The Incubus (1982)

"I hate small towns." - Laura

A small town doctor tries to solve the mystery of who, or what, is going on a killing spree.
Starring: John Cassavetes, Kerrie Keane, John Ireland, Erin Noble

Link to IMDB

In the country town of Galen two teenagers are brutally attacked and raped, leaving one dead and the other traumatized in the hospital. Sam Cordell is the town doctor and coroner, so he's tasked with investigating what happened. Tim is also introduced, he's a strange boy troubled by nightmares, but is a good friend of Sam's daughter, Jenny. When another lady is violently killed the sheriff suspects a gang is responsible but Sam is finding evidence that points to something much stranger, because the killer is leaving behind massive amounts of unusual semen. Gross!

A local reporter, Laura, also gets involved in the case, telling Sam that similar killings happened 30 years ago in Galen. Tim's nightmares are getting worse and he thinks that he might be killing people in his sleep, but his grandmother assures him that he's normal, although she clearly has some secrets that she's not sharing. More people are getting killed and we eventually get a glimpse that a monster seems to be responsible for the attacks, except things are not as simple as that.


Tim is going full bonkers now, terrified that every time he sleeps someone gets murdered, and he's convinced that his visions are dangerous. Sam doesn't believe that Tim is the killer, but he does think the dreams are connected somehow. In hopes of saving her grandson, Tim's grandmother is forced to reveal her family secrets, which are connected to the the dark history of the town itself.

Go team Galen !

The movie is delivered very serious, dealing with dark subject matter and themes, and it's effective enough to build some good tension and an atmosphere of dread. It's slow but well made, and the actors all do a great job. That is until near the end, where everything kinda falls apart. I noticed that there were a few plot elements introduced that never got used, making it feel cluttered with random thoughts, and the climax is cumbersome despite an interesting twist.

Tim

It's a good mix of the horror style from the 70's and the slasher genre of the 80's, but fails at being a classic when not enough of the pieces make clear sense.

(A lot of 3.5 hams lately. That's just how the random theater rolls sometimes.)





Be sure not to miss:
- The rock band at the theater is Samson. Featuring Bruce Dickinson!
- The hints of incest seemed odd at first. Upon reflection, it adds to the overall themes of perversion and gives the final scene even more gravity.

Internet review:
"As a fan of monster flicks, I have but one question. Where's the monster?" - drgore

Should I watch it?
It's good but very dark, so don't expect it to cheer you up.

Where can I find it?
On YouTube

The Incubus gets...