William Shatner's Dark Esperanto Adventure

Written and directed by Leslie Stevens, 1966’s Incubus is a weird piece of horror history. It’s atmospheric, even meditative at times. It’s gothic, it’s a fairy tale, it’s folk horror and it’s a morality play. It reaches toward Bergman, though it doesn’t quite get there. Still, it’s easy to get lulled into the dreamscape of the thing. The fact that it was filmed in a language that virtually nobody speaks adds to the fantasy.

Indeed, Incubus was filmed entirely in Esperanto. Created by L.L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language—a language that could bring people together in conversation, no matter what country they’re from or what their mother tongue happens to be. Incubus happens to be one of only four movies to be filmed in that language. The first, Angoroj, a film noir, was made two years before Incubus.

It’s an interesting gimmick that gives the film a kind of other-worldliness and puts you directly into this strange fantasy world. Because there’s nothing realistic about the movie, and thank god for that.

Would the effect have worked as well if it wasn’t in a language almost nobody has heard before? I don’t think so. French, Spanish, and Japanese are familiar enough that we associate them with the real world. I suppose something similar would be if a film was made entirely in Klingon, another invented language. Using Esperanto creates a certain distance and alienation that it creates and we become aware that we are not part of the world that we’re observing.

The dialogue was memorized phonetically, with Esperanto on one side of the script and an English translation on the other. Sometimes it works, and the actors seem to be having a fluid, natural conversation. Just as frequently, however, the actor has a deer-in-the-headlights look on their face as they try to get the words out as best they can. This sometimes makes it seem like we’re watching two separate monologues when two characters are supposed to be in dialogue with each other.

Incubus begins, naturally enough, at a deer well. The well is said to have healing powers and mostly attracts those with impure hearts—people who seek it out for personal gain. This makes them easy targets for the unusually large amount of succubi that hang out in the area. And, no, that’s not a typo. Despite the film’s title, it mostly concerns a succubus. Her name is Kia (Allyson Ames), and she wants a challenge. She’s grown bored with tricking corrupt men into giving their souls up to the Dark Lord. She wants to convert someone pure of heart. But where to find him? The local monastery would be a good starting point, she figures. But she observes the holy men committing a variety of sins when they think nobody is looking. So they’re out.

Just as she’s about to give up, she discovers Marc (William Shatner), a soldier who is pure of heart. Now to convert him would be a challenge, so Kia decides to go for it.

And why are the pure of heart such a difficult prize for a succubus? Well, for one thing, because they have love on their side, and love is deadly to demons. They thrive on hate, as you might expect. Anyway, Kia has to figure out a way to get Marc to commit a mortal sin so that his soul will no longer be in a state of grace, and he won’t be on the fast track to heaven. Kia and the devil will have another soul, this one hard-earned.

Mark immediately falls in love with Kia. Who can blame him, though? Allyson Ames is absolutely gorgeous. She pretends to be lost in the woods and happens upon Marc’s cozy cottage. He agrees to help her find her way back to town. After that, the fix is in. She talks of sex, he talks of love. Then marriage. He comes on quite strong, actually. If Kia wasn’t trying to steal his soul, she would have left this guy to his own devices a long time ago.

If you’re looking for the titular incubus, he finally arrives 45 minutes into the film, just in time to start the third act. Things really start to pick up then, when Marc’s sister is kidnapped and violated as part of a black mass. This leads to Marc committing an act that finally damns his soul.

I mentioned the struggles that some of the actors had with Esperanto earlier, but even considering that, the acting was fine throughout. Whatever you think of William Shatner’s acting, he’s thoroughly fun to watch in this film. He spends quite a bit of the movie hamming it up, but he’s also very good in quieter moments. For better or worse, the screen lights up when he’s on. And, man, was he handsome back then or what?

The story is fine, maybe a little dull in parts, but it’s never predictable. There’s plenty of twists and turns and other-worldly specters turning into goats. Incubus is ultimately a morality play, and its message is about as black and white as the photography. But there’s a black mass, plenty of satanic imagery, blindness due to staring at an eclipse, and a motherly succubus who tries to keep Kia on the right track by making sure she stays on the wrong track, so it’s still worth watching. Not quite batshit crazy, though it does get at least partially there.

Arrow’s new 4K looks amazing. Clear, crisp picture, and brilliant sound.

Arrow went all out with the special features on this release, which includes both older and new content. The three commentaries are the standouts. The first is a new commentary by author and screenwriter David J. Schow. It’s packed with historical information about nearly everyone involved in the film. If you only listen to one commentary, this should be the one.

The next commentary is by William Shatner, taken from the 2001 DVD release. As you might expect, it’s not as much about the history of the film as it is the history of Shatner’s involvement with the film. It’s okay.

The final commentary is by producer Anothony Taylor, cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, and camera operator/cinematographer William Fraker. It’s also from 2001. Interestingly, there’s also a video interview with these same three people from the same year included. Both the commentary and the interview are moderated by David J. Schow.

It makes sense that Schow is so involved in the Blu-ray. After all, he literally wrote the book on the film, which was actually released earlier this month. Plus, he wrote a book on The Outer Limits, which director Leslie Stephens created. So he kind of knows his stuff.

Of course, there’s a documentary on the history of Esperanto. There’s also a featurette by Stephen R. Bissette that provides background on both Esperanto as a language, and its incorporation into Incubus. Bissette is very passionate and clearly did a lot of research.

Incubus really has to be seen to be believed. It’s certainly unique, and not likely to be copied anytime soon. If you’re a fan of weird cinema, though, this will probably scratch that itch.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

4K restoration from the last surviving 35mm print by Le Chat Qui Fume
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless Esperanto mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Optional Esperanto subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
New audio commentary by writer and genre historian David J. Schow, author of The Outer Limits: The Official Companion
Archive audio commentary by star William Shatner
Archive audio commentary by producer Anthony Taylor, cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, and camera operator William Fraker
Alternate 1.37:1 presentation of the film (1080p only)
Words and Worlds: Incubus and Esperanto in Cinema, a newly filmed interview with genre historian Stephen Bissette
Internacia Lingvo: A History of Esperanto, a newly filmed interview with Esther Schor, author of Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language
An Interview with the Makers of Incubus, an archive interview by Schow with Taylor, Hall, and Fraker
Video trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Frank Collins and Jason Kruppa