever made.

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Summary: This is a great unusual Video.
Review: A hypnotic mood piece that will haunt your dreams forever after

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Summary: Evil Charms...
Review: A well exists where if one drinks one can gain health and beauty, however, there is also evil lurking to grasp those who who are their for purposes of vanity and greed. One of these evils is the succubus, Kia, who is luring men into the ocean to drown them after they have been drinking out of the well. Kia is getting weary doing this too simple of a task and she decides to lure someone who has not sacrificed their soul. Against her sisters advice, she ends up trying to charm Marc (William Shatner), who is a good and caring man. The plan backfires and in anger Kia summons an incubus to take care of Marc. Incubus is a stunningly beautiful film where the contrasts in black and white enhance the dark magic that is projected onto the screen leaving the audience with a remarkable tale of horror.

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Summary: Incredible approach to early gothic film-making. Bergman Lik
Review: Beautiful cinematography by Conrad Hall and a superb performance by William Shatner. Very off-beat locations creating the right suspenseful atmosphere for this dark and mystifying cinema experience. Very suspenseful with not too much violence. Strongly recommend for Saturday Night's!

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Summary: FOR "B" FREAKS ONLY
Review: Do you like "B" moives???? Here's one for ya! Better than Plan 9 From Outerspace but not as good as Forbidden Planet. For those who truly love the camp, the bad acting, the bad scripts...this is the movie for you. Done in Esperanto so it would show better at film festivals, INCUBUS is pure "B". What makes it so appealing is that William Shatner stars in it. No "B" fan has greater love than to see a well known and respected actor appear in a "B" movie...back in their youth...back when they had hair. Seriously, this is a fun and entertaining film because it's a "B" flick. Take it for what it's worth...enjoy it for what it is! Thanks, Bill!

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Summary: Even rocket scientists couldn't calculate how bad it is.
Review: Esperanto? You've got to be kidding! And just for the record, it should be called "Succubus," since that's the proper term for the female equivalent of incubi. Pretentious and about as two dimentional as a piece of paper, we watched this one merely out of curiosity. It actually surpasses Devil's Rain and runs a close second to Horror Express for overall badness, and that's quite an accomplishment although at least D.R. and H.E. are in English. Incubus is only for the hardcore B movie types and the "artsy farsty" crowd. Anyone with tastes closer to average I strongly urge to steer clear of this one. It's not worth it. There's a very good reason a lot of movies like these are never on the Sci Fi channel. You've been warned. My only excuse is that I got to see it for free on television on one of those late night B horror classic shows. I still felt cheated.

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Summary: incubus
Review: fantastic ! a true classic, spellbinding ,shatner in this pre star trek film is greaaat!the story is superb and interesting!well worth the low 10 dollar used price!

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Summary: La Unusola Filmo Usona Iam Farita Tute en Esperante
Review: For many years, 1965's legendary horror opus INCUBUS was thought to be a lost film. Some years after its production, the original negatives and prints were carelessly discarded or destroyed by the film lab entrusted with their preservation, and knowing of no other extant copies, the filmmakers resigned themselves to the idea that their award-winning work was forever gone. But in the mid-1990s, INCUBUS producer Anthony Taylor learned that the Cinémathèque Française in Paris had discovered a copy of the film in their archives. He subsequently negotiated to have a high-quality copy made, and from this a digital master was created. And now, after missing for more than 3 decades, INCUBUS is again available to eager genre fans.

INCUBUS is set in Nomen Tuum, a village on an idyllic island that also happens to be the hunting grounds of two succubae (beautiful female demons that seduce human males and lead them to ruin). One of these demons, Kia (Allyson Ames), has lured countless IMMORAL men to their ultimate doom, but she is growing bored with beleaguering those who are already marked for damnation. She yearns instead for the challenge of seducing and corrupting a man of noble character. However, her mentor, Amael (Eloise Hardt), warns that toying with saints is a dangerous game, as they wield a strange power that can corrupt even a demon's heart--a power called LOVE. Rejecting this advice, Kia sets her sights on Marc (William Shatner), a respectable young war hero who lives with his sister, Arndis (Ann Atmar).

