Cursed Films review by Bobby Blakey
It used to be that more often than not when it came to documentaries it felt more like a chore to watch than anything with only a select group of people interested in them. Now a days they have elevated to so many great topics and execution that there is a wider range of people eager and interested in what they had to say. The latest Cursed Films is Shudder original series but could this story of urban legends and truth bring more light to these known tragedies or will it fail to find the truth behind the curse?
Cursed Films is a five-part documentary series which explores the myths and legends behind some of Hollywood’s notoriously “cursed” horror film productions. From plane accidents and bombings during the making of The Omen, to the rumored use of real human skeletons on the set of Poltergeist, these stories are legendary amongst film fans and filmmakers alike. Were these films really cursed, as many believe, or just the victims of bad luck and bizarre circumstances?
Like most I am fascinated by all the different strange and sometimes horrific stories that have happened on and around making movies. This film focuses on not just The Omen and Poltergeist mentioned above, but also The Exorcist, Twilight Zone: The Movie and The Crow. To my surprise there wasn’t any new information here regarding the actual varying events that I didn’t already know about, but it still manages to serve an interesting piece in its execution and more in depth take on it all. The Crow episode especially hit harder for me than any of the others because the death of Brandon Lee was the first celebrity death that really hit me emotionally and probably the hardest ever. Also knowing The Crow creator James O’Barr personally and some of the talks we have had about the film and Brandon, seeing this made those memories just come flooding back.
If you are someone who has never heard about all of these it is a fascinating and
sometimes scary story. Whether you believe in curses or the supernatural or not there are a lot of elements surrounding these productions that make you think a little more openly about it. There are so many coincidences in some of these stories that there has to be more to it right? There are other stories here that seem just like a case of bad planning or neglect that could have been avoided. The stories themselves are interesting enough, but it’s those talking about it that really help to elevate it to something special.
Throughout the series there are numerous actors, directors, and more discussing their time working on these films and these situations with some clearly still very much effected. Two of the most emotional involving Twilight Zone and The Crow that featured the deaths of the lead actors still very much haunted some of them that were there during it all. It’s hard to imagine being a part of some of this as it was going on and still moving forward on the project despite it all. While each episode focuses on the happening of that film there are side stories that interconnect throughout each of them that dive deeper into the religion, science and curses that hope to possibly explain more.
I really dug this series despite that it really doesn’t bring anything new to the myths and legends I already knew, but that isn’t the point of it. This is a history of sorts to these productions and the perfect series for those that love film and might not have already known about all of these incidents. One thing is for sure that after you watch this it will either have you eager to check out some of these films you may have missed out on or want to steer clear of them altogether to avoid being a part of the curses.