Overview and Production Background
The Cursed is a gothic horror film that was written and directed by Sean Ellis, who also co-produced the film. It was initially called Eight for Silver and had it’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021 before getting a theatrical release in 2022. The movie was a co-production between France and the US and was filmed in the rural Charente area using 35mm film and anamorphic lenses which gave the movie striking visuals.
The film is just under 113 minutes long and is a slow burn horror film incorporates folklore elements along with period dramas and centers on themes Regency style colonial violence, supernatural retribution, and inherited guilt. The Cursed received praise for its unique take on the werewolf sub genre and its ambitious visuals even though it underperformed at the box office.
Plot Summary
The Cursed begins with the strange and violent happenings surrounding a community in French countryside region in the 19th century. The primary character is Seamus Laurent, a cruel land baron who is headhunted by a Roma clan claiming land within the family estate. Laurent’s retaliatory attack culminates in the Romani matriarch casting a curse using fang-like, silver tooth implants. While the mystic slides are interred, the curse remains active.
Children in the village start to have disturbing visions, and with the buried silver teeth, a boy named Timmy turns into a vicious creature. Simultaneously, Edward, Seamus’s son, disappears after a supernatural encounter and is believed dead.
To investigate the increasing number of deaths, pathologist John McBride, who happens to have a personal tragedy of losing a wife and daughter to folkloric creatures, is summoned. The mystery is further complicated as he uncovers more monstrous realities, including the fact that the silver teeth have triggered a shapeshifting entity that curses its hosts.
As the beast commences its attack on the village, the tension escalates. In an effort to save his family, Seamus attempts to fight off the creature, but he too is cursed. To mitigate collateral damage, he voluntarily succumbs to his curse, straining to contain himself. Isabelle, Seamus’s spouse, mourns and ultimately too succumbs through self-immolation, fueled by grief to save her children. The movie’s climax features a brutal church battle where she dies sacrificing herself for their children. Using silver bullets, McBride shoots the creature, but pays a terrible price himself. Years later, the narrative shifts to Edward; now an old man fighting in WW1. A surgeon extracting shards of metal from his body finds the silver bullet that once curtapped the curse, posing an inquiry about the nature of evil and consequences of violence.
Edward’s sister, Charlotte, captures the moment as a mark of their cruel family legacy. Main cast and characters Boyd: Holbrook as John McBride, a haunted pathologist with ties to the scourge. His sojourn in the village marks the mystery section of the plot. He appears calm, but behind his mask dwells profound pain.
Kelly Reilly as Isabelle Laurent: Mother to Edward and Charlotte. Her character arc is one of horror and self-sacrifice as she tries to protect her children from the repercussions of her husband’s viciousness.
Alistair Petrie as Seamus Laurent: An arrogant and cruel landowner whose violent deeds against the Romani people invokes the curse. He shifts from a state of ruthless control towards frantic despair.
Max Mackintosh as Edward Laurent: The son of Seamus and Isabelle, he is positioned at the center of the film’s supernatural horror narrative.
Amelia Crouch as Charlotte Laurent: Sister to Edward, she survives the events of the film and goes on to bear the mark of the cursed bloodline.
Roxane Duran and Áine Rose Daly also feature from the periphery in a manner that furthers the emotional complexity of the plot.
Themes and Symbolism
Judicial Folklore
The Cursed takes the ancient werewolf tale and transforms it into a werewolf narrative that serves as an ethereal punishment for transgressions of the past. The curse placed on the Romani people is not merely magical in intent, but instead represents the deep-rooted moral decay which resides within the Laurent family—and their vast fortune and influence.
Colonial Guilt
The film explores the metaphor of colonial and class-based sociopolitical violence. The massacre of the Romani clan not only signifies an event but also depicts how empires exploit the suffering of the marginalized. The curse is a supernatural form of that guilt vis-à-vis a form of punishment.
Sacrifice and Redemption
These multiple acts of self-sacrifice, offering liberation from one’s own past, whose redemption is intertwined with inspiration through sin are rendered by Seamus to break the cycle, Isabelle to save her children, and McBride who confronts his past through the monster.
Atmosphere and Isolation
The rural landscape together with the dense use of natural light—fog and overcast skies—create an atmosphere of impending doom which augments loneliness and inevitability. Silence furthers horrors, augmenting the monster’s presence within the environment’s stillness.
Visual and Cinematic Style
Ellis employs a controlled and deliberate approach to horror – suspense, pacing, and atmosphere takes the front seat in place of gore and jump scares. Conceptualization of the creature is enhanced through practical and digital effects, diverging from the traditional werewolf style to surreal and extraterrestrial.
The cinematography incorporates wide landscape shots alongside long takes and emotional close-ups. The camera tends to focus on silent grief for some time, capturing moments of sorrow. This adds to the film’s poetic and melancholic tone. The historical setting feels more authentic and textured due to the use of 35 mm film.
Critical Reception
The Cursed received a fairly positive reception from critics. Reviewers applauded the film’s ambition, its strong visual storytelling, and how it executed a slow burn emotionally driven narrative within a horror framework. Boyd Holbrook and Kelly Reilly were singled out for their performances, while the creature design received attention for its frightening uniqueness.
Critics, however, did identify some aspects as weaknesses, particularly concerning pacing. The slow burn approach was appreciated by fans of atmospheric horror but deemed excessive by some. A handful of reviewers also considered the characters to be underdeveloped, though this criticism was mitigated by the film’s depth of visuals and themes.
Overall, The Cursed was praised as an intelligent and sophisticated horror movie, distinguishing itself from more conventional entries, despite the critics’ noted minor flaws.
Conclusion
The Cursed stands out in modern horror for its emotional focus and layered, symbolic storytelling. It is a visually stunning film that integrates folklore, history, and supernatural vengeance as a cohesive narrative.
Monsters, as portrayed in The Cursed, stem from the deeply troubling aftermath of human barbarity, and the film’s dark visuals and rich atmosphere convey more than just fright. It centers on humanity’s repugnant actions. The film is raw and disturbing, gothic in nature, and carries an undercurrent of penetrating philosophical insight.
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