Incubus (1966)
Incubus is a 1966 American horror film directed by Leslie Stevens, best known as the creator of the TV series The Outer Limits. It is unique in film history as the only feature-length movie entirely spoken in Esperanto, the constructed international language. The film stars William Shatner, just before his rise to fame in Star Trek, alongside Allyson Ames and Ann Atmar.
Plot Summary
The story unfolds in a mystical seaside village where demons prey on corrupt souls. Kia (Allyson Ames), a beautiful succubus, lures men to their doom. When she encounters Marc (William Shatner), a pure and virtuous soldier recovering from war wounds, she becomes fascinated by his innocence.
Determined to corrupt him, Kia seduces Marc, but her plan backfires as she begins to feel genuine love. This enrages her demonic master, who summons the Incubus (Milos Milos) to destroy Marc and Kia. The film culminates in a battle between good and evil, with tragic consequences.
Cast
- William Shatner as Marc
- Allyson Ames as Kia
- Ann Atmar as Arndis
- Milos Milos as the Incubus
- Robert Fortier as Olin
- Eloise Hardt as Amael
Production Notes & Trivia
- Filmed in Big Sur, California, using stark natural landscapes to heighten its eerie atmosphere.
- Dialogue was performed entirely in Esperanto, chosen to give the film a universal, otherworldly quality.
- The cast learned their lines phonetically, leading to imperfect pronunciation that Esperanto speakers often critique.
- The film was long considered lost until a print was rediscovered in Paris in the 1990s and restored.
- Ann Atmar, who played Arndis, tragically died by suicide before the film’s release.
- Milos Milos, who played the Incubus, was later involved in a notorious Hollywood murder-suicide case.
- The film’s reputation as “cursed” stems from these tragic real-life events surrounding its cast.
Legacy
Incubus is remembered as a cult classic, admired for its haunting black-and-white cinematography, experimental use of Esperanto, and eerie atmosphere. Though criticized for its stilted performances and unusual dialogue, it remains a unique film in horror cinema and a curiosity in William Shatner’s career. Its rediscovery in the 1990s revived interest among film historians and genre enthusiasts, cementing its place as one of the strangest and most distinctive films of the 1960s.
