07-07-15 Incubus (1965)

Seen: July 9th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 6

First, this might be considered a bad movie. If you're not one to appreciate cinema that really can't compete with the mainstream and doesn't really try, then move along, there's nothing to see here. I won't say that Incubus is intentionally bad, but it could hardly be considered mainstream, even in it's day.

It was a cult film from day one.

To that end, this DVD was made from the only known existing copy, which was found running in a French movie house as a regular midnight feature. No other copy is known to exist. Many un- and subtitled prints were lost by a storage facility, along with the negatives.

Harm befell many of the participants in this production as well. This is often referred to as "The Curse of Incubus". One of the actors murdered his girlfriend, Andy Rooney's estranged wife, and then killed himself. An actress committed suicide shortly after the film. The director had problems. And Shatner went on to play James T. Kirk.

Such is the stuff of which legends and cults are made.

The first thing really strange about this film is that the dialogue is all in Esperanto, an artificial "universal" language. There are no native Esperanto speakers, so the target market must be linguists and SF geeks, who are generally the only ones aware it exists.

This is also a film about demons. There is no subtlety here. This is a blatantly conflict between the forces of good and the servants of hell. At the time, I would imagine that this was touchy, if not taboo subject for film. While Incubus doesn't glorify it's Satanic elements, it sure doesn't shrink from them either. There symbolism aplenty here and can be a bit heavy handed at time, though fairly subtle at others. Watch for colors and symbols.

The story is a simple one of good vs. evil. It's uncomplicated to the point of simplicity. That there is so little ambiguity is disappointing. The only one swaying in their mores is Kia, and that's anything but unexpected.

The look of the film is actually pretty striking. The contrast is generally very high. The lighting and composition are generally very artistic and interesting. It reminds me somewhat of Bergman's work in its striking simplicity. While a bit forced at times, the film is generally very pleasant to look at. There are few underwater shots that are remarkably effective. Even here, the high contrast and detail is very moving.

The acting is decent. We tend to forget that Shatner was a decent character actor before Star Trek. He does a solid job here. Allyson Ames' Kia is impressive. Petulant, alluring and sadistic, her performance, though a bit shallow at times, is actually very good. Milos Milos is more than a bit excessive, though this may be a directorial choice.

I like this film. It's hardly amazing, but took some rather brave chances in the era in which it was made. By today's standards, it seems rather silly, but was probably a film that laid some the groundwork for later films in the genre. While it can be a bit tedious, it's hardly terrible.

The Good: The look

The Bad: Esperanto

The Ugly: The Curse of Incubus