2/5 one star for the effects, one for the cast..
  by ribcage (Lantana, Florida United States)
Cursed is a disappointing, formulaic horror movie (complete with ample references to classic horror films that did not use this formula) that highlights once again that Wes Craven somewhere in the 90s ushered any real talent he had out the door.

Looking at the production history should be the first clue to what to expect out of this film. A handful of actors dropped out, after already having shot scenes, requiring on the fly re-writes and re-shoots causing the movie to be delayed at least a year. Sets for a finale in a wax musuem get cannibalised into a club...with wax musuem exhibits. Go figure.

But, you may argue, this can be balanced out by looking at the remaining cast, most of whom are stellar actors and actresses. Except that you can stuff whoever you want into your story, if it's bad it stays bad.

The story follows Elli (Christina Ricci) and her brother Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) who through a horrendous car accident down a hill that follows in an animal attack, as they realise they have become afflicted with the curse of the werewolf and their efforts to find the person who bite them so they can be cured by killing them. Which means, of course, that one of the many random characters all over the movie is going to be a werewolf, and at least one will be a red herring, and by the time it all unravels the viewer will have just watched a terrible film.

The story bumbles through Jimmy trying to convince Elli that they are indeed werewolves while both of them experience changes to themselves while still trying to continue with their lives. (In fact, they're so determined to continue with their lives that the morning after the car accident where they witnessed a girl mutilated by an animal, Jimmy is telling Elli of the werewolf lore and she tells him claiming to be a werewolf is no excuse to get out of school. Forget the fact that they just saw someone die horribly a few hours ago, the two don't even really give her death a second thought.) As such, we see too much of their lives interspersed with what's actually some pretty good werewolf scenes, but not a lot of them. Which is sad because these werewolves were VERY good looking, and their scenes were the only ones with any kind of reasonable pacing.

So it slowly, slowly builds to its predictable end, a werewolf crawls on the ceiling for some reason, and all that's missing out of the generic horror formula is a surprise "IT'S NOT OVER!" ending.

I guess they weren't counting on a sequel to this one.





2/5 A Werewolf Movie Without Bite
  by Richard Ross
Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) and Ellie (Christina Ricci) are a pair of orphaned siblings living in Hollywood. Jimmy is still in high school and a frequent target for a jock (Milo Ventimiglia)'s homophobic slurs. Ellie is an intern for the Craig Kilborn show (this film isn't dated at all). One night while driving home on Mulholland Drive they get into a car accident and in the ensuing chaos both get bitten by a large animal. Jimmy believes it to be a werewolf but both Ellie and the cops think it's his overactive imagination. The next morning when Jimmy wakes up naked in the bushes and Ellie develops a craving for blood she begins to rethink her brothers' claim. After doing some investigating she learns that her and Jimmy have been cursed by the mark of the beast and that the only way to reverse it is to kill the werewolf who gave it to them. The two siblings spend the remainder of the film trying to figure out which one of the colorful characters populating their lives is actually a werewolf. Their search includes Ellie's womanizing boyfriend (Joshua Jackson), a psycho publicist (Judy Greer), a goofy gypsy (Portia DeRossi) and Scott Baio as himself. The film is fun in a campy sort of way but that isn't enough to sustain it. This is both confusing and disappointing since the creators, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson, are the two men responsible for re-inventing the teen horror genre with 'Scream'. The script has none of Williamson's clever satire or Craven's skill at orchestrating suspenseful tension. Instead they rely on shots of their KNB created werewolf baring it's sharp teeth and plenty of gushing blood to provide the scares. There are some fun moments in the performances and what little satire there is is appreciated, but 'Cursed' is a disappointing effort from both men.

3/5 Tons of Furry Fun, Kinda Hot
  by Erin O'Riordan (Midwest USA)
I love a good werewolf story. Remus Lupin is one of my favorites in the Harry Potter books, and I adore Alcide in Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. I've written a few werewolf stories myself. I liked this campy salute to the werewolf genre, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by horror vet Wes Craven.

The plot (may contain spoilers) revolves around Ellie, a producer for a late-night talk show in Hollywood. After her parents died, she's taken in her teenage brother Jimmy. Jimmy's a sweet kid, slightly nerdy. He has a crush on Brooke, a classmate who works at a wax museum. Brooke is, unfortunately, dating Bo, the captain of the wrestling team. Bo loves to make gay jokes about Jimmy.

One night, as Ellie and Jimmy are driving home along a lonely stretch of Mulholland Drive, their car hits an animal, and then runs another car off the road. The woman in the other car, Becky, is trapped. Ellie and Jimmy try to rescue her, but the enormous animal carries Becky off and devours her. It also attacks Ellie and Jimmy. Jimmy thinks it may have been a werewolf.

After that night, strange things begin to happen to the siblings. They crave blood and have strange marks on their hands. They feel more alert and stronger. Jimmy challenges Bo to a wrestling competiton, and wins. And, as Becky's friend Jenny is killed by a mysterious beast, Ellie begins to suspect that there is a werewolf-- and that her boyfriend Jake, who knew both women-- has something to do with it.

As Ellie is confronting Jake, Bo is confessing to Jimmy that his homophobic aggression has been covering up the fact that Bo is gay, and powerfully attracted to Jimmy. (Werewolves have an unusual sexual allure, according to this film.) But soon Jimmy and Bo must run away from the family golden retriever, who has become a weredog after biting Jimmy. Naturally, they run to Jake's movie-themed club, where Jimmy, Ellie and Bo become trapped with the angry werewolf.

Several of your typical horror movie conventions apply, including a bit of misdirection. But this movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and is actually quite funny.

Perhaps best of all, Ellie is played by Christina Ricci. If you only remember her as the child actor from the Addams Family films, then you have to see her now. Ricci has a gift for both comedy and drama-- and, not to mention, a fabulous body. ( I recommend both Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow and her indie film Pumpkin). Hard to tell who I like better in this, Ricci as Ellie or Heroes cast member Milo Ventimiglia as Bo. If you're into the whole boy-boy thing, then the moment Bo goes to kiss Jimmy is kinda hot.

Either way, Cursed is definitely blessed with tons of furry fun.


4/5 Highly enjoyable unintentionally comic horror
  by The Tao of Netflix (Washington, DC)
If you accept that this film is really intended to be viewed as a comic horror, you'll enjoy. Its a fun cast of young people very much in a Scream kind of way, albeit with werewolves. Its an old idea, but applied with a lot of the Scream pizazz that makes it fun and lighthearted. Some of the special effects are very weak. Best part, though, is it makes fun of scott baio. cant't beat that.

4/5 What would you expect ?
  by L. C. Trude Jr.
This is a Wes Craven flick, so we have to watch it trying to keep some things in mind. In first place, his acclaimed best movies are not even good, really. His "masterpiece" Nightmare on Elm Street it's a kid's play if compared to some serious horror films. He's no genius, and I think he never tried to be one, but his works seems to appeal to several audiences due to its simplicity and fake atmosphere.
And that's what Cursed is : simply fake, but highly funny and entertaining. So if you keep your expectations in a low level, it might please you.
In fact, what else would you expect from a bunch of young people trying to act, a non-original script and a director whose last big success was Scream, a bad remake from the not so great Prom Night ?