The Incantation (2018 film)

The family cult casts The Incantation

Summary

"Do not deny your true nature." A young American girl has a chance of a lifetime to visit her ancestors castle in the south of France, only to find that her family is hiding deep, dark secrets about their nefarious past, far away from prying eyes.

Details

• Release Date: 2018
• Country/Language: USA, English
• Genres/Technical: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
• Setting: Modern France
• Runtime: 1 hr 38 min
• Starring: Dean Cain, Sam Valentine, Jude S. Walko
• Director: Jude S. Walko
• Writer: Jude S. Walko
• Producer/Production Co: Blue Falcon Productions,House of Rose
• View Trailer: (link)
• IMDB Page: (link)

Ratings

MPAA Ratings

• Rated: TV-14 (Mild Profanity, perhaps some Brief Nudity and Mild Violence)

Tentacle Ratings

A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:

• Ss___ (One and a Half Tentacles: Debateably Lovecraftian; has almost no direct connection to Lovecraft's work)

This movie comes across almost (but not quite) like a low-rent rip-off of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (ficton)", without any overt Mythos references. In spite of the rather pedestrian witchcraft element and lack of goopy tentacle-monsters, I couldn't help feeling just a hint of Lovecraft's variety of pulp horror at work here.

Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.

Reviews

Review Links:

• Ywhatley: 'This movie comes across almost (but not quite) like a low-rent rip-off of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (fiction)", without any overt Mythos references. In spite of the rather pedestrian witchcraft element and lack of goopy tentacle-monsters, I couldn't help feeling just a hint of Lovecraft's variety of pulp horror at work here. It's an unlikely underdog of a little low-budget movie, with a lot of flaws stacked against it including surprisingly well-lit and un-atmospheric sets, and some amateurish acting from supporting cast, some characterization that threatened to be off-putting at first, but the whole thing came together by the end in way that felt charmingly reminiscent of '80s made-for-TV horror films, and perhaps just a hint of older, more ambitious, and more stately AIP and Hammer gothic horror films, generating a bit more good will from me than a more cynical and modern movie ever could have. 2/5 stars, but an entertaining, well-meaning and likeable 2/5 stars.'
• Review by Steve Hutchison at Tales of Terror (link) - 2/4 - "The Incantation feels like a low budget film, but the production value is so favorable, from the cinematography to the production design, that we remain captivated. This is a very mysterious production that doesn't show its cards but appears to have a strong hand.... The story is vague, familiar and unoriginal. The planets aligned for a memorable movie, but the script is far behind. That being said, fans of haunted movies and ghosts will probably have a good time."
• Meredith Brown at Horroropedia (link) - "...A somewhat slow but interesting concept with a twist.... It's a slow burning journey, albeit a unique one."
• Review by David Dent at Dark Eyes of London (link) - "...Now this movie really shouldn't work – apart from a couple of profanities, it's strictly Sunday teatime stuff. The acting is rather pedestrian, and the whole thing seems terribly naïve. But therein lies its success: it's totally out of step with most modern horror/supernatural films. It's languid, beautifully filmed and very quaintly old fashioned. It takes quite a leap of faith to like it but like it I did...."

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A young American girl has a chance of a lifetime to visit her ancestors castle in the south of France, only to find that her family is hiding deep, dark secrets about their nefarious past, far away from prying eyes: the family has made a pact with the devil, selling their souls in exchange for long life, at the expense of the local peasants! The malevolent influence of the cursed family increasingly weighs upon the girl while she resists the temptation to take part in her family's wickedness, drawing her inevitably to the film's plot conclusion, in which she is tricked into joining the cult.

Notes

Associated Mythos Elements

• fiction: bears a small resemblance to "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (fiction)" and "Dreams in the Witch House (fiction)"
• tome: Sorteligia
• race: Human Cultists and Witches
• deity: a sinister character bears the suspicious name "Abel Baddon"

Keeper Notes

• The investigators are called to help a young woman who, having traveled a long way to attend the funeral of a distant rich uncle, finds herself with little choice but to live in his eerie, cursed estate, with a houseful of strange cultist servants, while a series of strange events - sightings of ghosts, discovery of secret rooms containing evidence of witchcraft, visits from strange crones, etc. - lead the young woman into dark suspicions about her family, and fears for her own sanity and soul as she is drawn deeper into her family's shadow....