Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In the late 19th century, a brutal land baron slaughters a Roma clan, unleashing a curse on his family and village. In the days that follow, the townspeople are plagued by nightmares, the baron's son goes missing, and a boy is found murdered. The locals suspect a wild animal, but a visiting pathologist warns of a more sinister presence lurking in the woods.
The Cursed is a handsomely mounted Victorian werewolf film with genuinely striking, desaturated cinematography and a strong sense of dread atmosphere. The period setting and folkloric curse angle give it some distinction within the werewolf subgenre, though it never fully escapes familiar genre beats. Acting is competent but uneven, with Boyd Holbrook solid as the pathologist without being exceptional. The plot builds promising tension but struggles with pacing and underwritten characters. The ending deflates somewhat, failing to deliver on the weight the film accumulates, landing as perfunctory rather than resonant.