Cursed (Unrated Version) (2005)

 

 

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Some of my friends saw "Cursed", and hated it so much that I ended up wanting to watch it. Truth to be told, I didn't hate it, and I even had fun sometimes. This may seem strange but... at times this movie is so bad that it is actually good.

The plot isn't terribly realistic, as the story is about Ellie (Christina Ricci) and her young brother (Jesse Eisenberg), both bitten by a werewolf. One is in denial, the other isn't, and the most extraordinary things happen to them as they get to terms with the curse of the werewolf. Add to that Ellie's mysterious boyfriend (Joshua Jackson), a werewolf on the loose, a few murders, somewhat exaggerated special effects, and you have the recipe for "Cursed".

The major flaw in this movie is probably the ending, but I think that you can live with that if you just want to see an uncomplicated movie that keeps you entertained. Don't take "Cursed" seriously, and enjoy it. If you think you can do that, and you like horror/paranormal movies with some comic elements, then this is likely to be a good movie for you.

Belen Alcat

Christina Ricci, Shannon Elizabeth, Wes Craven running the show, a script by Kevin Williamson, perhaps the best werewolf special effects ever seen - sounds like a sure winner, doesn't it? Somehow, though, Cursed plays as flat as a fritter. It's almost painfully predictable, shows no spark of life whatsoever, and comes off as nothing more than exceedingly competent. I really don't know much about the troubled production of the film, but it seems to me that it could have used at least one more rewrite. I have a hard time getting past the ending when I think of this film - not the climax, but the very final scene which goes so far out of its way to cover all of the old Hollywood cliches that it (unlike the actual werewolf scenes) almost made me cringe. And where did they dig up Scott Baio? More importantly, why did they dig up Scott Baio?

Things started off on a bad foot for me. I've never seen Shannon Elizabeth actually look plain before, and I just could not buy Portia de Rossi as a fortune-telling gypsy. Was the old crag gypsy union on strike or something? Then you've got the prototypical high school outcast with a crush on a little cutie just happens to be dating your typical high school athlete/bully. Hmmm, do you think a little supernatural strength would come in handy for this guy? Ricci plays his big sister Ellie; she works on the Late Show with Craig Kilborn and dates this sort of mystery guy (well, actually, there's no mystery about him at all for anyone with a functioning brain). The gloom and doom siblings get bitten by a werewolf (although Ellie doesn't believe it until she can't deny it any longer), after which point we get yet another confused litany of werewolf "truths," wait to get a look at the obligatory "change," and then wonder why some werewolves transform into the beast while others keep scurrying around in their completely human forms. If I'm a werewolf, and another werewolf attacks me, I'm going to turn into a werewolf myself, by gum.

The only thing this movie does well is the special effects - with one exception, which is not really wolf-related. Early on, you only get quick snatches of the beast, and that strategy of delayed impact always works well. Through the magic of CGI, the werewolf transformation is really quite impressive (gone forever are the days of time lapse photography), but by far the best effects are those of the dog werewolf - Cujo would have turned tail and run from this fellow.

It's hard to say why this movie doesn't seem to work. In the end, it comes down to the fact that there just isn't any oomph here. I was about as emotionally invested in Cursed as I would be in any old After-School Special - what makes that especially unusual is the fact that I love Christina Ricci. With that pale white skin and dark hair, she almost always has an aura that dials right in to my frequency, but that aura just wasn't there in this film. And forget about that Kevin Williamson snappy dialogue, as the script doesn't do the movie any real favors.

when i bought this i was sceptical at frist becasue of alot of bad press i had heard concerning this movie, but after seening this uncencored version i loved it, great effects, cool werewolves and an interesting story. Keep of the great work WES Craven. Come to think of it this movie is half like Scream with more blood and cool werewolves. Get this one now!

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2.0 out of 5 stars You can't blame it all on production woes...
Well, I'll start by saying I'm a fan of Craven's older work (Serpent and the Rainbow is a true classic of film), Rick Baker, and many of the cast members. Read more

Published on Mar 9 2006 by John E. Lawson

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