Succubus

Why I took it off the list:

It’s Pride Month so I was planning to exclusively spotlight queer cinema throughout June. However, I found myself in the mood for a horror, and so decided to trawl Rotten Tomatoes to find something decent I hadn’t seen.

This led me to Sucubus, which has a fantastic, enticing poster. But I almost didn’t watch it, as it doesn’t even have a Tomato Score, and only had two (admittedly positive) reviews. And when I looked it up on IMDB, the rating was, let’s say, not good.

But I saw it had a fantastic audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. And an impressive supporting cast (Ron Perlman! Rosanna Arquette!) So I decided to give it a shot.

And I’m glad I did, as it turns out to be an incredibly solid horror/thriller.

Review of Succubus (2024)

The main criticism I’ve seen of this film is that the main character acts in increasingly questionable ways despite a litany of red flags. And so is just plain dumb and deserving of anything bad that befalls him.

I think the people who hold this opinion weren’t really paying attention to (or couldn’t empathize with) the rich character-building that clearly explains how someone could get hooked into such an obvious trap.

Chris (Brendan Bradley) is a struggling new father who’s up to his eyeballs in debt after a string of failed businesses, and going through a painful pause/seperation from his wife Sharon (Olivia Applegate).

And, perhaps most crucially, constantly juggling a barrage of video calls and messages. From his overbearing mother (Arquette), who tells him he needs to be a “strong man”.

From Sharon, who’s left him in charge of caring for the baby while she’s on a bachelorette weekend. And from his gung-ho best friend Eddie (Derek Smith), who eggs him on to join a dating app and get laid during the seperation, for his own good.

It’s also safe to say that he’s (like pretty much everyone on the planet now) firmly addicted to screens. His laptop. His phone. The baby monitor. So it makes sense that the majority of the film plays out across them.

Yes, this is a screenlife film, but it doesn’t always stick to that format. And the transitions between screencasting and more traditional filmmaking are smooth and inventive.

After a cold open that at first seems disconnected to everything that comes after (until it suddenly doesn’t), the opening credits roll over a trippy view of a starry sky. Set to an awesome, upbeat techo-pop track. A perfectly chosen one as the lyrics forebodingly announce: “Got you under my spell.”

As we zoom out, we see that this is the background of a dating app called starcrossed and that Chris is logging in, in anonymous mode. Then we get a barrage of profiles of women, the camera darting to their smiles, their legs, their asses. Presumably what Chris is focusing on.

We linger on one profile in particular, a woman called Adra (a perfectly cast Rachel Cook). We can see her breasts, but she’s obscuring her face with her phone. Red flag number one.

In her bio it says ‘Help me’ (red flag number two), something that hooks in the sensitve Chris. He eventually starts a conversation with this woman, something that he will come to deeply regret.

Anxiety-Inducing to the Max

Those who call Chris dumb are ignoring the fact that he is at first incredibly cautious in interacting with this woman who seems too good to be true. He checks out the link on her profile, straight out asks her if she’s trying to scam him, asks her to remove the filter from her camera so he can see her face properly.

At first, Adra appears to be as sensitive a soul as Chris, and Cook does an excellent job of balancing enigmatic with vulnerability and sensuality. She reminded me a little of the similarly dispositioned Josie Packard (Joan Chen) in the original run of Twin Peaks.

She’s happy to listen to the woes of his life and provide encouragement, stroking his ego. And she makes it very clear she’s attracted to him despite his insecurites, and wants to have sex.

She’s definately acting in a seductive way, but she also seems shy. And mentions she’s being guarded behind the filter because she was “hurt” in the past. Something that Chris becomes curious about and invested in learning more of.

And then he starts receiving messages. From a stranger (Perlman), warning him that the person he’s talking to is dangerous. Then things get CRAZY, as writer/director R.J. Daniel Hanna succesfully orchestrates one anxiety-provoking development after another.

I’m not going to go into specifics, but the film morphs into a surreal nightmare that will stick in your head. Bolstered by some impressive production design and practical make-up/gore effects.

Bradley expertly conveys the unbearabe tension the character faces as things get very freaky. And Cook gets to do some gnarly things.

The second act of the film, in its mood of unease and trippy visuals, reminded me of The Viewing, Mandy director Panos Cosmatos’ episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. A major compliment because I LOVED that.

Final Score: 8/10

Worth Watching?

Yes, Succubus is a nail-biting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout its runtime. It also has some thoughtful things to say about fragile masculinity and the anxiety of living in our screen-filled world.

Horror fans should also be satisfied with the nightmarish turns the story takes in its second half. It’s a serious hidden gem that deserves more attention.