Clevercell
Very disappointing...
PodBill
Just what I expected
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Gurlyndrobb
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
dmuel
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!
Scott LeBrun
"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.
laurijst
I love horror and was looking for something to watch while the members of my family-who do not love horror-were out for the afternoon. Since I had heard of this film and John Cassevettes was in it I thought it must be worth a look. Well, it is, but only because it's a 'good BAD movie'. In almost every scene poor John C looks like he's trying to think of a way to get out of his contract. The scene where he, the doctor, examines the dead girl is priceless. The dialogue between John C, the Sheriff, and the Mayor makes you think what great fodder this film would have been for Mystery Science Theatre 3000. I can't believe that people actually give this movie positive reviews. It's really silly.
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.