by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who doesn’t love some fresh twists on good old fashioned horror tropes? For decades, werewolf stories have graced the silver screen. As far back as Universal’s The Wolfman, Lon Chaney Jr. has helped define what we see on screen. In recent years, we have not seen as many werewolves on screen, as zombies have become a constant presence. But that just might influence where other creature features go from there. Sean Ellis’ The Cursed offers up plenty of atmosphere and grotesque reimagined designs.
What is Ellis able to do with this tired subgenre of horror to make his latest film stick out today? First thing’s first: this flick is draped in all kinds of grim ambiance. There is a gray scaled photograph about the film that makes it feel devoid of hope and light. The fog rolls in and the horror begins. The period setting sets the mood (those modern amenities aren’t around to help) even when it does use tired tropes like gypsy curses. Speaking off… the awful old white men who run the community do such horrific things that set this curse into motion. You won’t be unseeing much of the brutal gore that occurs along the way. When the creatures finally appear, they are warped designs of what audiences expect from a werewolf picture. Influenced by vampires and zombies, these grotesque beings will not easily escape your nightmares. There are even a few twists on werewolf conventions including a creepy set of curse teeth.
But is everything that Ellis offers up gold? There are some glaring flaws in this new horror flick. It can feel like it drags at times throughout the almost two-hour runtime. There are a lot of characters, and few of them have any depth. The script leans on character archetypes and hopes to move onto the next eerie reveal or scare. There are only a couple of characters who are remotely interesting, with John McBride trying to solve this mystery while carrying some guilt-ridden baggage, and Isabelle Laurent who is a driven mother willing to stop at nothing to rescue her son from this nightmare. The rest of the characters fall flat or just serve the exposition throughout the film… or you know, are served up like some good old fashioned cannon fodder.
But what about the cast who inhabit this cursed place? Boyd Holbrook channels enough charisma to make the audience care a bit more about McBride himself. Kelly Reilly is a talented actress who can bring layers to any performance, which she certainly does with Mrs. Laurent. Mr. Laurent is not an interesting character, but Alistair Petrie offers up a strong and chilled presence as this community leader who soon allows his façade to shatter in the face of this nightmare. The rest of the cast just needs to either deliver some lines or look terrified (which most of them do well).
Will The Cursed be the next film garnering attention in the horror genre in the wake of Scream? This one might be a little too deliberate and artful for the taste of many mainstream horror fans. It might also struggle in offering up the expected beats one might expect from a werewolf flick. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, right? If you are ready for a subversive and gruesome dive into the horror genre, make sure to head out and show this one some love.
Grade: B-
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