Inkubus

Serves me right. Usually before I order something through Video On Demand, I do a little research. After all, why would someone give their money away? If you wanted to make an investment, you would first research the venture, wouldn't you? So, I take time to research a desirable title and then watch a trailer or head to the usual internet staples such as IMDb or rottentomatoes just to make sure I know what I am about to get myself into.

But here I was on a quiet Sunday afternoon flipping through the VOD options when I stumbled across the icon for Inkubus. I thought it was a safe bet. After all, it listed Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), William Forsythe (Dear Mr. Gacy, Boardwalk Empire) and Jonathon Silverman (Weekend at Bernies) on the one-sheet. Surely there must have been something there to lure three known B-actors to the project. Surely.

Inkubus takes place in an old police station about to be demolished. The police have a man wanted for a woman's murder handcuffed inside when Inkubus (Englund) appears at the station holding the head of the deceased female. Inkubus is calm and confident and the police immediately misrepresent his 'turning myself in' intentions. As the police begin to interrogate the Inkubus, he confesses to crimes that date back centuries. That is when retired detective Gil Dimante (Forsythe) is called in to help with the interrogation. Seems the Inkubus and Mr. Diamante have some history that Inkubus is eager to settle. Unfortunately for the remaining staff of the police station, the journey to the film's conclusion will be filled with gruesome displays of murder and magic that leave not only the characters, but also the audience, scratching their heads.

Inkubus was a straight to DVD/VOD release and it is clear why it was not given a chance to disappoint theatrically. The whole piece from beginning to end was a mess. The story was as weak as an Olson twin on a hunger strike and the production values - in particular the sound - was unforgiveingly bad. Each line sounded as if it was dubbed in an empty school hall and if not for the talented cast trying their best to overcome the inferior production values, I would have likely turned this mess off within minutes and chalked it up to a bad investment.

Surprisingly, the main cast come out of the experience no worse for wear, in particular Englund that shows he has acting chops even when not donning prosthetics that turn him into a burn victim that haunts teenagers on Elm Street in their dreams.

Still, a salvageable performance or two is hardly cause for a celebration. Writer/director Glenn Ciano had some pull to get Englund, Forsythe, Silverman and Joey Fatone to the location shoot every day. But whether this still novice director has any true talent is yet to be seen.

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I felt as though I were watching a student's film project. I like Robert Englund (and William Forsyth). I'm wondering what they were doing in this movie and were they helping someone by being in this movie project. It was a real novice horror film. I can watch almost anything but this was just crazy bad. And very amateurish. And I wondered whether it not this was filmed on someone's iPhone... jes sayin... I will say it was entertaining. And we all know you can watch a bad, yet entertaining film. And Joey Falcons was in it - I forget which boy band he was in but, and God bless him, he should stick to singing/dancing.

Opening with the sequence of an impending childbirth which seems to go well until it doesn't, the movie had a reasonably attention-grabbing start.

But right after, the movie completely plummets.

Shoddy production values, poor light and sound, and one implausibility after another, all variations of: "if an incubus has all these powers, then why is the entire affair not over in a couple minutes?" really mar the experience.

The actors could not save this mess. On top of that, the ending explains none of the key questions e.g. How and why did the Inkubus become suddenly vulnerable to bullets? What did the protagonist do (rather than say) to end up in an asylum? What happened in the intervening time between the police station event and the delivery?

The movie is too crappy to give much thought to these questions, though. I regret that I let its opening sequence got me to waste my time with it.

I had been looking forward to this movie sadly for over a year. I am a big fan of Robert Englund. The trailer to the movie looked interesting. Me and my buddy sat down to watch this film together. I was just wondering how the film makers ever thought during production that this was going to be a good end product? The acting (Englund aside) was dreadful. The CGI that was inserted in the film was very bad. The movie seemed to drag on with nothing interesting ever happening. My friend was begging me to turn the movie off, or fast forward to the end. We watched it beginning to end. What a mistake... it was never able to redeem any of its horrible bland qualities.

This film really is a wasted opportunity for Englund as I would love to see this character in a better movie. Unfortunately its in this movie and its a very bad film. Englund is the only one that gives any kind of a solid performance, and is the only reason to even check out the film.

The film is set in a police station that is shutting down sometime in the 80s or 90s and has a skeleton crew led by Det Lt Caretti (Fatone). On this evening they catch a murder case where the suspect is for whatever reason brought to this understaffed station. The suspect lays the blame on another, though there is no evidence anyone else was there. It is when the real murderer, Inkubus (Englund), shows up that everything goes south.

You will see other names you may recognize, such as William Forsythe, Jonathan Silverman and Joey Fatone! But Forsythe and Silverman phone in their parts while Fatone's acting abilities are what you would expect them to be. Since he is the primary lead this is a very bad thing.

The film is just very low budget, badly written, badly acted outside of Englund, the editing is terrible, the effects with the exception of a couple good practical gore effects are horrible as well. If you are an Englund fan you may enjoy his turn in this but otherwise this film is best avoided.

IF you are interested in a similar but better film I would try Last Shift (2014).