The Cursed

It's been quite some time since there has been some legitimate horror in this genre. This movie delivers on all the right aspects from the cinematography to the creature effects. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I wished they never changed the original title, Eight for Silver. That name had a unique identity of its own.

An aesthetically pleasing horror drama, beautiful locations, peak cinematography, talented actors, a proper budget, brilliantly written and directed, realistic brutal scenes with outstanding performances.

A unique take on lycanthropy that never ever seen before. I would've rated more if Sean Ellis carried the same momentum he had until the final act.

The Cursed might be a slow burn, but it delivers pure horror and suspense throughout. The cast is excellent and the cinematography is just gorgeous. I wish more people were talking about this low budget horror flick. It has so many bloody and disgusting surprises that bring audiences sick stomachs and pure enjoyment. Far better than the disaster, Scream 5. Best horror film of the year thus far and I didn't even expect it.

A fine production, the dark visual quality and a well working cast make The Cursed aka Eight for Silver worth your time. The only thing I gotta complain is the running time - 155 minutes, which almost inevitably leads to some lengthy or redundant parts and rather weakens the experience than improving. Why so many directors these days think that they have to make such long running movies (Apocalypse Now directors cut just runs half an hour longer but got massively more story to tell), I don't know, but too many times it is really an unwise choice to do so. Anyway, if you like such different horror pleasures like Sleepy Hollow, The Village, The Thing, The Cursed will give you some entertaining time.

Sean Ellis wrote, directed, and co-produced this gothic horror, along with serving as it's cinematographer. This is 100% the vision of his single creative mind, and I have a tremendous amount of admiration for that, even if not all of it worked for me.

The Cursed is a bizarre, unconventional monster movie. It has a heavy focus on tone and atmosphere with very little regard for establishing mythology. And it's a very refreshing take on the well-worn concept of werewolves.

With this film, Ellis proves himself to be a more than capable director and cinematographer. He crafts a bleak environment in which no one is safe or truly morally just, and he keeps the horrifying creature out of the frame as often as possible so that when the gore does finally come, it's a shocking occurrence.

The visual presentation is far more impressive than the writing, however. Ellis's script certainly isn't bad. It's just overstuffed, biting off a bit more than it can chew. There is an opening sequence that isn't mentioned again until the ending, and even then it feels disconnected from the actual narrative. There is no real reason for it to be here, and it's presence actually takes away from a more ambiguous ending that would have been far creepier.

Additionally, there are quite a lot of characters, and none of them are really fleshed out beyond the positions they hold in society. There is quite a lot going on in this film in its first and final acts, and it could have been streamlined a lot by cutting the fat to make it as lean and suspenseful as the middle portion of this film is.

Still, even with its faults, this is a thoroughly ambitious film that I think really does revitalise the werewolf mythos in a lot of ways, and I really hope that people go and support this film so that we can get more unique visions like this.

I'd rather see unique but flawed movies that allow a creator to have free reign than simple competent movies that don't take risks and feel like studio-approved products.