Sukkubus (1989) User Reviews

Interesting but kinda mediocre Alpine horror

[Bloodwank · 5/10 · 6 November 2011]

Its a fascinating subject, man laboring beyond the limits of his domain. Eking out a living where nature holds sway, where civilisation has barely crept. Sukkubus makes great use of its location, the majesty and desolation of the Alps, setting for three cattle-herds and their downfall. From the outset their isolation and insignificance against the backdrop is highlighted, tiny and frail human figures against stark white snow, mountain fields or barren rocky hillside, in many shots we see how puny they are against the permanence of nature. And from near the start we see how they make their own constraints against the boundless territory. The first words spoken by any of the three are a recitation of the alpine herders code and soon after the youngest of the group is slapped for going against them in trying to bring down a bird with a slingshot. Slow though the film is, tensions build and spread for most of the run time, humanity against nature, human nature against imposed constraints and Christianity against older beliefs (the two somewhat merged in ritual). Its interesting stuff and a perfect set up, so its a real shame that when the film gets to its real business it disappoints. The tale told is taken from an old Swiss folk tale of three lonely herders who make themselves a woman one drunken night from wood and straw and cloth, only for the woman to come to life and ultimately lead to their doom. Everything up till and including the raising of said woman is solid stuff, but when it comes to the crunch Sukkubus falls down. Its odd given that in earlier moments the film doesn't shy from some pretty dark territory, but where it should have a tensely sensual and freaky final block there are merely a few random jolts and an abrupt, unsatisfying finale. The lacks during the final block are especially unfortunate given how committed the performers are. Peter Simonischek makes for a great rugged and moral grizzly old timer, Giovanni Fruh compelling as his lustier, more detached older companion and Andy Voss as the unknowing youth of the piece, clay to be melded by his elders. The three work up a compelling dynamic which begs to be interrupted, but while Pamela Prati holds a fair deal of visual appeal as the generally naked or near enough villainess and wields a certain feral sexuality and force, she is sorely underused and so only has brief spurts of glory, and too few to make the film really work. Her nakedness does raise the pulse a little, as do the small quantities of grue, but its not enough. Especially frustrating since earlier on the film proves itself to be more advanced in its presentation than one might expect with one particularly creepy moment, but I guess the makers lost their nerve. Ultimately this is a film more interesting than especially good, die hard European horror fans will probably be the most inclined towards it. 5/10 from me I guess.

Darkness in the light

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 9 February 2022]

Sukkubus - den Teufel im Leib (Sukkubus - The Devil In the Body) is a a Swiss/German co-production that takes you into the snow and ice-covered mountains as three men -- Senn the leader (Peter Simonischek), Hirt (Giovanni Früh) and teenage Handrbub (Andy Voß) -- as they drive their herd through the treacherous Swiss Alps, starting the story by finding the ravaged and frozen bodies of a past team of farmers just like them that didn't make it. As they melt in the sun, birds land on them and begin feasting on them.

The three men pray for protection as their journey continues.

This journey has no women and all work, which leads Hirt to non-stop obsession about pleasure, starting with bothering young Handrbub, which is dealt with swiftly by Senn. Then, after a day in which the boy finds a piece of wood that looks like a face, Hirt and Senn get drunk and assemble a body around the face, conducting rituals through their words as Hirt mounts the straw doll they have made and basically thrusts it into life, revealing the titular Sukkubus nearly halfway through the film.

Played by Pamela Prati (Lith in Ironmaster and Aracne in The Adventures of Hercules, as well as Transformations, another film in which she plays a succubus) the doll becomes a bright blue eyed living creature in front of the men's eyes, ominously inching toward Handrbub who can only scream in horror. And while he and Senn want to avoid this demon as she appears in their weakest moments, Hirt wants to feel her touch.

Mondo Macabro, who keeps putting out movies that shock and surprise me, says, "This film is the real deal, based on a gruesome and ancient story, much retold by people who live in the Alps - the huge mountain range that spans six European countries."

I agree. This just feels odd in the best of ways, showing the isolation and madness of the men while they face death every single step of their journey, all while living in lust, fear and some sadistic combination of the two as the epitome of male desire stalks their every move.

The alps never were this scary!

[mkay-549-110495 · 24 August 2011]

This brilliant German (though it's set in Switzerland) alpine horror movie claiming to be based on a Swiss legend was pretty much reviled as pure exploitation by German critics; even though there's no sex or violence at all in the first two thirds of the movie, in which - by means of beautiful cinematography, good acting and an interesting portrayal of the pseudo-Christian and later pagan rituals of the Swiss herders- a menacing and surreal atmosphere is built up. Sukkubus is really creepy; the alps - usually portrayed as romantic and beautiful - seem menacing here; not a place you'd want to visit. This may be one of the reasons Sukkubus was so maligned, as the alps - the only real tourist attraction in great parts of Switzerland, Austria and Southern Germany - are pretty much always background for kitschy romances and not slightly perverted horror flicks (if you've seen only one of those hundreds of awful alpine romance movies often made in Austria, you'll probably agree it's actually those movies which are horrific and revolting).

All in all, it would be unfair to say Sukkubus is pure exploitation; it's a beautifully crafted (assistant director: Christoph Schlingensief, though I don't know how much input he had), surreal and entertaining fable which should be at least an underground cult classic today (shamefully it's not; it's not even well-known in Germany ans never been released on DVD), because there's one thing you can't deny: There certainly is no movie out there like this one! And how many B flicks do you know that can claim the same?

WOW!!!

[smmurr-11780 · 10/10 · 17 August 2022]

Wow is all I can say. Tired of alot of the " hollywood machine"... like me, try this out!

Awesome cinematography, I totally enjoyed the story, mystery, extremely creapy atmoshere.

Loved it!