THE CURSED (2022) IS A BRUTAL KITCHEN SINK HORROR FILM!
Hype is both a blessing and a burden. Used correctly, hype can help a great movie find an audience it may not have otherwise (see: HEREDITARY). Used incorrectly, it can set unrealistic expectations that almost never are lived up to (see: HALLOWEEN KILLS).
In the internet fueled information age it has never been easier to get inundated with other people’s opinions. In saying this, I also realize the irony of me making this claim while simultaneously adding to the infinite bonfire of internet takes and proclamations…at least I can’t say I’m doing this for the money, of which there is none.
Nevertheless, hype is a powerful tool that can make or break a film and when it comes to horror movies they tend to put the “hype” in hyperbole more often than not. It’s part of the reason why lots of folks don’t watch trailers, and others avoid reviews like the plague until they have seen something for themselves despite the increasing amount of difficulty in the doing both, especially the latter. What I’m getting at is that when I walked into a 80% empty theater last Thursday to watch the first theatrical horror film of 2022 (I think?) THE CURSED, my expectations were non-existent.
Aside from one trailer I saw a couple of days before seeing the movie, this one had largely been absent from my radar. It’s not often anymore when you walk into a movie with this little context, and it was an opportunity that I really hoped would be more delightful than dreadful. After giving it some thought the questions I kept going back to was, why did THE CURSED just kind of appear of nowhere and was that the right or wrong choice?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger - and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.
Evil shall find death this eve!
HOW IS IT?
Before I begin, I want to apologize for the synopsis provided above. Those who have read my reviews know that I tend to copy/paste those either from the press release or the movies IMDB page, and the above summary is at best half-right. THE CURSED is what I think of as a classic “kitchen sink horror movie”. While I’m not saying I’ve coined this word, my definition of it is a horror film that executes against a lot of ideas without being beholden to one as it’s foundation. In the case of THE CURSED, this definition could not be more appropriate. Is it a werewolf movie? Kind of. Is it a supernatural movie? Kind of. Is it a folk horror movie? Kind of. THE CURSED is all of the above and then some as it adds in a bit of period drama and horror to the mix. In fact, I’d be hard pressed to even name another horror film that took place during both the first World War and pre-war 19th century. All of this said, THE CURSED is really fucking good even if it lacks focus. What I enjoyed so much about THE CURSED was that these ideas it hurls at you are both interesting and executed extremely well just as long as you don’t think about them too long.
Let’s start first with the atmosphere and setting. I can’t say where this was filmed, and I’m no expert on the French countryside circa 19th century, but this certainly felt authentic in regards to the location. The location also works really well in juxtaposing a group of nomadic indigenous people being displaced by the wealthy land-owning class that is seeking to work the land regardless of who it belongs to. In this way, the film both looks and feels like an A24 horror film right from the start even if this theme largely abandoned by the end of the film. Alongside the subtle and spooky setting, the technical aspects of the film are top notch. The camera work and sound design work splendidly in service of the story that feels eerily familiar to another French-based horror from the early 00’s, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF. Whereas the latter is much more concerned with accuracy and drama, the former is adorned with a cornucopia of different supernatural elements that become the focus of the film.
To that point, the visual effects here are overall pretty good. There are some genuinely creepy images conjured up throughout and some truly brutal scenes of gore that will have you wincing and pursing your lips together while you say “oowwwwwwww” out loud. One highlight is a steady cam shot at the beginning depicting a negotiation gone wrong that unfolds right in front of your eyes from the same viewpoint. Probably the best comparison I could make would be like watching a painting come to life, a very brutal and violent painting. And while I’m the first to gripe about the length of modern movies, the 117 minute runtime blew by largely thanks to the pacing of action and exposition/exploration of figuring out what is going on. Ultimately, the mystery isn’t so mysterious but your attention is held by the fact that the filmmakers don’t show too much too soon with respect to the monsters at the center of the film. The audience is privy to more information than the characters in the film, so it isn’t the plot leading you as much as it is wanting to see what in the actual hell is killing everybody.
What is really impressive about THE CURSED is that the film delivers set pieces in rapid succession, so it doesn’t have that lull that some horror films do near the middle of the 2nd act even if things do end somewhat abruptly by the end.
There is a lot to enjoy about THE CURSED, but I would be remiss if I didn’t speak to some of the weaker parts of the film. The first harkens back to my opening paragraph in this section in that THE CURSED does lack focus. Remember the theme of displacement and prejudice that I mentioned? Well that is largely gone by the end of the film, and instead we are given another layer that has a religious context to it. Neither of those threads pan out, but they aren’t made to be so important that you notice their absence. To that point, there are also a lot things that happen with either very little or no acknowledgement. Take the mass psychosis that seems to permeate the town. While it is mentioned at points, it’s not nearly as important of a plot point as you might think considering everyone in the town seems to be having the same fucked up dreams. Or take the fangs you see in the trailer and one-sheet. These certainly do look cool, and get a lot of mileage in the movie in service of both the plot and the action, but there are multiple reasons for their existence and never really explained all that well. These are minor gripes though, because the film mostly distracts you with another great set-piece so you kind of forget about these loose ends until you’ve had time to think about it once things are over. Its kitchen sink horror at its finest really; lots of ideas that are well executed without any substantial explanation. I think this is probably the reason that this movie arrived without much fanfare as it would be really hard to talk about specifics of the film without giving away spoiler-like elements. I will say that the trailer for this film does a good job with showing you what to expect, even if it doesn’t make a whole of sense in such abbreviated form.
This scarecrow scene will leave you shaken, and maybe a little stirred too.
LAST RITES
THE CURSED is a lot of things all at once and largely works because of solid execution and technical prowess. While not all of the ideas ultimately matter or even get followed through with, they are interesting and effective enough to make you forget about coherence. It’s kitchen sink horror to a tee that balances b-movie monster madness with A24 level artistry on top of dark gothic undertones.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
THE CURSED is in theaters now across North America!
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