shudder cursed films cursed films review
Shudder

For years now, stories have circulated about “cursed” Hollywood movies, which have allegedly caused deaths, accidents, and other mysterious happenings involving those associated. Shudder’s new series, Cursed Films, takes a look at these movies by talking to industry insiders and cast and crew. Directed by Jay Cheel, the first three episodes dive into The Exorcist, The Omen, and Poltergeist.

The Exorcist (Ep. 1)

Warner Bros. Pictures

With a film that shocked movie-goers in 1973 by featuring a foul-mouthed, possessed 12-year-old girl, it is no surprise that a set plagued with injuries, fire, delays, and even deaths impacting the crew resulted in talks of a supposed curse. With such a long-lasting legacy and open conversations with crew members, including Linda Blair and Eileen Dietz, one would assume there would be more than enough content to fill the 30-minute runtime.

The episode starts with behind-the-scenes stories and facts, but then shifts focus to a man who is a “real” exorcist-for-hire. While the obvious correlation is there…The Exorcist and an exorcist…it did not feel connected to the story they wanted to tell, or even the movie itself. It showed his exorcism methods in practice and allowed the man to drone on about his work, before getting paid.

It is disappointing that the episode, despite being based on one of the most important films in cinema history, was mostly filler content. The brief facts that were given about The Exorcist offered no new perspective and will be all too familiar for horror fans. Still, there are highlights to be found, especially the humor and brutal honesty from Eileen Dietz, who played Pazuzu and the possessed Regan.

Rating: 2.8/5 Stars

The Omen (Ep. 2)

20th Century Fox

The real-life events surrounding The Omen included a plane crash, a bombing, deaths, planes struck by lightening, and other misfortunes and tragedies. Due to the topic of the film, about a young boy who is the Antichrist, some were left to wonder if the devil himself actually came to play.

While there were some very interesting facts presented that makes even a skeptic think twice, episode 2 followed the same filler format as the first episode. This time, Cheel brought a “real” witch who talked about curses (even doing some black magic on-camera) along with other guests, who discussed several films that weren’t The Omen.

Considering this is one of the most well-known “cursed” sets in Hollywood history, it is a shame that we couldn’t just hear about The Omen for the full half-hour.

Rating: 2.7/5 Stars

Poltergeist (Ep. 3)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

After the first two episodes left much to be desired, there was a slight hesitation before watching the Poltergeist episode. Based on what we had previously seen, I expected the show to follow ghost hunters or mediums while they present their craft. However, the episode was a breath of fresh air in the series.

While they didn’t talk about the “curse” exclusively, instead going into the film’s fandom and gut-wrenching emotions surrounding the deaths of the films’ stars, it does focus on Poltergeist. There is information given that may not be widely known among even longtime fans, and well-known facts are presented in a slightly new light, which will make you think. For example, we all know about real skeletons used in the pool scene. It was interesting to see the stern response from a crew member about the notion of these real skeletons leading to such tragedy. After all this time, it is easy to forget that there were real people behind this production whose actions were pointed to as the potential cause. Even if it is just superstition.

Once the episode concluded, I sat with tears in my eyes and appreciated the films even more. Let us hope that the next episodes, which talk about The Crow and Twilight Zone: The Movie, stay focused and leave fans appreciative and reflective over their favorite films.

Rating: 4.1/5 Stars

Cursed Films can now be streamed exclusively on Shudder.


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