By Melissa Antoinette Garza
One of my favorite cult films is The Stuff (1985). Two years later a movie that in many ways is very similar to that classic was released. The Curse follows a young boy named Zack (Wil Wheaton) who recently lost his father. His mother Frances (Kathleen Jordon Gregory) takes his younger sister Alice (Amy Wheaton) and moves onto a farm with a very religious and insane older man named Nathan (Claude Akins). Nathan has an overweight and stupid son Cyrus (Malcolm Danare).
After being turned away by Nathan who tells her that women should not initiate sex, she goes outside and cheats on him at the same moment a meteor comes crashing down. Soon, the water in their well begins to taste funny but Nathan insists everything is fine. Even when sores grow on the faces of Frances and Cyrus he refuses to believe there’s anything wrong. At one point, the chickens attack Alice and when she’s rescued and the chickens die, green goo comes out of their eyes and mouth. The rest of the animals begin to act bizarre and all of the fruits are filled with worms.
Zack refuses to drink the water or eat their food though he has to hide this from Nathan. Soon, Frances begins to go crazy. She tears her own hand apart and is carried upstairs when Zack runs to get the doctor who lives down the hill. Nathan refuses to let the doctor see her and even slaps Zack for bringing outsiders into the family business.
Nathan believes that God has punished Frances for cheating and ties her to the bed as he reads passages from the bible. Soon, the whole family is filled with sores and any animal or human who drinks the water begins to turn into a vicious zombie like creature until they finally melt in their own green slime.
Though not nearly as good as The Stuff, The Curse, definitely has some great qualities. It’s a fun tale with interesting characters and some genuinely off-putting sequences. Though, there is little payoff and the introduction to the film doesn’t quite get explained nor does the origins of the water contamination, it is still mostly effective.
The acting is great from everyone in the cast. Claude Akins is a pro, without question. He was perfectly cast and though he plays a bastard, I can’t help but love the guy.
Even the child actors held their own. Many times, children are horrible in movies, but this film was certainly an exception to the rule.
Overall, this is a movie I’d definitely recommend. Though it won’t scare anyone over the age of 8, it is still a compelling tale. I can’t wait to watch the sequel. I’m hoping it will explain what was left for the viewer’s imagination in the first installment.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6/10
