- Incubus (1965 film)
Infobox Film
name = Incubus
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director =Leslie Stevens
producer =
writer =
narrator =
starring =William Shatner
music =
cinematography =Conrad Hall
editing =
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released = 1965
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country = flagicon|US US
language = Esperanto
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:96516
imdb_id = 0059311"Incubus" (
Esperanto : "Inkubo") is a black and whitehorror film originally released in 1965 and later restored in2001 . "Incubus" was directed byLeslie Stevens , creator of "The Outer Limits ", and stars a pre-""William Shatner . Its striking black and whitecinematography was byConrad Hall , who went on to win threeAcademy 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 theconstructed 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 Frenchsubtitles in the permanent collection of the "Cinémathèque Française " in Paris. The Sci Fi Channel funded the restoration from the found print and released aDVD 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 ofIngmar 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-speakingQuebec )."Incubus" was the second
Esperanto film ever made; the first, "Angoroj " (Esperanto for "Agonies") appeared in1964 , 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.
*ActorMilos Milos killed his girlfriend (the estranged wife of Mickey Rooney, Barbara Ann Thomason Rooney) and himself in1966 Leonard, Greg. "en feugo magazine". " [http://enfuego.org/ef1_pc/incubus/incubus1.html Evil, Tragedy and Esperanto] ". Retrieved August 20, 2006.] .
*ActressAnn Atmar committedsuicide weeks after the film wrapped.
*The daughter of actressEloise Hardt was kidnapped and murdered.
*DirectorLeslie Stevens and actressAllyson Ames divorced, and Stevens' production companyDaystar went bankrupt.Cultural References
According to behind the scenes footage from "
Blade Trinity ", writer and directorDavid S. Goyer wanted to include a more worldly aspect. Esperanto was included as a secondary language for the unnamed city including an instance where characterHannibal King is seen watching "Incubus" from a gurney.References
Weaver, Tom. Video Watchdog #53, 1999. "Raising the Incubus".
External links
* [http://www.incubusthefilm.com Official site]
*imdb title|id=0059311|title=Incubus
* [http://dir.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2000/05/03/incubus "Curse of the 'Incubus'", By Cara Jepsen]
* [http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/1085069-incubus "Incubus"] atRotten Tomatoes
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