Incubus (1966 Film)

Incubus

Directed by Leslie Stevens

Starring William Shatner

Cinematography Conrad Hall

Release date(s) 1965

Country US

Language Esperanto

Incubus (Esperanto: Inkubo) is a black and white horror film originally released in 1965 and later restored in 2001. Incubus was directed by Leslie Stevens, creator of The Outer Limits, and stars a pre-Star Trek William Shatner. Its striking black and white cinematography was by Conrad Hall, who went on to win three Academy Awards for his work on the films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Road to Perdition, and American Beauty. The film was performed entirely in the constructed language Esperanto. This was done to create an eerie, other-worldly feeling, and the director has prohibited dubbing into other languages.

The film was lost for many years because the original print of the film burned in a fire and all copies reported lost, destroyed, or worn away. A copy of the film was found in France where it played with French subtitles in the permanent collection of the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. The Sci Fi Channel funded the restoration from the found print and released a DVD in 2001 that included subtitles in English and French. Because the source print contained subtitles in French, the English subtitles are placed over black bars that partially obscure some portions of the frame. Most English speakers have given the film good ratings and reviews, likening it to the work of Ingmar Bergman, while Esperanto speakers are generally disappointed by the actors' dreadful pronunciation — in particular, Shatner's dialogue was delivered with a very noticeable French accent (Shatner grew up in French-speaking Quebec).

Incubus was the second Esperanto film ever made; the first, Angoroj (Esperanto for "Agonies") appeared in 1964, one year before Incubus.

Plot

The story is about a succubus named Kia (Allyson Ames) who falls in love with a deeply religious soldier named Marc (Shatner), whom she intends to seduce. Outraged by this, her sister Amael (Eloise Hardt) summons their leader, a devilish incubus (Milos), who attempts to kill Marc and rapes the soldier's sister Arndis (Atmar).

Curse

Many cast members met unfortunate fates after the film wrapped, giving rise to an urban legend that Incubus was a cursed production.

Actor Milos Milos killed his girlfriend (the estranged wife of Mickey Rooney, Barbara Ann Thomason Rooney) and himself in 1966[1]. Actress Ann Atmar committed suicide weeks after the film wrapped[1]. The daughter of actress Eloise Hardt was kidnapped and murdered[1]. Director Leslie Stevens and actress Allyson Ames divorced, and Stevens' production company Daystar went bankrupt[1].

Cultural References

According to behind the scenes footage from Blade Trinity, writer and director David S. Goyer wanted to include a more worldly aspect. Esperanto was included as a secondary language for the unnamed city including an instance where character Hannibal King is seen watching Incubus from a gurney.

References

1 - Leonard, Greg. en feugo magazine. "Evil, Tragedy and Esperanto". Retrieved August 20, 2006. Weaver, Tom. Video Watchdog #53, 1999. "Raising the Incubus".

External links

• Official site
• Incubus at the Internet Movie Database
• "Curse of the 'Incubus'", By Cara Jepsen
• Incubus at Rotten Tomatoes