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Incubus
[Sub Rosa]
2002; color
Directed by Jess Franco
Starring: Carina Palmer, Carsten Frank, Lina Romay & Fata Morgana
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As much as my love for the films of Jess Franco is well-documented in this segment of the Buffet, there are times when I just have to wonder 'What the hell he was thinking?!' Case in point, Incubus. Even the ever-present Lina Romay, who's either naked or barely covered in every scene she's in, can't drag Incubus from the cinematic miasma it's mired in for it's barely comprehensible 77 minutes. At this point I no longer have a problem watching Franco films shot on HD video, but I definitely take issue with the repeated usage of visible movie lights in the rear of many scenes, pointing directly at the camera and blowing things out to an insane degree. That and the horribly out of sync audio track, which is off to the point of distraction in some spots, make everything all the more difficult. The story itself is not that bad; a successful artist (who happens to look like a less paunchy Billy Corgan) returns to his wife in Spain, but is haunted by a mysterious blond woman. As things unfold it seems he was involved in a wild sexual affair with her 20 years ago and swore his loyalty to her as her slave. They set up a bargain where, in return for his success, she gets his then-unborn daughter in 20 years. Unbeknownst to him, she is the Incubus and the daughter is her designated heir. He forgets all this in the ensuing two decades, and when she mysteriously reappears on the eve of his daughter's 20th birthday, everything goes - appropriately - to hell rather quickly. His daughter is a complete wacko who not only flashes mom and dad her freshly shaved crotch, she confronts dear old daddy with the fact she knows she's not really her mother's daughter (mom was actually the surrogate for the Incubus who, technically, can't carry a child) and seduces him. Had enough? Too bad, because there's still a ridiculous 'initiation ceremony' that takes up the final 20 minutes of the film and results in the transference of powers from the original Incubus to the daughter. (Both characters are played by the same girl.) Quite possibly the worst of his films I've seen thus far, yet I'm sure some of his fans will still find things to like in it.
—the Kommandant
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