Incubus (Leslie Stevens, 1965)

[HerrSchreck]

Dug deep into my collection pulling out some oldies but goodies reminded me I've never heard anyone around here mention this incredible, once-long-lost film that resurfaced a few years ago by miraculous location (by Anthony Taylor the producer) of a print being worn to high hell in a Parisian cinema house on midnight shows. The One Print Left On The Earth!... which was rushed to the US and carefully restored.

Those who think they've seen Conrad Hall crack heads with monster shots, but have not seen this film, better pay this film (laying on a blanket on the floor doing hand held rollovers?) a visit. Fraker also came in for some post-wrap work.

And for those who think EXCORCIST had a curse on it.... The INCUBUS curse is pretty good at messing with the nape hairs. It also happens to be the only film shot in the invented language Esperanto. And it has Will Shatner, pre-Trek, doing some pretty nice work.

[milkcan]

In Fall 2002 I saw Incubus on the Sci-Fi channel, which aired it at midnight with Shatner hosting the show with a digital monster bartender. It was one of those coincidences where I just happened to land on the channel, saw the opening credits for this movie, and, because it was in black and white and the actors weren't speaking English, I got hooked with how foreign it was. I hadn't heard anything about this film, but, afterwards, doing some research on the net, found out about its cult status as a lost film.

I haven't seen Incubus since then, but its images I'll never forget (as well as just being a great moment I experienced). The film was just flat out creepy - like the scene when they summon the demon. A real obscurity. I would like to see it again.

[HerrSchreck]

http://www.incubusthefilm.com/aboutincubus.html

Is the remnant of the site they created when launching the restoration broadcast & DVD (w Connie Hall & Fraker & Taylor being interviewed on one commentary track, w shatner on the other), as well as on camera interviews w the above three (probably not long before Hall died) just after watching the restored print. DVD is decent enough, and-- as the film is probably never going to get another visitation, being about as (superunjustly) obscure as Obscure gets-- is a must own. The site has an ordering-links zone, but anyhow I see it for sale in stores as well as online. Whip it out on your oblivious film-friends & blow them away as they probably will never have heard of it.

[Dylan]

I saw this four or five years ago, and watched it a few times then, though it's been that long since I've seen it. With the actors speaking Esperanto, it's quite an oddity (apparently at the time the filmmakers felt that Esperanto was the language of the future, now hardly anybody knows what it is). It's a lot like an "Outer Limits" episode, though with some obvious Bergman and old horror movie influences throughout. Being Conrad Hall, it's a terrific-looking movie, a lot of the camera work is enthusiastic and fun. It's a fun movie. The DVD transfer isn't the hottest, but at the time it was transfered it was thought to be the last surviving print on Earth (though I believe a year after the DVD came out they discovered/struck a new print, but I don't think anybody has seen it).

Also, if anybody interested in Hall or this hasn't seen the "Outer Limits" episode "The Forms of Things Unknown," absolutely check it out. It's beautifully made, and quite amazing for television (I'd go as far to say that, along with the Hitchcock hour episode "The Jar," it's the best thing that ever came out of TV, though I do dislike most TV). I do think that episode is a lot better than "Incubus" (though "Incubus" is better than most "Outer Limits" episodes).

[HerrSchreck]

The reasons for the esperanto according to Taylor (the language had been around since it was invented for shipping purposes in the 1800's so I'm not sure they anticipated a surge) was that it would lend an air of timelessness to the dialog by taking the english-ness (or any sort of everyday locality) out of the poetic, near biblical language (much of it pretty strong & very lyrical, like black psalms), and qualify it for arthouse showing globally. The problem they immediately discovered was that, even though Esperanto was a "global" language, there were maybe 10 or 15 people left in any given country who could actually speak it.

Where did you hear that there was another print found?? Do you mean seperate from the lone Cinemateque Francais copy which served for the digital restoration for the disc?