In the guise of a weary traveler, Kia accosts Marc, and he is immediately attracted to her. She feigns mutual interest, of course, and when Marc kisses her, she tempts him with the suggestion that they make love. But being of good character, Marc insists that they first do the "right thing" and marry. Such principled moral restraint intrigues Kia, and she begins to fall in love with Marc.

Outraged by Marc's "corrupting" influence, Kia's mentor, Amael, summons the titular incubus (the male counterpart to the succubus) and sends him out to avenge Kia by defiling Marc's sister. But as Kia's love grows, Marc wins her over completely, and this turn of events only further enrages the incubus and thereby places both Marc AND Kia in peril.

INCUBUS is an excellent horror film that belies its meager budget. Neither sensationalist nor exploitative, the simple tale of good-versus-evil is accessible to an audience of almost any age or nationality, yet it is not a shallow or boring film. Indeed, the excellent acting, the beautifully aesthetic cinematography, and the eerie religious symbolism and psychological subtext keep the viewer continually engaged as the narrative unfolds. And even after 40 years, the film does not seem the least bit dated. Natural settings, rural architecture, and simple wardrobes give the film a timeless, fairytale-like quality.

INCUBUS is often cited as a mere curiosity because it is the only film to date in which the characters speak solely in the artificial language of Esperanto. (Created in 1887 by Ludovic Zamenhof, Esperanto is based on the common elements of the European romance languages, which are themselves rooted in Latin. A relatively easy-to-learn language, Zamenhof naively hoped that Esperanto would become a universal tongue that would promote world peace.) Limiting the film's significance to this one characteristic, though, is both inaccurate and unjust. It can easily be argued that, along with its contemporaries like CARNIVAL OF SOULS and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, INCUBUS is one of the watershed horror films of the 1960s that greatly influenced the evolution of the genre. Although containing a certain level of creepy imagery, these films contain relatively little blatant gore. Instead, the primary horror element of each is an eerie ambiance created via symbolism; atmospherics such as lightning, thunder, and fog; copious nighttime photography; unusual lighting and camera angles; odd musical scores; and the use black-and-white film. And rather than being a mere curiosity, the use of subtitled Esperanto-only dialogue in INCUBUS is an additional aesthetic masterstroke. It provides a certain foreign flavor that, regardless of the nationality of the audience, contributes to the film's ethereal atmosphere by making it seem as if all takes place in an unfamiliar or alien realm.

INCUBUS was the brainchild of Leslie Stevens, a producer, writer, and director for the classic 1960s sci-fi TV series THE OUTER LIMITS. Leslie wrote and directed INCUBUS himself, and he assigned the primary camera duties to another OUTER LIMITS alumnus, future-award-winning cinematographer Conrad Hall. The influence of the TV show is recognizable in several elements of the film, the most obvious being the theme-music pastiche. Surprisingly, this musical style works even better in INCUBUS than it did on TV, as the bizarre sound of the theremin on which it is played sharpens the otherworldly quality of the film.

Fox Lorber's DVD is top-notch. There are many interesting extras, not the least of which is an often humorous feature commentary with the film's now-famous star William Shatner. Of course, the restored version of the film looks wonderful, with blacks that are truly black and crisp whites. Admittedly, the English subtitles are sometimes obtrusive. This is due to the unfortunate fact that the surviving copy of INCUBUS has French subtitles that are, pragmatically speaking, impossible to remove, and this requires the English subtitles to be placed in such a way as to blot out the existing ones. This DOES sometimes block more of the image than is ideal; it DOES NOT prevent overall enjoyment of the film. (The French subtitles are optionally available on the DVD, and they are less visually intrusive than the English--a benefit, of course, only to those who speak French...or Esperanto.)

Overall, INCUBUS deserves its legendary status. It's a must-see for any serious fan of the genre, and with this DVD, fans have the rare opportunity to own a beautiful copy of a great film that was once thought to be forever lost to the dust of history.