Cursed [2005] (4 Stars)

This is a film I haven't watched for a long time. I couldn't even remember what it was about or who starred in it. I picked it up when I was making a selection of films I want to get rid of. Once every few years I pick up every DVD and Blu-ray in my collection, look at it, and ask myself if I'm likely to watch it again. I don't fill my bookcases with films just to have a collection I can boast about. The last time I trimmed my collection was in 2016, and the next time will be in early 2020.

This is definitely a film I'll keep. It was directed by Wes Craven and produced by Kevin Williamson, which is always a good team, although it's not up to the quality of "Scream". The film seems inconsistent. It starts off with suspense and frequent horror film jump scares. Then it settles into a mystery. Then comes the main action/fight scene, which lasts a good 20 minutes, longer than expected, but so good that it could have lasted longer. The film is rounded off with a slow moving epilogue that seems out of place after the previous fast pacing.

Ellie (Christina Ricci) lives with her younger brother Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg). It's not clear what's happened to their parents, but it was probably a tragedy, because they frequently look at an old family photo. Ellie and Jimmy are involved in a car crash when they hit an animal and skid onto the other side of the road, knocking another car into the bushes. They witness the driver of the other car being dragged away by a large wolf. Both of them are scratched by the wolf.

Over the following days both of them display strange symptoms. They develop a taste for raw meat and a pentagram forms on their right hands. The second symptom alone would be enough to make me run to the doctor... or the nearest Catholic priest. They suspect that there are other werewolves among their friends, but no one will admit it.

Though not a great film, "Cursed" is enjoyable and worth wathing more than once. The acting is excellent from the young people who look like teens even though they're older. Hollywood makeup works miracles. I wonder if I could be made to look like a teen. I don't understand why the film was a box office failure. The critics didn't like it, but that doesn't usually put people off. The viewing public is fickle.

Success Rate:  - 1.3

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