[Dylan]

I believe it was in an interview with producer Anthony Taylor. Either further restoration was done and a new print was struck, or (what I'm thinking it was right now, if memory doesn't lie) somebody discovered another print that didn't have the forced French subtitles (the only surviving copy had forced French, which is why the DVD has the English subtitles in a black shape covering the French ones) and struck a new print from that. Which ever it is, I don't believe anyone has seen it, unless it's screened somewhere since (maybe at a William Shatner festival?). He certainly made it clear in the interview that the French forced print was in terrible shape when they discovered it, and that he thought they did a remarkable job on it considering how bad it looked when they discovered it, but there was a development and I believe it was that after they had gained publicity for the project they found someone with a better print.

I just looked through an old stack of DVDs and found "Incubus." I remeber now that I bought it new for only $5 a few years ago, probably a year after I watched it a few times (wherein I rented it...at the time I wanted to be a DP and was watching all of Hall's b&w work many times), but I don't believe I ever watched it again. It's certainly been long enough (and the film is pretty short at 75 minutes), so I'll probably give it a spin this week.

[Gordon]

It also happens to be the only film shot in the invented language Esperanto.

Apparently not: Angoroj (1964, Atelier Mahé)

I ordered the Incubus DVD last year; it's a wonderful little film. Much of Shatner's early work (I love the original Star Trek series) is excellent - great performance in Roger Corman's, The Intruder, for one thing and his Twilight Zone appearances are great fun. Incubus is a different beast, though, what with the Esperanto and European vibe to it. Definitely worth seeing at least once.

"The Forms of Things Unknown" is indeed a great Outer Limits episode, Dylan.

[HerrSchreck]

It also happens to be the only film shot in the invented language Esperanto.

Apparently not: Angoroj (1964, Atelier Mahé)

I ordered the Incubus DVD last year; it's a wonderful little film. Much of Shatner's early work (I love the original Star Trek series) is excellent - great performance in Roger Corman's, The Intruder, for one thing and his Twilight Zone appearances are great fun. Incubus is a different beast, though, what with the Esperanto and European vibe to it...
"The Forms of Things Unknown" is indeed a great Outer Limits episode, Dylan.

Plus

Eta Knabino, La (1997)
Directed by the great
Samir Written by the great
Samir

Definitely worth seeing at least once.. .

If you jump up & down any harder & longer Gordo you'll crash through the floor!

True it's not a "major" film but it's quite a beautiful sixties b&w horror film paying homage to the days of early German & golden age Universal horror films, and I like lifting up underappreciated films, (LITTLE FUGITIVE being another I never hear mentioned 'round here).

Speaking of b&w 60's horror Gordon, what did you think of the VCI restored CITY OF THE DEAD... you never told me. Was that the deal of a lifetime or no?

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I love this movie. The cinematography, Shatner, and the Esperanto - I was smiling for days!

[Gordon]

Definitely worth seeing at least once.. .

If you jump up & down any harder & longer Gordo you'll crash through the floor!

I don't understand what you are saying.

Is the film you mentioned, Little Fugitive, the one about the kid, who thinks that he has killed his brother and goes on the lam in Coney Island? I believe that Kino released a DVD. Not a horror film, but it sounds great! Is the DVD worth much kop?

The City of the Dead DVD is indeed a marvelous bargain. Fine film; a little creaky, but a lot of fun. Mr Lee is great, as always.

[HerrSchreck]

Definitely worth seeing at least once.. .

If you jump up & down any harder & longer Gordo you'll crash through the floor!

I don't understand what you are saying.

Is the film you mentioned, Little Fugitive, the one about the kid, who thinks that he has killed his brother and goes on the lam in Coney Island? I believe that Kino released a DVD. Not a horror film, but it sounds great! Is the DVD worth much kop?

The City of the Dead DVD is indeed a marvelous bargain. Fine film; a little creaky, but a lot of fun. Mr Lee is great, as always.

