Incubus (1982)

That was an excellent one.

Strong and Moving!

People are voting emotionally.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Cassavettes must have been hard up for cash to star in this film. The emphasis is on shock effect with rape and murder the recurrent theme, but poor scripting and muddled focus make it more of a bore than a gore flick. Resorting to a number of unimaginative plot devices, the story points the viewers toward early clues as to the outcome. The ending arouses little more than an "Uh?" Poor editing, camera work and direction make this movie very unsatisfying. There is a constant din of screeching violins for a soundtrack which are (poorly) calculated to raise tension, but after a third of the film the effect is lost. Oh yeah, and by the way there's not a substantial amount of graphic violence if that's your thing. Forget it!

"Incubus" is one hell of a bizarre and trashy horror film. In fact, it's just bizarre and trashy enough to keep its viewers watching out of sheer curiosity. It doesn't exactly have a strong story; it's based on a novel by Ray Russell, and perhaps something was lost in the transition to film. The story is about brutal rapes & murders being committed in a small New England town named Galen. A relative newcomer to the town, doctor Sam Cordell (a slumming John Cassavetes) tries hard to help the befuddled local police chief, Hank Walden (John Ireland) by working the clues. Meanwhile, Sams' daughter Jenny (Erin Noble) is dating a local boy, Tim Galen (Duncan McIntosh) whose nightmares serve as precursors to the crimes. As directed by John Hough ("The Legend of Hell House"), this is interesting, to say the least. It's a very amusing and relentlessly nasty film that should have its audience feeling some amount of sympathy for the poor female victims. Making it worth sticking with is a central performance by the great, Oscar-nominated Cassavetes, whose face is rarely to be seen here without a bemused smile. The other actors, including Ireland, Noble, McIntosh, Kerrie Keane as the trouble making newspaper editor, Helen Hughes, Harvey Atkin, and Harry Ditson, are okay, but this is definitely Cassavetes's show. People who enjoy twisted little details in stories will be intrigued to watch as he kisses his daughter on the lips and peers at her while she emerges from a shower. Overall this is pretty creepy stuff, and it is NOT without its fun moments. One of them is seeing a pre-Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson performing with Samson, the band he was in at the time. Another is the sequence with a farming family; the gun-toting dad is struck in the neck with a pitchfork and as a result accidentally blows off his foot! The camera-work in a subsequent scene that reveals a victim through the crack at the bottom of a door is VERY impressive. People also might enjoy the twist ending when the title demons' human guise is revealed. The atmosphere is decent and the gore well executed when it is utilized. There is also some good nudity for the voyeurs among us. Horror fans should find this an acceptable entertainment. Six out of 10.

I rented this back in the 80's and honestly can't remember anything specific about the movie - only that it is THE worst movie I have ever seen. This isn't one of those "it was so bad, it was funny". This isn't one of those "it was so gory, it leaves you with a bad feeling" movies. It wasn't even one of those "what the heck was that?" movies. I can't recall the performance of the actors, but it was poorly shot, the story was disjointed, and it had no definable style. When it was over, I was angry that I had wasted the time.I've seen plenty of movies I didn't understand because of unfamiliar cultures, styles and/or story-telling, but it was clear that those movies had some of those properties. The incubus has none.I actually contemplated NOT making a comment on this "piece" for fear that someone may watch it out of curiosity, but I am compelled to warn anyone who appreciates film to skip this movie.

In a small Wisconsin town a series of aggressive rapes and bloody murders plague the community with the police authorities baffled to who or what is responsible. The local, drained-out Dr. Cordell is called upon to examine the bodies when they start to pile up. He is basically a newcomer to the town, along with his teenage daughter. His daughter's boyfriend is having terrible nightmares that he believes are connected to the brutal deaths and this leads Cordell to the conclusion that they are facing a supernatural threat.There are some deft touches evident, but what foils this luridly, glum Canadian B-grade shocker is that it's criminally, under-developed. Even though it's compelling, it could have been so much more, but in the end it's a basic routine format of a slasher flick with supernatural overtones that just sits there and turns into an incomplete muddle of who-ha. Just like a dream does, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense and the story fits that description. And for most time what a slow moving and quite uneventful exercise it was. The mysterious story, which is taken by Ray Russell's novel just, seems rather dead and irrational with little in the way of character and sub-plot developments. Also some strange occurrences pop up in the contexts that are never truly expanded on. But maybe that was the editing? These sudden offbeat interruptions involving nightmare sequences lack any sort of structure and the script lacks drive. There is some disquieting, hysterical and rather callous moments worked into the film, but they aren't terribly graphic and there's a small dosage of flesh included. The demonic spirit; The Incubus is mostly kept off screen when it attacks its victims, until it finally shows in a couple of frames in the final few minutes of the film. The design of the monster looked top-notch. When it does come to it's conclusion, it leaves you with a blank expression on your face and you going "Come again?" Quite like what Cassavetes looks like throughout most of the film. The performances teeter on plain drab or dramatically over-the-top. Kerrie Kane takes the cake on that latter point and John Cassavetes in the lead role seems really out-of-it and in a state of bemusement. He plays Dr. Cordell is such a weary state that he just feels distant and rather distracted to what's actually happening. The direction by John Hough is definitely the film's strong point with Hough creating a cold and dark heavy air that sucks the life out of the picture. A highly atmospheric and robust score surrounds proceedings adding to the nauseating awe and the racy soundtrack harps on. On the surface the film's slick photography has a wide range of inventive shots and arty angles. Visually it looked well with many solid techniques integrated into this production, despite some cheap fumbles."Incubus" has an interestingly foreboding set-up with a decent looking production, but sloppy handling within the material and out-of-sorts performances bring this one down to mediocre.