The Cursed
In the late 19th century, a brutal land baron slaughters a Roma clan, unleashing a curse on his family and village. In the days that follow, the townspeople are plagued by nightmares, the baron's son goes missing, and a boy is found murdered. The locals suspect a wild animal, but a visiting pathologist warns of a more sinister presence lurking in the woods.
- Released: 2021-07-28
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
- Stars: Kelly Reilly, Boyd Holbrook, Alistair Petrie, Uhm Ji-won, Roxane Duran, Nigel Betts, Stuart Bowman, Gary Oliver, Richard Cunningham, Simon Kunz, Áine Rose Daly, Amelia Crouch, Tom Sweet, Max Mackintosh, Parker Ellis, Tommy Rodger, Sean Mahon, Mish Boyko, Paul Bandey, Alun Raglan, Oisín Stack, Florie Blight, Annabel Mullion, Jicey Carina, Stuart Goodwin, Edmund Wiseman, Christopher Craig, Serge Pierre-Gaudou, Patrick Zocco, Brigitte Masure, Anne-Hélène Orvelin, Robert Charpentier, Rebecca Calder, Go Gyu-pil, Fabien Houssaye, Kim In-kwon, Kwon Hae-hyo, Carl Laforêt
- Director: Sean Ellis
Comments
- Platypuschow - 19 April 2024
Eight for Silver: A blend of great and forgettable
Plot
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.
Cast
Boyd Holbrook, the always appreciated Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie and Hanna (2019) star Áine Rose Daly.
Verdict
I'll be honest going in my hopes for Eight for Silver/The Cursed were no great. I don't like period stuff and I'm not a great fan of werewolf movies so I figured it wouldn't stand a chance. Was I right? Meh, somewhere in the middle.
The film looks the part, except when it comes to the creature effects then it's somewhat lacking, and by somewhat I mean pretty badly.
The performances are adequate, but Kelly Reilly is positively wasted!
The plot is above par, but it plods along as such a weak pace I genuinely found myself drifting off while watching it.
Werewolf films don't exactly saturate the genre but there is still no shortage, look elsewhere if you want a film you actually remember.
Rants
I'm a movie obsessive, this is long since established! I'm passionate about film so if a movie has me falling asleep during it, there's something very very wrong. Even lesser engaging films can usually keep my attention but this struggled, by the finale I was struggling to keep my eyes open. It's not that it was bad, it's more that it was just so mediocre, so unengaging, so generic and bland my mind decided my dreams were a better alternative.
The Good
The setting looks the part Some of the cast are very strong
The Bad
Weak lead Kelly Reilly was wasted Horrifically boring in places Poor finale. - wvfempwolford - 20 December 2023
Great traditional horror
I rented this one on Amazon Prime. I admit, probably due to some inattention , i had to watch it twice before the rental time was expired to make all the connections.
First of all, great atmosphere, beautiful cinematography, superb period creation. The premise of a gypsy curse starts the story. Boyd Holbrool's pathologist character allready has a history and knowledge of the beast, arriving at a town where stange things are happening. Much like in Hammer classic horror, people are attacked and infected, resulting in horror. Creative ways are displayed in the results. If you like period pieces, classic horror, i highly recommend. - paulinewasser - 31 March 2023
Stays with you.
"The Curse" is a haunting and atmospheric horror film that immerses viewers in a remote, 19th-century French village plagued by a mysterious curse. Director Sean Ellis masterfully creates a sense of unease and dread through the film's stunning visuals and eerie sound design, which are further amplified by an evocative score. The slow-burn storytelling effectively builds tension and intrigue, as we witness the escalating horrors that befall the village and its inhabitants.
The cast delivers strong performances, with the standout being Catherine Walker as the determined and resourceful mother who uncovers the dark secrets of the curse. The film also touches on themes of faith, superstition, and the dangers of unchecked power, adding depth to the otherwise familiar horror genre.
While "The Curse" may not be for everyone, it's a well-crafted and chilling addition to the horror canon that deserves recognition for its technical prowess and thoughtful storytelling. - PestVolk - 2 November 2022
Zero entertainment value
I felt like I was watching 21st century people in costumes pretending to live in the early 20th century. I wasn't immersed at all because of the lack of authenticity of the setting, names that didn't match the people, clothes that didn't match the people, the whole movie didn't feel tailored into something believable or immersive.
The first half is a dull drama.
The second half is an infuriatingly bad, completely pointless slasher flick with horribly bland, dumb written characters, plot holes and just serves as a weak moment to moment thread to make something akin to a movie.
Completely uninspired and a pointless waste of time and money for either serious era-drama enthusiasts or horror enthusiasts. - matjusm - 24 September 2022
Starts off promising, but descends into mediocrity
A pathologist (Boyd Holbrook) comes to investigate a series of strange occurances in a village in late 19th century rural France. A group of gypsies has gone missing and a curse appears to hang over the town, and one rich family in particular.
The film I think starts off quite well, building a sense of mystery with pretty decent cinematography and a few chills. The scientist coming to solve a small town issue is reminescent of Johnny Depp's character in Sleepy Hollow.
The downsides begin here which is that I felt little to no connection or sympathy for the characters. Boyd Holbrook is not a bad actor in this film, its just that his character has the charisma of a piece of soggy toast, and you feel relatively indifferent to both him and everyone else in the film. Furthermore, while the film is meant to be set in France (with several characters having French names), others seem English or Irish, and the film never explains any of this. I'm just left scratching my head as to what I'm meant to be looking at, is it just some generic 19th century "European" setting that is an amalgamation of people and cultures from across the continent?
While there are a few scares and chills in this film, it relies more on jump scares than on atmosphere, and ultimatlely they become a bit too predictable. With characters you don't really care for, the nice visuals of the film aren't enough to make you care for what's happening, and ultimately I ended up feeling hollow and unsatisfied by this. Its not a bad film or a B movie per se, but just has little to offer.
