Earlier this year, I was seriously let down by Leigh Whannell’s reimagining of the "Wolf Man.”
This new spin on the classic Universal monster movie lacked the scares, thrills and gruesome moments I was craving. Fortunately, my previously unfulfilled appetite for a blood-chilling werewolf movie has now been satiated by this new arrival on Netflix, and I’m not the only one sinking their teeth into it either.
Called “The Cursed,” but confusingly also known as “Eight for Silver” in some regions (Netflix currently lists it under both titles), this gothic horror is full of savage beasts tearing through the inhabitants of a rural French town. It’ll satisfy any viewers with a serious blood lust, but its foreboding atmosphere and 19th-century period setting are what really make this movie work best.
I’ll admit to being unaware of this one until it popped up in the Netflix top 10 most-watched list over the weekend, but I’m glad this 2021 movie has found a new life on the world’s most popular streaming service. It currently sits in the No. 6 spot ahead of buzzy Netflix originals like "Brick" and "The Old Guard 2."
While it’s far from flawless, and there’s more meat on its bones than necessary, it’s the werewolf movie I needed after the “Wolf Man” really let me down.
So, if you’ve already spotted “The Cursed” in the Netflix top 10 and want to know a little more before adding it to your watchlist, here are all the details you need to know about this supernatural horror movie with plenty of bite.
What is ‘The Cursed’ about?
In the late 1800s, landowner Seamus Laurent (Alistair Petrie) finds himself in a dispute with a group of Romani settlers and opts for an extremely violent solution. He leads a brutal slaughter of the clan to reclaim his land and send a warning to any future settlers.
Following this immoral act, Seamus’s two children, Edward (Max Mackintosh) and Charlotte (Amelia Crouch), begin having terrible nightmares of silver fanged creatures. Soon afterward, Edward goes missing after being attacked by some sort of wild animal, and that's just the start of the creepy occurrences.
With the townfolk in denial, it takes the warnings of a visiting pathologist, John McBride (Boyd Holbrook), for the truth to begin to sink in. Seamus’s rash actions have brought a sinister curse on the village, and bloodthirsty beasts are lurking in the woods waiting to strike.
‘The Cursed’ is a slow burn, but worth sticking with till the gory end
Right off the bat, I should warn you that “The Cursed” is not a thrill-a-minute watch. Clocking in at almost two hours, it isn’t afraid to take the time to build atmosphere and a seriously eerie sense of dread.
This approach may alienate viewers chasing instant satisfaction, but it pays off in spades as the movie reaches its grand crescendo. All that build-up proves worthwhile as it allows you to get invested in the characters and their plight.
While I’m dishing out warnings, I should note that “The Cursed” can be pretty brutal at times. It has several hallmarks of a lower-budget movie with some unconvincing practical effects, but when the fake blood flows, it can be seriously gruesome. One early scene that sees a Romani settler dismembered and cruelly stuffed into a scarecrow garb had me literally wincing in horror.
“The Cursed’s” biggest strength is its gothic look and fitting sense of atmosphere. Okay, so it doesn’t reach the highs of genre masterpieces like “Nosferatu,” but it certainly gets within the same ballpark. And the period-accurate dress and candlelit scenes go a long way to making you feel immersed in its dark world of god-fearing townfolk and sharp-toothed creatures.
I also enjoyed the numerous dream sequences as the town is gripped in fear, and the children pay for the sins of their parents by being haunted by some terrifying visions. As a horror movie fanatic, I’m not easily spooked, but one nightmare scene had me feeling just a little bit uneasy, as a levitating woman floats across a misty field towards a screaming Edward. It's chilling stuff.
By no means is “The Cursed” attempting to rewrite the werewolf playbook; it sticks pretty rigidly to the established monster mythos, but it’s an effective chiller that slowly ratchets up the tension and has enough scares to keep your eyes glued to the screen and your heart rate high.
Stream ‘The Cursed’ on Netflix now
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Cursed” has managed a respectable 71% score from critics, which feels pretty fair to me. The movie has its moments, but the slower pace won’t be for everybody, and it certainly doesn’t reinvent the werewolf genre in any significant way.
The movie has its moments, but the slower pace won’t be for everybody, and it certainly doesn’t reinvent the werewolf genre in any significant way.
Viewers have been harsher, rating the movie 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. The pacing is a most frequent complaint among the numerous negative user reviews, but some criticism is also aimed at the night-time scenes, which some accuse of being hard to decipher.
So, I don’t think we can classify “The Cursed” as a crowd-pleaser, but I’d argue the above score is on the harsher side.
Horror fans, or just any viewer looking for a slow-burn period piece with an impactful gothic aesthetic, will want to give “The Cursed” a chance. The pace can be testing, especially in the middle portion where the narrative stalls, but stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded with a grand showdown and an ending, set several decades later, that brings things full circle.
Not sure “The Cursed” is for you, or just not in the mood for a somber werewolf flick, here’s a guide to everything new being added to Netflix this month for even more viewing recommendations.
Watch "The Cursed" on Netflix now
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