Macabre Daily Reviews Scream Factory's Collector's Edition of 'CURSED'!
It’s a minor miracle that Scream Factory is putting out blu-rays from the Dimension Films catalog, and we should be lucky they’re bringing their pedigree to a whole new roster of films. It’s just too bad that it’s THIS film.
MOVIE:
In 2005, director Wes Craven and his “Scream” screenwriter Kevin Wiliamson teamed up with Rick Baker to make a werewolf film, the end product of which displays little-to-no indication of their vast talents. Rick Baker’s practical makeup design was eschewed for some dodgy CGI, Kevin Williamson’s dialogue is a perky shadow of its former self, and Craven directs like he has a gun to his head. Did I mention they did reshoots for ⅔ of the film after test screenings? “Cursed” is a paean of compromise that lives up to its name and then some.
Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg play siblings who develop weird abilities and cravings when they’re bit by a werewolf. When people around them start getting devoured, they race against time to cure themselves before they fully transform. Sounds like a fun modern “Lost Boys” with werewolves, right? Not by a mile. It’s a by-the-numbers whodunnit and the only people who appear to be having fun are Bowling For Soup, the band playing a pop punk cover of “Little Red Riding Hood” while the opening credits blip in and out so fast, you can feel the cast’s embarrassment. When you look at Wes Craven’s other films, it’s hard not to be depressed by this movie, until you realize not many of those who made it would consider it a “movie.”
SPECIAL FEATURES:
That said, all is not lost for this release! While the film itself isn’t good, Scream Factory not only knows it, their new special features are a dedicated autopsy of just what the hell happened. This includes 2 new featurettes, and one is pure gold.
First up, we have perpetual-good sport Derek Mears, who performed as the werewolf. He’s always enthusiastic and affable, but doesn’t dish too much dirt here despite being replaced mostly by CGI. But hey, after playing Jason Voorhees, you can imagine this one is further down on his resume. The real prize here is Patrick Lussier, Craven’s longtime editor and now writer/director of his own genre films.
Lussier’s interview is one of the best Scream Factory has done in recent years. He’s candid, funny, and slightly apologetic, though we all know it’s not his fault that only 12 (TWELVE!) minutes of the original cut are part of the final 85 minutes that made it to screen. His segment is around 30 minutes, but I could’ve watched an hour or more. Can somebody write a book about this fiasco now that the Schmeinsteins have been cast into their well-deserved abyss?
Finally, while horror fans were hoping to see the infamous original cut of “Cursed” prior to the reshoots (featuring Skeet Ulrich as a main character, among other significant changes), this edition just sports the previously-available theatrical and unrated versions along with other old making-of docs.
TECH SPECS:
The 4k scan on the blu really brings out the sheen of the mid-2000s. The film looks as slick as their “Valentine” release, though the upgrade can’t help but point out some of the seams. In 2022, it’s easier to tell that some dialogue scenes have characters acting against a greenscreen. This isn’t Scream factory’s fault, but rather evidence of the film’s reshoots and proof of what happens when you polish a turd.
As for the sound, no complaints from the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. You can hear the shitty, re-written dialogue clearly as Marco Beltrami’s score tries and tries.
CURSED is available May 10th from Scream Factory.
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