I just returned from the world premier of the new movie Inkubus, directed by a fellow classic arcade nut, Glenn Ciano, and starring Robert Englund, William Forsythe, Joey Fatone, Jonathan Silverman, Michelle Ray Smith and a host of local New England Actors.
Before the movie screening, the cast and crew of Inkubus head a Q&A session hosted (quite obviously) by Fangoria Magazine. The gentlemen in the center of the picture are Glenn Ciano (Director) and Chad Verdi (Producer)
Joey Fatone, who played Detective Tom Caretti in the film, was at the premier screening. Despite what people want to think about his association with "that boy band" Joey was very friendly and quite approachable. Seems like good people to me.
I also had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Silverman, who played Officer "Tech" in the movie. Once again, he was amazingly gracious given the demands on his attention (I found this to be true of everyone who I spoke to who had an association with Inkubus).
The story of Inkubus revolves around a derelict police precinct that is being shut down ala John CarpentersAssault on Precinct 13 (see the 1976 original, please). As the movie opens, we meet Detective Tom Caretti (once again, played by Joey Fatone) appearing somewhat "out of his element". The movie proceeds to give hints about how and why we find Detective Caretti in a condition of diminishing sanity. Via present-time narrative and numerous flashbacks we learn of a serial killer named Inkubus (elegantly portrayed by Robert Englund) and his return to the limelight after a decade-long hiatus from mayhem. The core of the story centers on retired and battered detective (Are you starting to see a theme here? A career in law enforcement is apparently not a good life choice) Gil Diamante thirteen years after the brutal murder of his wife and disappearance of their son. Forsythe brings his trademark brooding intensity to the role of Diamante, channeling a combination of his portrayals as Sammy Gravano in Gotti and his seminal role as Sheriff Wydell in the Devil’s Rejects. Through the creative manipulation of set and editing, including a not so subtle nod to M.C. Escher, Ciano is able to flesh out Dupre's tale of exploration into why we as humans tend to do some pretty inhumane things.
I will save the core plot mechanics for when you see the film. However, I do want to point out a few key elements that may alter your initial impressions of this movie. This is by no means a big-budget Hollywood slasher flick. The digital and practical effects (including a homage to the horror classic Ghoulies) are not of the over the top nature that theater audiences have come to expect from modern horror films. To some, the CGI effects may even seem "quaint" or "hokey". It is important to keep in mind that this movie was filmed and produced locally here in New England on what many would consider a modest budget at best. The fact that Ciano and Verdi were able to assemble the cast that they did alone is praise worthy. The presence of Forsythe, Englund, Silverman and Fatone attest to the strength of the story and the fact that these actors made the movie for reasons other that a quick or large payout. The reality is that this release marks the first foray into the horror film genre for most of the cast except Englund and thus also hints at the substantive themes that are at play within the script.
The movie itself is something you don't see very often these days, completely original. It is not a sequel or a continuation of some known intellectual property. It is based on an original story and screenplay by writer Carl Dupre. Having seen Robert Englund is several "big budget" films (as they stated at the pre-screening Q&A "Let's address the Freddy Kruger in the room shall we?") it was refreshing to see him flex his acting chops without tons of makeup or special effects to distract from his performance or the storyline. I have to say that not many people can play a demonic serial killer quite like Robert Englund. The seasoned cast brings weight to much of the dialogue that could have easily declined into B-movie mockery in less skilled hands. With that said, there were still moments of humor written into the verbal exchanges between the characters that allowed the audience to laugh audibly with the cast sitting in the same theater without a haze of self-consciousness descending upon the room. As Robert Englund put it as he paraphrased his long-time collaborator Wes Craven (and I am paraphrasing the paraphraser here) - Moments of humor are necessary when dealing with such dark subject matter. If a movie is allowed to move forward relentlessly through harsh scene after harsh scene, the audience becomes disconnected from the actors and story and short-circuited sheer anxiety. Those moments of levity allow viewers to take a deep breath, adjust their posture in their theater seat and continue on, engaged in what happens next on the screen.
So check out the trailer for Inkubus below and then go see the movie when it releases nationally in theaters, on October 28th and later in the year via digital download and DVD. Support local and regional cinema here in New England so that we can see more of what the team at Wood Haven Films has to offer. Remember, even Romero's first movie was considered "low budget" and "art house" at the time of it's release. Without his input into the industry, there would be no Return of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later or The Walking Dead. I am not going as far as to say that Glenn Ciano is the next coming of George Romero or John Carpenter, but Hell, you never know.
