In the late 19th century, land baron Seamus Laurent (Alistair Petrie) under the advice of the village elders enlists the help of mercenaries to expel the encampment of Romani people on his land who may have legitimate claim. The mercenaries turn violent upon the Romani's refusal to leave but they leave a set of silver jaws that will haunt their dreams until it is found and awakens a curse. When a group of village children find the jaws, one of them places them in their mouth and bites Edward, the son of Seamus Laurent. Edward soon takes ill and eventually goes off into the woods where a beast has now appeared. The village enlists the help of pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) who has a history with the beast terrorizing the village.
The Cursed is the latest film from writer director Sean Ellis whose name is on such well regarded films like Cashback and Anthropoid. Ellis sought to take a different approach to the werewolf lore, in particular looking at its origins in a way similar to a virus. The end result is a slow-burn film rich in atmosphere and character with a strong sense of craft.
The Cursed looks absolutely beautiful. From its fog draped countryside setting to the layers of fifth covering the villagers, The Cursed transports you the 19th century setting its created and makes the feelings of isolation and unease tangible and palpable. Even before the werewolf shows up, the gypsy encampment massacre is a chilling sequence as its shot in one take from a distance as we watch all the way from the ultimatum to the violence that unfurls. There's a richness to the characters in the film with Boyd Holbrook's John McBride a solid protagonist with a haunted past that ties to the Beast of Gevaudan killings that had previously been mined for usage in the Christophe Gans film, Brotherhood of the Wolf. Much like Brotherhood of the Wolf there's a rich level of intrigue at play beyond the beast stalking this village, but it's more streamline with less intricacy and more interpersonal weight instead. The effects are also quite solid, while the decision to make the werewolf a hairless pale skinned humanoid will probably irk some purists of the genre, the practical effects to bring both it and the creatures attacks to life are primarily done in camera. The Cursed features some of the best gore work I can recall seeing in a werewolf movie of recent memory, and it looks fantastic.
My criticisms are fairly minor, but they should still be addressed. Personally I didn't feel the sequences in World War I that bookend the story really added all that much since there's no real information imparted in them that adds to the main story that takes place 35 years before it. There's also a character who withholds information, and it's going to be a case of either you buy why they hid it or you don't.
The Cursed is a solid addition to the werewolf subgenre of horror with a rich sense of atmosphere and strong performances from its cast. Some parts of the movie like the wraparound or the motivations behind certain characters actions aren't without hiccups, and the design of the werewolf will probably put off some purists. But despite some minor criticisms, The Cursed is a fun exercise in atmosphere and intensity that doesn't let up until the end.
The Cursed is the latest film from writer director Sean Ellis whose name is on such well regarded films like Cashback and Anthropoid. Ellis sought to take a different approach to the werewolf lore, in particular looking at its origins in a way similar to a virus. The end result is a slow-burn film rich in atmosphere and character with a strong sense of craft.
The Cursed looks absolutely beautiful. From its fog draped countryside setting to the layers of fifth covering the villagers, The Cursed transports you the 19th century setting its created and makes the feelings of isolation and unease tangible and palpable. Even before the werewolf shows up, the gypsy encampment massacre is a chilling sequence as its shot in one take from a distance as we watch all the way from the ultimatum to the violence that unfurls. There's a richness to the characters in the film with Boyd Holbrook's John McBride a solid protagonist with a haunted past that ties to the Beast of Gevaudan killings that had previously been mined for usage in the Christophe Gans film, Brotherhood of the Wolf. Much like Brotherhood of the Wolf there's a rich level of intrigue at play beyond the beast stalking this village, but it's more streamline with less intricacy and more interpersonal weight instead. The effects are also quite solid, while the decision to make the werewolf a hairless pale skinned humanoid will probably irk some purists of the genre, the practical effects to bring both it and the creatures attacks to life are primarily done in camera. The Cursed features some of the best gore work I can recall seeing in a werewolf movie of recent memory, and it looks fantastic.
My criticisms are fairly minor, but they should still be addressed. Personally I didn't feel the sequences in World War I that bookend the story really added all that much since there's no real information imparted in them that adds to the main story that takes place 35 years before it. There's also a character who withholds information, and it's going to be a case of either you buy why they hid it or you don't.
The Cursed is a solid addition to the werewolf subgenre of horror with a rich sense of atmosphere and strong performances from its cast. Some parts of the movie like the wraparound or the motivations behind certain characters actions aren't without hiccups, and the design of the werewolf will probably put off some purists. But despite some minor criticisms, The Cursed is a fun exercise in atmosphere and intensity that doesn't let up until the end.