Mr_Ectoplasma John Cassavetes stars as a surgeon in a small New England town where a series of bizarre rapes-turned-murders are occurring left and right against the area's female residents. Thrown into the mix is his teenager daughter whose boyfriend claims to be witnessing the crimes as they are occurring within nightmares he experiences.As far as I'm concerned, John Hough is one of horror's unsung heroes when it comes to mood and atmosphere— if "The Legend of Hell House" or the marginal Disney thriller "The Watcher in the Woods" aren't enough proof of that, "The Incubus" is. This dreary thriller is considerably more violent than Hough's other horror pictures, but has his signature stylistics that I absolutely love. Like in most of all Hough's work, the cinematography is slick and thoughtful, making goosebumps-inducing use of POV shots. In the film, the camera follows the victims almost like a predator before launching its vicious assault, and each attack is just as effective as the next. There is also a substantial Gothic feel underpinning the events, and the photography accentuates the beauty of New England landscapes (even in spite of the Canadian shooting locales). The musty and discomforting atmosphere of the film is underlined by an unnerving score, another signature element of Hough's films. A somewhat withered Cassavetes is still on his game here, with John Ireland supporting as the miffed sheriff and Kerri Keane as a nosy local reporter.The chilly, Gothic autumnal environment in which the film takes place is entirely disrupted by its explicit sexual violence, and it features some of the most disturbing and visceral assault scenes I've ever seen in a horror film (the library sequence near the beginning especially stands out). The script's medley of violence and female sexuality under attack is fascinating in its repulsive representation, and even more bizarre are the incestuous undertones and gender-bending revelation at the film's twisted conclusion. While the finale is irrefutably shocking (and the monster makeup surprisingly scary, even by today's standards), I can say that the narrative build-up could have been a tad better handled as it all does seem to come crashing down rather awkwardly; a bit more finesse in script and editing could have remedied this, but the film still works in spite of it.Overall, I found "The Incubus" to be a formidable and disturbing film; Hough's handling of the rural New England locale is fantastic in atmosphere and tone, and effective, moody cinematography really establishes a menacing and inauspicious feel. The film's one major flaw is the hackneyed pacing in its last act, but I personally found this a forgivable sin amidst the movie's audacious presentation of sexual violence and generally grim demeanor. This is definitely one of the more aggressive horror films of its era in terms of thematics, but the quaint and Gothic feel hearkens back to a more classical and almost British sensibility. A fantastic thriller best suited for viewing on a chilly autumn night with all the lights off. 8/10.

Backlash007 ~Spoiler~ 1981's The Incubus is a hard film to review. There were moments that are tense and scary, and parts that are cheesy and dumbfounding (I love Bruce Dickenson, but that Samson video was lame, not to mention out of place). The film's plot follows several characters investigating horrendous rapes that are occurring in a small New England town. Many of the tense scenes come from these rapes and murders. One sequence in particular starts in a barn and finishes in a bathroom; it really makes the movie. And I guarantee this did not look as good on paper. John Hough is a good director (although he has made some stinkers) and it shows here. Not to mention John Cassavetes. Cassavetes brings a class and a presence to the picture. I guess the ending was the deciding factor for me. The person the Incubus turned out to be didn't make a whole lot of sense. And why did it have to be a character? This would have been much better if it was just a creature and not one of the cast members. It was a nice, dark ending for a change, but it didn't mesh with the rest of the film. So I can recommend The Incubus for a rental and nothing more.

Maciste_Brother I've finally seen THE INCUBUS after waiting 20 something odd years to see it and well, it surely wasn't worth waiting all this time to see it. THE INCUBUS is strictly by-the-number horror film: unseen killer/monster is raping and murdering women in a small town. The film goes like this: movie opens with killing; then blah blah blah; more blah blah blah; then another killing; even more blah blah blah; continuing with blah blah blah; yet another killing (surprising, huh?); blah blah blah, etc...The film is totally predictable from beginning to end. Even the stupid "big" red-herring used throughout the movie wouldn't convince a 5 year old. And I figured out the secret identity of the incubus the moment I saw the character, so when the "shocking" surprise ending arrived, I wasn't shocked or surprised. In fact, it was so funny that I kept on chuckling days after I saw the movie. It's so silly!Anyway, the film is so by-the-number that the "rock band" sequence is one of the few stand-out moments in this dreary flick. It's a stand-out scene not necessarily because it's good but because it's so funny and pointless: the movie playing on the big screen shows a rock video-like moment with a guy in red leather pants getting his obviously fake long hair cut, all of this edited with scenes of a girl who is being attacked in the movie theater's washroom by the incubus. The best thing I could say about this film is the cinematography, which I actually liked. But aside from that, there's almost nothing worth mentioning about THE INCUBUS, except that it's unintentionally hilarious.

justin-korolischuk This is the worst film I have ever seen. I don't know what the crew was thinking when they shot this, but I'm willing to bet they spent the majority of their time crying. The sound is poorly recorded. The video is grainy and dark, making it difficult to tell what's going on. The actors (read: people who owed the director money) couldn't act for their worthless lives, and the story was not one of the best I've ever seen.SPOILERS: When the father tells the girl that she shouldn't get too close to the townspeople in the beginning of the film, what the crap was he talking about? That, like many other things in this film, never comes up again anywhere in this film. When the farmer is killed in the barn, he has his foot shot off, and in the next scene when he flies out of the hayloft it's still attached to his leg. The dreams the coroner has are creepy, to be sure, but once again, they never make any sense and they never come up again. The ending, what the crap was wrong with that ending?? How did the daughter die? Why did no one seem to care?The characters aren't all that endearing. In fact, I spent the majority of my time wishing the characters would die horrible, horrible deaths, and was severely disappointed when many did not. The actual incubus, when it was finally shown, was laughable. it looked like Swamp-Thing's retarded brother. Quite frankly all of the "frightening" scenes were laughable. Even the nudity, something you'd figure a director couldn't possibly screw up, was made to be creepy. SPOILER AGAIN: in the beginning, when the daughter is naked in the shower with the door open (okay?), the father just stands there for a good solid minute watching her. I assume that the terrible secret the townspeople can't know is they're incestuous, but once again, that's never explained. And did anyone notice that the supposedly small town has a surprising number of large scale office buildings and high-rise apartments and general large city-sized hustle and bustle?This movie should not have been made. I regret ever hearing about it, and the director should be beaten with the original master reel for ever thinking he should do this film. If you don't have the budget for proper scene edits, good sound recording and overdubbing, and acceptable screenwriters, don't make a movie. I can't imagine what the writer of the original novel feels about this film, but I'd be scared to find out.Avoid this movie. Avoid it like the crap-ridden garbage pile that it is. I know it sounds like I'm being overly negative, but if you feel that way, go ahead and watch the movie. Just don't say I didn't warn you.