Developing stories with supernatural elements seems like a simple task when writers can develop a script based on myths and urban legends. Sometimes this may not work when it’s essential to study the pre-existing elements with which they intend to play, and more so when these are elements from mythology, folklore or a religious context. In Succuba we can only see the basics have been taken to create a suspenseful story. But, the question is, does it work to entertain a hungry audience?

In short, the story revolves around Eddie (Keith Lamont Johnson), a widower, and Phillip (Ketrick ‘Jazz’ Copeland), a sheriff. Their faith is being put to the test by the presence of a “demonic” entity, and it will be up to them to see how to fight the evil trying to slither into their lives. 

Succuba presents from the start an intriguing story that might leave some wondering what, how and why until the middle of the second act. The first few minutes are the most crucial to understand the background of the story and the direction it could take. Johnson, who plays Eddie, displays an impressive multifaceted ability in bringing to life a character who goes from light to dark in a matter of seconds. The traumatic events that lead Eddie to change his life purpose are key to his development, and are brilliantly highlighted by his body language; it was a good decision to intercut the views of the character to fully read Eddie’s attitude and feeling– sometimes we can see him full body taking adopting unique poses, and at times only his cold but overly descriptive facial expressions are appreciated.

On the other hand we have the life of the sheriff which, from my point of view, was wasted on a grand scale– the character serves no purpose other than to be a vehicle in the unfolding of the story. His introduction happens at the beginning of the second act, and there is no more detail in his life than that of being a sheriff, a husband, and a father with a hobby. That last part seems to add enormous weight to the plot without contribution other than looking like a music video for a local band in the longest fishing scene ever made– his character is a stereotype, and leaves no room to give him a chance to stop being one.

Despite presenting two completely different characters in terms of development, it is also important to mention that Succuba has other good qualities in its favor. Being a low budget product, the film is very resourceful to deliver a decent quality feature. There are no big jumpscares, but there’s a lot of intrigue and suspense. There are no big special effects and an eerie soundtrack, but it does have special skill in the makeup department and audio mixing.

Succuba shows it doesn’t take much to do a good job, but it’s also the answer to why it’s important to fine-tune the details before declaring it as a final product– it could’ve been a great job. Followers of the supernatural genre might not be interested in this project, but it is a nice introduction (from an independent point of view) for those who are about to taste it.

7 OUT OF 10 HORNS