The Cursed, directed and photographed by Sean Ellis, is a Gothic horror movie starring Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, Amelia Crouch, Max Mackintosh and Boyd Holbrook. The movie takes place in the countryside of France during the late 19^th century and is Rated R.

The Laurent family becomes cursed after hiring mercenaries to scare off a Roma gypsy tribe that resides on the land by the Laurent family’s home. The Laurents, as well as the townspeople, soon find themselves terrorized with bizarre nightmares caused by a gypsy witch. These nightmares focus on a magically inscribed object buried by the witch that the children of the town are destined to find. This powerful object, once found, unleashes the full force of the curse bestowing on its victim an illness causing a lycanthropic metamorphosis. The only hope for the town and the Laurent family resides in a Van Helsing like character, John McBride, a Pathologist in search of the Gypsie’s and the occurrences that he is far too familiar with.

This film is for anyone who likes to escape into stories in the vein of Shirley Jackson or Henry James as it beautifully portrays pure gothic horror. The still frame footage of the landscape and trees are breathtaking. The film score composed by Robin Foster adds an eerie darkness which complements each scene. The film is spooky, at times gory, and guaranteed to make you jump in fear of the beast.  

Although the depiction of the monster works in the context of this film, it was not what I expected to see as it was a rather extraterrestrial looking werewolf.  I prefer a hairy monster but that’s just my opinion. Overall, a good flick.