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.

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.

Dagon When I created that list of titles for people to choose from, The Incubus lay among them - a title I virtually knew nothing about. This always excites me because you never know what you're going to get; a prize-winner or an utter failure. The film's director, John Hough, is the same man responsible for bringing you titles like 1973's The Legend of Hell House, American Gothic from 1987, and the 4th installment in the Howling franchise, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare released in 1988. We're not here to talk about other films, though, so let's discuss what I've discovered about The Incubus.The premise involves Dr. Sam Cordell (John Cassavetes - 1968's Rosemary's Baby), who along with his daughter Jenny, recently moved to a small New England town by the name of Galen. Uncommon for such a quaint atmosphere, a girl and her boyfriend are brutally attacked; the assailant reportedly raped her but there is no evidence to prove it. This creates a landslide of several other murders in which Sam, with the help of the town Sheriff, investigate these occurrences further to conclude the reason behind them. With each victim surfaces an interesting amount of evidence, or lack thereof. Meanwhile, a teenage boy experiences dreams and visions of the murders and believes himself to be responsible, involuntarily. What they find may be the work of something supernatural....The Incubus may start off alittle slow but the tension mounts nicely about an hour in. It's unfortunate that more excitement is unavailable earlier on. John Cassavetes does a great job performing the role of a doctor looking for answers. In addition, Hough manages to capture some interesting angles here and there to add to this delightful presentation. This film is best suited for a lazy Saturday afternoon - it's not awe-inspiring enough to captivate a group of your friends but it offers up a touch of spice and all things nice...that is, if you consider a supernatural chiller about a demon "nice."

destroall The movie to me is pretty good mostly cause i seen it when i was 14. so i show a lot of respect to movies i seen in my younger days. They keep with the old 50's 60's theme "don't show the monster" . that seems to make the movie move very slow. but to me the ending alone is worth the price of admission(rental).Good acting in horror movies never hurt anyone,Sometimes when people make horror movies they forget that they can be clever and still supply some gore and surprises but not be too scared to show us a little more than they do. This movie tried to get away with too little of the things we expect to see and deliver more on the thriller side , with that being said "Ilike it...