The Cursed Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Cursed Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 28, 2022

There are not a lot of ways to approach a werewolf story, with freshness lacking when it comes to the details of transforming bodies and vicious appetites. Writer/director Sean Ellis (“Cashback,” “Anthropoid”) searches for a new take on a monster movie, and he finds it with “The Cursed,” which brings such terror to the late 1800s, offering a story about land seizure, denial, and grief. There’s also the occasional sequence of stalking between predator and prey, but Ellis doesn’t go overboard with his moments of violence. Instead, he elects to take the slow-burn route, playing tribute to Hammer Films and their deliberate ways of exploring an unfolding nightmare. “The Cursed” isn’t always riveting, but it comes together as an intelligent study of werewolf fantasy and threat, doing something different with a well-worn concept.

Arriving at a small village in the late nineteenth century, pathologist John (Boyd Holbrook) is pursing news of trouble nearby. The area is controlled by rich men who long ago decided to exterminate a small Gypsy population, claiming their land illegally and flaunting their murderous ways. Now, there’s a new threat in the community, with Seamus (Alistair Petrie) and his wife, Isabelle (Kelly Reilly), dealing with the loss of their son, Edward (Max Mackintosh), who was bitten by a bully wearing silver teeth pulled from the grave of a murdered Gypsy elder. Edward has now disappeared into the forest, undergoing a transformation that threatens everyone as he begins to take lives. John is called in to understand what’s going on, using his own past as motivation to put an end to the growing violence, which he recognizes as a curse. Using his expertise to find Edward, John is also challenged by Seamus, who refuses to accept this new reality, while Isabelle is lost without her son.

“The Cursed” actually opens in 1917, observing an unnamed character’s dire experience during World War I. The man hopes for valor but ends up with a chest full of a bullets, quickly relocated to a triage unit, where a doctor tends to his wounds, digging into fresh holes. Attempting to save the soldier’s life, the doctor makes a curious discovery, extracting a silver bullet from the body as well. The story soon jumps back decades to the days of Seamus and his estate, with the land baron showing little patience for Gypsy concerns, joined by community leaders to take the area by force, including the torture and murder of an elder. She’s prepared a special silver mouthpiece before her demise, manufacturing a curse that comes to haunt Seamus, unleashed via a local bully who dares to dig into the earth and pull out a Gypsy container, compelled to wear the teeth, which force him to bite Edward. “The Cursed” establishes a series of events that become clearer as the story continues, with Ellis generating some level of mystery to character connections, also launching the hunger of the creature, as Edward becomes something different in the night.

Holbrook plays the Peter Cushing role in “The Cursed,” with the knowledgeable scientist entering the village offering help, launching an investigation into Edward’s disappearance. At first, fresh deaths and strange discoveries are blamed on the actions of a “wild animal,” but it soon becomes clear that a monster is loose. Ellis develops this new threat in fascinating ways, mixing elements from “The Thing” to complicate werewolf expectations. He sticks with tradition with the presence of silver bullets and unprepared locals, but “The Cursed” has interesting ways of making everything old seem new again, refreshing the intimidation factor of the beast, who’s not exactly a simplistic eating machine. More dramatic layers are added with Isabelle, a hopelessly lonely woman who responds to John’s company and slowly comes undone without Edward, providing the picture with a sense of urgency during the hunt for the missing child.

The Cursed Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Cursed" deals with an unusually dark film, as most of the action is illuminated by candles and natural light. Delineation is acceptable, but some costumes solidify during the viewing experience. Color is drained out of the feature, which offers a cooler palette with browns and grays, with brighter elements of fire presenting hotter hues. Skintones are intentionally bloodless. Detail is a bit soft, but facial particulars are satisfactory, and gory events are textured. Compression issues are common, with banding prominent at times, especially in the smoke-filled finale.

The Cursed Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is very active, with surrounds utilized throughout the listening event, offering separation effects and heavy atmospherics. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, securing accents and intensity well. Scoring cues retain precise instrumentation and a circular presence. Low-end delivers some rumbling with violent attacks and, amusingly, the LD Entertainment logo, which features galloping horses.

The Cursed Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Behind the Scenes of 'The Cursed'" (4:38, HD) is a brief overview of the production, with cast and crew interviews (conducted on-set) exploring story points, characterization, and the material's approach to werewolf-style horror. BTS footage is quick, but it does reveal how practical monsters were operated during filming. A celebration of director Sean Ellis is also included, but the helmer doesn't sit down for an interview.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Cursed Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Cursed" creeps along at a minimal pace, with Ellis working up tension through visits to nightmare realms, and werewolf attack sequences are effective, reinforcing the brutality of the creature. Scariness is tended to by the production, but Ellis always wants the material to engage on a dramatic level, delving into genocidal events and domestic discord. Nothing in the feature happens quickly, and expectations for aggressive genre additions need to be lowered. "The Cursed" is more about deliberate pacing and ghastly revelations, updating the Hammer Films experience for a new audience perhaps unaccustomed to the British ways of period panic.