A pretty fresh take on the traditional werewolf horror subgenre. I absolutely loved it. This period gothic/folk horror is enthralling, bloody, and grotesque. It gets off to a good start by launching into full terror mode right off the bat, with a story that hooked me from beginning to end. There's a good amount of violence and gore and some decent monster action, and the look of the actual monster is also very unique. The visual flair is very strong in this one. It is dark and gloomy, boasting a great atmosphere and some sinister imagery that keeps dread simmering on the stove, with a few well-executed jump scares that are genuinely surprising. The visual effects and body horror makeup are simply amazing. Excellent stuff and a nice twist on tiring subgenre is always appreciated. They should’ve kept _Eight for Silver_ as the title for wide release.

Great new way to make a werewolf movie it was like the thing meets werewolf type of story

The Cursed starts from an idea that, at first, had real potential: a gothic werewolf story, a curse tied to violence against a persecuted community, an isolated village, superstition, guilt, blood and a dark period atmosphere. On paper, it could have been an elegant, cruel and disturbing horror film. The problem is that the film seems to confuse solemnity with depth, and it ends up feeling much heavier than it should. Visually, it has interesting elements. The cinematography, the landscapes, the fog, the dim interiors and the sense of a sick world help create a fairly strong atmosphere. You can tell that Sean Ellis wants to move away from the usual werewolf formula and give the myth a dirtier, more tragic and more adult texture. That is where the best of the film lies: in the intention, in the surface, in the promise of something more uncomfortable. But a good idea is not enough. As it moves forward, The Cursed becomes increasingly clumsy. The story drags, the characters never really matter and the supposed moral weight of the curse becomes diluted. There are powerful themes here — guilt, violence by the powerful, punishment, the inheritance of crime — but the film never manages to turn them into true drama or true horror. They are there, yes, but they weigh less than they should. It also fails as entertainment. It did not grab me, it did not unsettle me very much, and at times it becomes boring. It has a few strong images, some violence and a creature that tries to move away from the usual model, but the whole thing progresses with a slowness that does not always create tension. Building atmosphere is one thing; making the film feel as if it is dragging its feet is another. The cast does its job, especially Boyd Holbrook and Kelly Reilly, but the characters feel too rigid inside a story that seems more concerned with looking serious than with feeling alive. It lacks emotion, nerve and someone truly compelling to follow. When the horror arrives, it often fails to hit because the film has not made the stakes matter enough. The Cursed could have been a great revision of the werewolf myth. It had context, images, violence and a curse with background. But it remains a visually attractive and rather hollow film, more interesting for what it tries to do than for what it achieves. Good idea, weak pulse. A lot of gravity, little emotion. And in the end, a clear feeling of missed opportunity.

This was a rather bland film in my opinion. Sure it tried to put some new spins on the werewolf genre but the over arching story has been done so many times over again and in much better fashion that this was a bore to sit through.

Good flick! The beasts were cool and equally gross upon autopsy 😊