BLOOD WORK: THE HORROR HARVEST: THE CURSED (2022)

THE CURSED (2022)

Werewolf movies are a special breed and among the more challenging horror films to execute. It's a subgenre that has been with horror cinema since the horror boom of the 1930s, long-standing, venerated, and time-honored. Werewolf of London (1935), The Wolf-Man (1941), Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Mark of the Wolf Man (1968), An American Werewolf In London (1981), The Howling (1981), Wolf, (1994), Ginger Snaps (2000), Dog Soldiers (2002), The Wolfman (2010), and many more!

But it seems that for every good werewolf movie there are three fair to middling werewolf movies. Werewolf films, by their very nature, are effects heavy films, even back in the day in the 30s and 40s. The transformation sequence is always a tremendous moment (and the films that opt out of showing such a scene tend to fall flat). Then there's the design of the werewolf itself. There's the more human-like werewolf with pointed ears, fangs, canine nose, and claws, but otherwise human body. There's the complete transformation into an actual wolf, appearing no different (except maybe in size) to an actual wolf. And then there's my favorite, the man in a full body suit that walks upright towering above everyone else, monstrous and impressive (The Howling style).

Nailing these two key aspects should be the first two goals of any werewolf film followed, of course, by excellent storytelling, acting, and directing. An American Werewolf In London and The Howling should be considered masterclasses in werewolf cinema (along with a few others). Obviously, such films achieving these lofty goals are rare, but I still love to see new filmmakers try.

THE CURSED (not to be confused with Wes Craven's werewolf film CURSED) is the latest werewolf film to debut. Ambitious and filled with potential, The Cursed is a period piece drama drawing from real history and horror masterpieces like THE THING (1982). Striving for great heights, the film contains a lot of positives but ultimately falls short of its lofty goals (at least it did for this horror fan).

THE SYNOPSIS

During the late nineteenth century, to settle a land dispute, Baron Seamus Laurent sends a group of mercenaries to make an example of a gypsy camp on "his" land. As the gypsies lay dead and dying in a mass grave, one of them places a curse on the Baron and his kin. Shortly thereafter Baron Seamus' son goes missing as news of a beast attacking the village surfaces. As events worsen, a pathologist arrives in the village with a unique knowledge of what has befallen the townsfolk.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

A period piece gothic horror film is like catnip to someone like me. I loved the setting and the look of the film which felt very colonial American/European. While many aspects of the film feel low budget, the set design and authenticity of the film looks good and may be the strongest element to the film. And the actors lose themselves in the sets and the narrative, nearly all of them lending great performances. Boyd Holbrook and Kelly Reilly really stood out among the cast.

The opening sequence set during the Battle of the Somme was great and set a good tone. The raid on the Gypsy camp, the stuffing of the Scarecrow, and the live burial were epic and brutal. Then the replaying of the dream sequence, revealing a little more each time, was very effective. And the autopsy scene was incredible, evoking vibes of The Thing. The gore throughout the film too was quite good. And the werewolf was unique in design, standing out from any other werewolf I've seen in any movie. Altogether the werewolf angle of the story managed to feel both classic and fresh at the same time.

But the film's editing was rather jarring, lacking smooth transitions, and feeling a little abrupt in its movements. This kind of editing left me feeling dissatisfied and hurt the flow of the narrative. The film also felt a little too long, in need of some cropping to keep the pace up. And there's no real money shot of the werewolf either! Also, while I loved the autopsy scene, that does not excuse the lack of a transformation sequence for the film. The autopsy felt like a placeholder for the subgenre's essential transformation sequences, like a clever inversion of the werewolf transformation. It's great, but the film still needed an on-screen transformation scene.

The cinematography opts for a "less is more" approach in regards to the werewolf, milking it far too long, with no major payoff. There was too much of the "less is more" if such a thing is possible! Many of the werewolf sequences were also rather artfully photographed, but not in a good way, more to the disappointment of the viewer. This is a monster movie, as such, the obscured shots and darkened lighting work to establish atmosphere and tension at first. But there needs to be an awesome payoff. The massacre finale should've been the coup de grace, but it's shot again in an artful way that diminishes the spectacle and impact, almost like the director was afraid to go for it lest they be lumped in with "bourgeois'" horror. In the fear of becoming bourge' the movie loses entertainment value.

THE VERDICT

There were many intriguing and cool elements to this film, but they lacked strong cohesion. In the end the film showed so much potential, yet could not come together in a remarkable way. All in all, I feel there are more positives than negatives to the movie, if only just. I'm glad I watched it and would love to see a recut of the film, shorter, smoother editing, and a pulled back straightforward bloody massacre finale. This movie was a hair's breath away from greatness, needing only tweaks here and there.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 2 out of 10