“I could not even begin to take stock of what they will say about me,” says Dr. Orion Zephyr (Ron Perlman) at the beginning of Succubus. “This is my research. You can’t force me to love you like that. I love you. Forgive me.” In short order, the man leaves his office, takes an ax from the back of his station wagon and seems to be heading towards the farmhouse across a field. Resuming the beginning it’s juicy and catchy. Finally, where’s all the research? Nice of you to bring the ax along too. But most intriguingly, what evil lurks in that house?
However, not all those questions will be answered with the required thoroughness and satisfaction by the time writer/director R.J. Daniel Hanna’s (Hard Miles, Miss Virginia) entertaining and original horror thriller is over. The film time jumps back several days when newly separated young dad Chris (Brendan Bradley) is BROached (aka bro coached) through Face Time by his energy-drinking pantsy alpha male friend Eddie (Derek Smith) on how to navigate the dating apps. This is a sharp change from the movie that begins at this point, even more so since these scenes are packed with humor, mischief, and some bit of techy ‘screenlife’ elements. Think Missing and Searching, with a portion of The Den sprinkled on.
This Showpiece offers Brendan Bradley the chance to play a new father but one who already seems to have been through the wringer. Soon, however, his longing to reunite with his wife becomes unfortunately futile when he comes across a dark force that he is not strong enough to resist. Rachel Cook, Olivia Applegate, Emily Kincaid, and Rosanna Arquette star with Perlman in a horror movie that fits itself among the many contemporary horror thrillers that straws for some creativity but usually falls short. Succubus did not have to do that. It is unique, but the premise is simple takes a long time to unravel.
How about some Succubus 411 or something (which a certain portion of this film does not make particularly obvious). A succubus is a digital lilith, a night she-demon and night creature. To be blunt, a demon-like angel. It is said to come in dreams and seduces a man in a sexual manner. Why not? Even demons get lonely. But then, all that came from the Middle Ages really. The director jumps off that legend and glams it up with a dating app gone horribly wrong.
Chris is an extremely loving husband. His ‘wife’, Sharon (Applegate), is busy at a girls’ night. Therefore, Chris and Eddie have the chance to talk as the infant sleeps. As always, Chris ends up creating yet another dating site on StarCrossed and is also able to meet up Adra (Cook). She is ‘dressed’ in such a way as to slowly arouse Chris and all the other men present. Adrian is found by Chris talking to Adra but she starts to reveal that she too has a past that is shrouded in mystery. In the near future, she does look like that a rescue operation is urgently needed. – But Chris cannot abandon the baby. Perhaps Eddie can look after the child?
He won’t have to. And although this is not a review that needs revealing spoilers, let’s just say that if you are able to endure the first 45 minutes of the film, the filmmaker has some gifts for you. The paid portion won’t necessarily turn your world upside down, but there is something delightfully clever, if not a little subtle, about how the shape of the programmes, at least the latter half of the programme plays out, making it a horror that’s got an ending that die-hard fans will definitely adore.
Such as in dating apps, everyone seems to be competing for someone’s attention attention and therefore to someone’s heart in this film, which, in the end, seems to be nothing but a big tease, drawing you in deeper into its plot and its cast. At least Succubus creates characters and people that, though not very interesting, are believable and relatable. And it is, yet again, well written in the sense that, although it is a run of the mill horror movie, the writing does not make it dull, every now and then, emotions of a dark comedy flourish in the film. Eddie is proven to be one of the things that is used for comic relief, though it deeply accentuates the silliness of the horror.
However, this changes towards the end where we at last do get to see the evil folkloric creature, which happens to bring up a lot of interest and ends with a rather strange, cybersexing adventure. The film could really be helped in this case if there was a brief backstory provided to the viewer just to help in proceeding with the deliberations, however, we will have to hold our horses until the next one if ever there is a next one. There are no sudden shock moments here to achieve every other effect, but rather the fascinating odd creature and the manner in which it operates in its own environment as itself is fascinating still.
Besides the interesting premise, it is clear that part of the marketing strategy is Ron Perlman as well. The man whom everyone remembers from the del Toro films, the Hand of God TV series and so many other things goes on to become a threatening figure in the film even though what he intends to do is good. It is not quite a blink-and-you-miss-him role but Perlman has about 15 minutes screen time throughout the entire caper which is a bummer. Dinosaurs were always only about 15 minutes-on the screen in Jurassic Park as well, so again, not so much how many, but what for.
Also, let us appreciate VFX Supervisor Lincoln Smith. The film does not have that many special effects, but when they finally appear in that very third act, you can tell that the clothes were put in some fashion making them especially effective when some characters are placed in a dreamy yet terrifying hell. Consequently, the art direction and photography are commendably at par with other low-budget horror films so much effort was invested in this film.
The twist at the end is less surprising devastation than a hint for there to be more of similar type to come which in all likelihood would permit more elaborate interpretations of what transpired in this place and give some of these characters more leeway to develop and enhance a concept that eagerly awaits further enhancement.
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