Cursed (Unrated DVD)

With Cursed now out on DVD in two versions — one rated PG-13, one Unrated — and with only a couple of minutes’ difference, the controversy continues… just which version were certain reviewers shown? Rumor has it that at the screening I attended for Horror.com, we were shown a director’s cut which was later eviscerated and turned into a kid-friendly PG-13 for the masses.

Here, in part, is my original theatrical review:

Reminiscent of 1980’s An American Werewolf in London, Cursed artfully blends comedy with horror. (Another thing both productions have in common is creature-creator, Rick Baker). This is a very fine line to tiptoe but if anyone can do it, Craven can. And so can screenwriter Kevin Williamson — despite some career missteps, you can’t take Scream away from him. Put those people together, along with the extremely talented Christina Ricci, and you’ve got a tail-wagging night out at the movies.

Ricci plays Ellie Hudson, a serious-minded talent booker for the Craig Kilborn talk show. She’s guardian to her nerdy teenage brother, Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg), and the two live a normal life in a quiet suburban neighborhood with their dog Zipper (Solar) and the loving memory of their departed parents.

Their lives are turned topsy-turvy one night when they’re driving home from Hollywood, along a dark canyon road. Ellie swerves to avoid hitting what looks like a dog darting across the street and collides with another car. The driver of the other vehicle (Shannon Elizabeth) goes flying off the embankment; unhurt, Ellie and Jimmy race from their car and try to help her.

Just as they are succeeding to pull her free from the twisted wreck, a wild animal grabs the injured girl from the broken window. It wrenches her from the car and makes off with her, disappearing into the dark woods. Jimmy is convinced it was a wolf, while Ellie doesn’t know what she saw. As the events unfold and strange things start to happen, Jimmy becomes convinced that the animal was actually a werewolf and believes that it is now after him and his sister. They are cursed!

Although Cursed is not exactly a mystery, to say much more would require spoilers and I don’t want to wreck your fun. And “fun” is exactly what this movie is: It’s a rollicking popcorn flick, so don’t go in expecting Oscar material and you’ll enjoy yourself immensely.

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How do I feel about the movie now, having seen it once more? I got the Unrated DVD and to tell you guys the truth, I don’t think I saw anything too different from the pre-release screening. Of course, I see dozens of movies every month and my memory card can only hold so much till I have to purge the older files.

I still enjoyed Cursed — it’s not a standalone classic but it’s got a place among the best werewolf comedies, especially those made with a tamer audience in mind (ala Teen Wolf). One caveat: The already shaky CGI effects look even worse scaled down on the small screen.

There are plenty of extras on this disc.

Behind the Fangs: The Making of Cursed - is more like an interview and on-set look, than truly a “making-of” experience.

The Cursed Effects – shows insights from Greg Nicotero (who took over from Rick Baker), actress Judy Greer, and werewolf performer Derek Mears.

Creature Editing 101 - editor Patrick Lussier (director of Dracula 2000, Dracula 2: Ascension, and Dracula 3: Legacy) talks about how he decides how much to “reveal” of the werewolf, or any monster.

Becoming a Werewolf – is an unfunny mockumentary, which seems to have been made up on the spot.

Selected Scenes with Commentary -  Nicotero and actor Derek Mears host four scenes from the film: Car Wreck, Parking Garage, Tinsel, and Final Fight. They have a laugh, and it's fun to watch and listen.

You might notice that director Wes Craven was not actively involved in the production of the DVD — he’s publicly stated that he was pretty disappointed in Miramax’s theatrical cut of his film. But if you're curious to see for yourself, and you understand that Cursed is just a light, fun, popcorn flick, I recommend you give the disc a whirl.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

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Please be sure and read Horror.com's exclusive interview with Wes Craven.