Eight for Silver

A ködös erdők és rétek remek helyszín egy vérfarkasos horrorfilmhez. A kosztümös történelmi korban játszódó filmnek ez adja meg a szolid dráma jellegzetességeit. De mire a horrorjelenetek beindulnak, a néző már szinte feladja. Eleinte szokatlanul rosszul vannak megrendezve, később inkább azért keltenek érzelmeket, mert már jobban ismerjük a szereplőket, és velük együtt éljük át a drámát. Gyenge három csillagot adok neki drámáért, nem horrorért. (2022.10.23)

A proper werewolf horror movie after a few years! The film is set in the lovely late 19th century and has an A24 studio feel to it. A small village begins to be consumed by a curse after a cruel Baron has a Romany clan massacred and unpleasant events begin to happen in the town. Boyd Holbrook (an excellent actor!) is a pathologist wo arrives in the town and helps the inhabitants avert the curse. The film doesn't get boring despite being over two hours long, it has chilling visuals full of fog and impressive set pieces, great actors (Kelly Reilly and Alistair Petrie alongside Holbrook are a terrific), a creepy scarecrow, a decent werewolf (here forget about the plush animals of the past five years), proper gore, a few scares, a solid brutal introduction set in the war, a final massacre in a church, the town curse – I really don't know what more to ask for, there's something for everyone and to a decent degree. Decent work for little money, a horror addition like this comes along once in a while and should be appreciated. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10. (2022.03.22)

A weak four or a strong three. The strength of The Cursed is a really well-done period atmosphere – an old mansion, a gloomy countryside, a dense forest drowned in fog – it really feels like an old Hammer film. The whole thing is serious, there is not even a hint of humour, which is quite refreshing, and it has a couple of horror scenes that are downright brilliant (the autopsy). Unfortunately, there are also a few scenes where things get a bit wonky. The pseudo-werewolves sometimes look unconvincing, and the director uses such a stupid blurry filter in several attack scenes (probably just to cover up the poor visual effects) that doesn't fit the beautifully shot dark gothic splendour all around. And the fact that you can't establish any connection to the characters (I found the main pathologist/investigator unlikeable, and the rest are either assholes or have little space) doesn't make for a stronger experience. However, despite the rather generous runtime (and predictability), I wasn't bored for a minute and enjoyed how nicely atmospheric it was, so I'm leaning towards the weaker four. (2022.03.16)

Do these gentlemen not know how to avoid a curse? That the gypsy must be offered not only land but also a caravan in boxwood blue? This way, they won’t get a peso as a bonus to the deal, but a werewolf instead. The gloomy atmosphere of rain, fog, and mud, along with the dubious CGI effects, effectively spins a spiral of violence (the general’s point of view during the attack on the campsite) and the undeniable presence of aliens, things, and American werewolves in London in Sean Ellis’s creative DNA. However, I found myself wanting more variability in the storytelling and a less predictable finale regarding who owns the bullet cast from Judas's silver. (2022.03.23)

There hasn't been a Werewolf horror film in a long time and I welcome a quality addition to the genre. The first half hour is noticeably better and more mysterious, but then it starts to go downhill a bit and the film just barely makes it to a satisfying end. The characters aren't particularly interesting, the visuals are thankfully properly dark and grim and there is the occasional blood and monster scene, so I'm not complaining. Equally pleasing are a couple of jump-scares with the a scarecrow and a solid atmosphere that does its thing with the aforementioned visuals. The story, however, is perhaps a little too simple and straightforward and doesn't bring much new, engaging or interesting enough as a whole for me. Pure average. (2022.03.16)