Glenn Ciano's Inkubus is No Rorschach Test: A Movie Review

Director: Glenn Ciano.

Writers: Glenn Ciano (story), Carl V. Dupré (screenplay).

Cast: Robert Englund, William Forsythe and Joey Fatone.

Legendary icon Robert Englund simply loves being bad in the movie Inkubus. The movie's title is also the name of a fictional demon that Englund plays. But for the actor, he shows just how debonair any malignant force can be. For this self-prescribed harbinger of chaos, he is after retired Detective Gil Diamante (William Forsaythe). Apparently these two squared off many years ago, but something happened which let this evil force get away.

After some time has passed, Inkubus has decided that the time has come to finish what that cop has started. When he shows up at a precinct holding the head of a dead girl, he admits to being the true killer. The individual the officers have in custody is not the one. In fact, he’s going to be the next victim.

Although Officer Tom Caretti (Joey Fatone) arrives just in time to witness the night's events, viewers will have to backtrack. The movie starts with Caretti in the insane asylum and recalling everything that has happened in the past few days. That also includes the death of his wife during childbirth. The real big question viewers have to ask is in how the heck does he know about all that went on at the station? Maybe he's the real devil in disguise since he can see all.

But when audiences become familiar with the mental ward narrative that is often reimagined, the twist ending really has to be a good one in order to induce some mind-bending horror. Here, it feels very tame when Caretti has demons of his own to worry about. Since witnessing his child also "dying," he may not be one hundred percent there.

From The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to Shutter Island, these outcast protagonists cannot accept the fact that they may be the true killer. And some viewers will even recognize that the story follows a similar path as the 2010 film, The Traveler, starring Val Kilmer and Dylan Neal.

This movie might have been far more interesting if it was not so copycat. Even England is recreating a very familiar type of character. Not even the moments of gore are enough to sate the savage beast that was Freddie. They are fairly tame by today’s standards that were defined by movies like Saw. Although plenty of visual cinematic style exists to make this film likable, the substance that fills the running time is just lacking. That mostly comes in the character development of the supporting characters than the powerhouse ones.

All Inkubus does is to slowly stalk and kill these peons off before deciding that its time to make Diamante pay his dues. At least Caretti and Diamante gets some development. But for the narrator of this film, all he does is to provide the story like one crazed stool pigeon. More of a movie could have been made if he was shown having flown the coup. To see the guards at the asylum go chasing after him can be fun, should Caretti prove to be the real killer after all, but where this movie goes ruins the build-up.

If Caretti was indeed Inkubus, to see carnage at the asylum would have made for some more fun than to remaking another film that's barely a year old.

Overall: 6 out of 10.

*released on DVD February 21st.

The film's Official Website is here:

The Film's Homepage


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Posted in: 2012,2012 release,killer,killer by nature,killer movie,movie review,police officer,robert englund