Incubus

Story Line: Beautiful succubus Kia (Ames), who serves the Lord of Darkness by seducing men with corrupted souls, becomes bored with her demonic chores and falls in love with Marc (Shatner), a pure-hearted soldier recovering from war wounds. One of her sister demons dispatches an incubus (Milos) to destroy them.

Bottom Line: A true curiosity, this long-lost 1965 horror film--shot in California with Hollywood actors speaking the artificial language Esperanto--is one of the few cult items that lives up to its reputation. Written and directed by Stevens (The Outer Limits), Incubus tells a fairly simple story but boasts some truly impressive visual effects. The atmospheric cinematography by Conrad Hall and William Fraker (who both won Oscars for their lensing in later years) reflects the influences of Ingmar Bergman movies, the expressionistic German mystery/horror films known as "krimis" and such classic horror flicks as Curse of the Demon. Shatner's performance is rather restrained--for him--although viewers could derive campy pleasure from hearing him emote in Esperanto. Incubus isn't something to be laughed at. It's an eminently worthwhile chiller made beautifully on short money. The only drawback to Winstar's VHS version is obtrusive subtitles. Shatner's presence in a heretofore unavailable horror film should ensure mucho rentals, and the low SRP guarantees profitability. In fact, you should buy extra copies in anticipation of sell-through business. --Ed Hulse