Cursed (2005)
Directed by: Wes Craven
Premise: A brother and sister (Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg) are attacked by a werewolf and begin to transform.
What Works: The film features a lot of humor and uses it to relax the audience and set them up for some effective scares. The camera work is very kinetic and elevates the film above most of the horror pictures in recent memory. Especially good are the early attack sequences, which hold out on revealing the werewolf to the audience.
What Doesn’t: Unfortunately, this is a werewolf picture and once the animal is revealed Cursed loses a lot of the mystique it had going for it. The film is an updated version of a very old formula and the film does not bring enough new material to the genre, despite a screenplay by Kevin Williamson (Scream). The film has a potential mystery element but this ends up in a disappointing third act that feels as though it was ripped out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Bottom Line: Despite having a strong cast and one of the best directors in the genre, Cursed simply cannot deliver on its promise. Fans of television shows like Buffy and Charmed may enjoy this but ultimately Cursed is a PG-13 horror film and fans of Craven’s work will be disappointed.
Episode: #42 (March 6, 2005)