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This Part in Wes Craven’s Awful ‘Cursed’ is Hilarious

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Cursed Werewolf

February 25, 2005 was an exciting day for us horror fans. Wes Craven’s (R.I.P.) first film in five years (his first since 2000’s Scream 3) was finally being released after years of delays. Little did we know what awaited us at the theater. You see, Cursed was supposed to be released in 2003, but producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein repeatedly demanded changes to the plot be made, leading to extensive re-shoots (you can read about the original version of the film here). Cast members such as Skeet Ulrich, Mandy Moore, Heather Langenkamp and Corey Feldman had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts during a year-long production delay. The Weinsteins then proceeded to fire make-up artist Rick “An American Werewolf in London” Baker, filling in many of the werewolf shots with a CGI creation. As if that weren’t bad enough, the film was then edited down from an R rating to a more box office-friendly PG-13 rating. It was a miserable experience for many people, especially Craven, who found the entire ordeal to be “completely disrespectful.” All of that tampering didn’t help the film. It was critically panned and grossed a mere $29.6 million worldwide on a $38 million production budget.

What the Weinstein brothers did to Cursed is pretty much unforgivable, and remains one of the biggest reasons why some horror fans are loathe to trust major studios with quality horror films. It’s a shame too, because the pedigree behind Cursed is rather impressive. Not only do you have Wes Craven directing, but he re-teamed with his Scream and Scream 2 partner Kevin Williamson (who, due to scheduling conflicts, was unable to return for Scream 3) to make the film. Then of course you had legendary make-up artist Rick Baker and an insane cast comprised of Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Shannon Elizabeth, Milo Ventimiglia, Portia de Rossi and Judy fucking Greer.

While studio tampering and re-shoots aren’t always an indicator of a low-quality film, it was for CursedCursed is not a good movie. Some would argue that it’s one of Craven’s worst efforts, but somehow it still manages to entertain (which is a big reason why it ranks as number 17 in my ranking of all 26 of Craven’s films). Looking back on the film 12 years later, you really can see glimpses of what Craven was trying to accomplish with the film. Our own Daniel Kurland put it best: he was trying to reinvigorate the werewolf sub-genre just like he reinvigorated slashers with Scream. None of it ever works, mind you, but the film is still a schlocky good time if you’re in the right mood.

Cursed came out two days before my 16th birthday, and I was really excited to go see a Wes Craven movie in theaters (it would be the first of his films I was able to see on the big screen). After having seen much of his filmography on VHS and DVD, I was finally going to see a Craven film in theaters, and you know what? I enjoyed it. I was aware that what I was watching wasn’t a “good” movie, but I had fun with it and I was in the right frame of mind. Whenever I need a good laugh I always look up the below clip in which Ricci’s Ellie baits Greer’s villainess with some harsh digs. It’s one of the sole laugh-out-loud moments in the film and it’s glorious. The werewolf flipping off Ricci is the one thing people remember from Cursed, but it’s Ricci’s delivery of “bad skin” that always gets me going. It’s a stupid bit of dialogue in an even more stupid film, but I can’t help but love it.

What do you think of Wes Craven’s Cursed? Have the 12 years since the film’s release been kind to it? Do you think it gets a bad rap? Or is it indeed one of Craven’s worst films? Let us know in the comments below!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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