Sleeve Design : Graffiti Productions Limited

Incubus
 

John Hough | Canada | 1981

[ In·cu·bus, noun ] An evil spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep.

A small town pathologist and a local sheriff investigate a series a brutal rape murders, effected upon a number of women. With red herrings aplenty, including troubled teenager Tim (Duncan McIntosh), who believes his disturbing nightmares are somehow connected to these bizarre sexually motivated attacks, not to mention a vaguely incestuous subplot involving the Pathologist’s daughter, Jenny (Erin Flannery).

Initially offered to David Cronenberg, this effective supernatural tale from The Legend of Hell House and Twins of Evil filmmaker John Hough certainly delivers. Much of its ‘action’ is implied, as Hough’s picture weaves around the exploitative subject matter; pathologist Dr. Cordell (played by multi-talented actor/filmmaker John Cassavetes), does however offer the viewer ample commentary of the incubus’ sleazy rampage and the grisly injuries inflicted upon its female victims…

Britain's first look at Incubus was met by Video Tape Centre (VTC) who took to releasing the film no less than three times (once under its original title of Incubus, and twice as The Incubus), the first of which appearing in December 1982.  In all three  cases distribution was handled by the massive and far-reaching CBS company.

 

 

Its next outing, this time sporting a legitimate uncut '18’ certificate, didn't occur until early 1987 from the decidedly cheap-looking Xtasy video — an offshoot company of Video Brokers set up during the summer of 1983. This edition came with a screaming necrotising face themed sleeve illustration, as designed by the seemingly ubiquitous London based Graffiti Productions Ltd, who surely must have taken inspiration from VTC’s video cover to Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City. VTC's sleeve is based on Les Edwards' superb illustration commisioned by Corgi Books to grace their 1976 edition of Fred Mustard Stewart's Star Child — also the title of the illustration itself. Edwards was paid for use of the illustration, and even designed the monster featured in the film itself!

The Xtasy catalogue was comprised of sizeable chunks of former Alpha/Intervision, Derann and VTC titles, while Xtasy shamelessly cribbed their print of Incubus directly from the VTC release — which included the latter company's distinctive copyright notice and associated logos before the start of the film!

As recently as August 20o2, the US based Elite Entertainment offered a favourable digital edition of Incubus, although this is now out of print.

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cast : John Cassavetes, John Ireland, Kerrie Keane, Helen Hughes, Erin Flannery, Duncan McIntosh, Harvey Atkin, Harry Ditson, Mitch Martin, Matt Birman, Beverley Cooper, Brian Young, Barbara Franklin, Wes Lee, Neil Dainard, Jennifer Leak, Denise Fergusson, Jack Van Evera, Helen Udy, Lisa Bunting