I was under the impression you'd already seen it as HORROR HOTEL and were a diehard on that film. I saw it (like most who worship it) on a show called CHILLER THEATER in the early 70's and christ did it give me nightmares. I love Dez Dickinson's (HAMLET) photography.

The above comment was me just being a little goofy.

LITTLE FUGITIVE... the very same, and a good (and only one around) disc for this most important of films (too much credit to LeFLAMBEUR-- Melville was doing his own take in my mind on what was happening w crime films in Fox & Uni a la NAKED CITY by taking his camera out-- as an inspiration to the new Wave as long as this key film is underappreciated).

And no it's not a horror film!

[Gordon]

I was under the impression you'd already seen it as HORROR HOTEL and were a diehard on that film. I saw it (like most who worship it) on a show called CHILLER THEATER in the early 70's and christ did it give me nightmares. I love Dez Dickinson's (HAMLET) photography.

No, I had not seen it before. I can imagine children in the 70s being freaked out by it! In addition to is beautiful work on Larry's, Hamlet, cinematographer Desmond Dickinson also worked on the first-ever film of a D.H. Lawrence story, The Rocking Horse Winner (1950, Anthony Pelissier) (excellent HVE DVD) along with his regular camera operator, Russell Thompson and the results were excellent and the two worked together on Anthony Asquith's, John Cresswell whodunnit, The Woman in Question (1950); Asquith's, The Browning Version (1951). Dickinson also lit Carol Reed's underrated, The Man Between and Derek Ford and Donald Ford's original Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper yarn, A Study in Terror (1965, James Hill). He was one of the great journeyman DPs, I feel and The City of the Dead is beautifully lit throughout.

LITTLE FUGITIVE... the very same, and a good (and only one around) disc for this most important of films (too much credit to LeFLAMBEUR-- Melville was doing his own take in my mind on what was happening w crime films in Fox & Uni a la NAKED CITY by taking his camera out-- as an inspiration to the new Wave as long as this key film is underappreciated).

You're probably right there. Melville certainly saw most American crime films that were exported to France in the 50s and the departure in his style from Quand tu liras cette lettre (When You Read This Letter) (1953) is marked, although he tried to be as 'professional' on that film as possible, in order to 'prove' that he could make a classy 'mainstream' studio picture, but he had other ideas in mind for future films. Bob le flambeaur and Deux hommes dans Manhattan were, primarily, borne out of the French Serie Noire literary movement, but Melville defintely was the first to meld that world to American film noir and his own austere, idiosyncratic aesthetic, which began with his first feature film, Le Silence de la Mer in 1949. The high-angle shots and general style in Bob le flambeur do indeed recall Dassin's, The Naked City - all of Dassin's noirs had an impact on Melville, really. William Keighley's, The Street with No Name also seems to have been a strong influence.

[brendanjc]

I caught this on TCM and I have to reiterate the recommendations in this thread - Incubus isn't a classic but it is certainly a gem. On the one hand, the Shatner factor and the occassional wooden line deliveries from the others plus the oft-used California hillside setting makes everything scream cheap B-movie at times, but on the other there are some striking compositions and the bizarre fairy-tale atmosphere is really effective. It's like a Roger Corman produced Bergman film. I particularly liked the roll-over shot Schreck called out, and there's a sequence early in the film shot very similarly to the oft-parodied profile/close-up shots in Persona. Makes you wonder, though, if this film didn't influence Bergman instead of the other way around since, at least according to IMDB, it came out first and played film festivals internationally (though I haven't seen enough Bergman films to make that a serious hypothesis, of course). Worth tracking down.

[Polybius]

It's like a Roger Corman produced Bergman film.

After I first saw it a few years ago in one of it's SciFi Channel airings, I described it to several people as looking like a particularly well done Bergman pastiche, so I think most of us are on that same page.

On a related note, I was looking at the list of Outer Limits episodes that Conrad shot a couple of weeks ago and I think he was behind the camera for every one of my favorites except for Demon With A Glass Hand.