The Cursed

When we think of supernatural horror tropes, there are a few classics that come to mind: ominous visitors that place troubling hexes, ghastly transformations and the outsider that figures out the scenario to save the day. Sean Ellis’s The Cursed seems to embody all three of these tropes, but with carefully crafted twists and turns that are unpredictably predictable and, of course, may put you on the edge of your seat with curiosity more than nerves. 

Placed in the late nineteenth century, land baron Seamus Laurent (Alistair Petrie) decides to make an example of a band of gypsies residing on the property that he stole from them. As one gypsy woman (Pascale Becouze) watches her clan fall before her and the gypsy blacksmith (Jicey Carina) strung up like a scarecrow, she curses not only Seamus but the village to an untimely end for taking what was not theirs to begin with. The curse itself sets sinister plans in motion not only for the villagers but Laurent’s children Charlotte (Amelia Crouch) and Edward (Max Mackintosh) as well, who start to have vivid dreams about the scarecrow and a strange set of silver fangs that the gypsies had crafted prior to their death. When the curse begins to take effect and villagers end up dead by an unknown wolf-like creature and Laurent’s own son Edward goes missing, pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) enters the settlement and tries to unravel the mystery before the curse brings forth the same fate of his own wife and daughter. Unfortunately, McBride only finds that the truth is even more disturbing than he had even imagined.  

Sean Ellis has reintroduced the werewolf in a new, intriguing way. While the storyline may seem vague at the beginning of the film and slow at other moments, the flow and dialogue in The Cursed work together to keep you engaged. From Ellis’s prior work on Anthropoid to this film, he is a master of utilizing a plot that moves slowly but with purpose. You’re not always meant to jump out of your seat with fear, but you’re left questioning where the story can go next and how each scene correlates with the next. That’s not to say that you won’t have an occasional scare—the wolf is a little less An American Werewolf in London and a little more like the infected dogs in I Am Legend and their agility leaves no room for speculation. But even with the scary moments, Ellis knows how to execute “less is more” to keep the audience wanting more. 

But while the movie itself is enjoyable and I do appreciate a decent horror flick, there could have been more about the gypsy storyline in the film and possibly some quick scenes depicting the conflict between them and Seamus—maybe even McBride and his family. The gypsies had such a small part and yet their presence played a pivotal role in the story. I would also have loved to find out a backstory as to why the gypsies were partial to turning the silver into a set of marked fangs. As that conflict and the fangs are vital to the storyline, they deserved more of a spotlight than just a glossing-over.  

If you’re needing a decent horror film to hold you over until Halloween, The Cursed will give you just that. Your psychological inner nerd may enjoy the mystery unraveling.