Le Chat Qui Fume Releasing Incubus (The Shatner One!)

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

A 35mm print has been found and is getting a new 4k scan.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

First time viewing of this, thought it was great. It would have fit right into Severin's All The Haunts box set, and joins that rather small group of atmospheric and esoteric 60s American horrors like Night Tide. I'm not sure that it benefits much from being in 4k as it's taken from a print. They've solved the issue of burnt in subs on the print by presenting it in 1.85 which works fairly well. Unfortunately there are a few instances where the subs would have been in frame so they mask them off with a black matte. That minor grip aside, this is worth seeking out, if a little on the expensive side.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Coming from Arrow Video on 1/14/25.

It is often said that films about the Devil are cursed with bad luck, but Leslie Stevens' Incubus might be the most cursed of them all. By the time it premiered in 1966, two of its stars had tragically taken their own lives; the eccentric director's insistence on filming in the obscure Esperanto language ensured it failed to receive any distribution; and it was nearly lost forever when the original elements were believed lost in a fire. Decades passed until it was finally saved and unveiled to the public in all its unholy glory!

Wounded in battle, soldier Marc ventures to the remote village of Nomen Tuum to find a well where the waters are said to be blessed with healing powers. Little does he suspect that the inhabitants of Nomen Tuum are demonic seductresses who entice interlopers and lead them to damnation, and one such succubus, Kia has her sights on Marc. As an eclipse shrouds the sun and darkness falls over the village, Marc and Kia's relationship becomes more passionate... will his soul survive?

Features:
4K restoration from the last surviving 35mm print by Le Chat Qui Fume
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless Esperanto mono audio
Optional English subs
Optional Esperanto subs for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
New commentary by writer and genre historian David J. Schow, author of The Outer Limits: The Official Companion
Archive commentary by William Shatner
Archive commentary by producer Anthony Taylor, cinematographer Conrad L. Hall and camera operator William Fraker
Alternate 1.37:1 presentation of the film (1080p only)
Words and Worlds: Incubus and Esperanto in Cinema, a newly filmed interview with historian Stephen Bissette
Internacia Lingvo: A History of Esperanto, a newly filmed interview with Esther Schor, author of Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language
An Interview with the Makers of Incubus
Trailer
Reversible sleeve
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Frank Collins and Jason Kruppa

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

Forgive me for just skimming, but...they found a print but it also had non-English burnt-in subs?

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

Forgive me for just skimming, but...they found a print but it also had non-English burnt-in subs?

Yes, I've got the Le Chat UHD, a black bar appears at the bottom and covers the subs up when needed. If they've done any better clean up to remove them (like Criterion's Detour), I'd upgrade to Arrow.