ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - February 25th
'CURSED" released in 2005
A werewolf loose in Los Angeles changes the lives of three young adults who, after being mauled by the beast, learn they must kill it in order to avoid becoming werewolves themselves, in Wes Craven's Cursed!
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High-schooler Jimmy Myers (Jesse Eisenberg) is picked up on Mulholland Drive by his older sister Ellie (Christina Ricci), who has just returned from visiting her boyfriend, Jake Taylor (Joshua Jackson). Driving home, Jimmy and Ellie collide with an animal and another car, and as they attempt to rescue the other driver, Becky Morton (Shannon Elizabeth), but an unseen creature slashes the siblings before it drags Becky off and rips her in half. When interviewed by police, despite Jimmy's belief that it was a wolf or dog-type animal, the official report credits it to a bear or cougar. Jimmy does research about wolves in California and starts to believe that the creature was a werewolf, sharing his thoughts with a disbelieving Ellie. But later, Ellie is surprised to find herself attracted to the smell of blood on a co-worker, but eases her concerns by touching a silver picture frame and not getting burned. Meanwhile, Jimmy is becoming much stronger and more aggressive, as shown when a bully named Bo (Milo Ventimiglia) coerces him to join the wrestling team, where he easily defeats three wrestlers, including Bo.
Ellie starts to believe the werewolf hypothesis when she meets a boardwalk fortune-teller Zela (Portia de Rossi), who warns about the effect the coming full moon will have, while Jimmy proves that they have indeed been cursed when he holds a silver cake server and gets burned - revealing that the picture frame Ellie touched earlier was only stainless steel. Realizing what's happening, Jimmy goes to warn Ellie who has deduced that Jake is a werewolf. But when the siblings confront Jake and another werewolf attacks, Ellie and Jimmy must embrace their new powers to defeat the rampaging lycanthrope!
Ellie starts to believe the werewolf hypothesis when she meets a boardwalk fortune-teller Zela (Portia de Rossi), who warns about the effect the coming full moon will have, while Jimmy proves that they have indeed been cursed when he holds a silver cake server and gets burned - revealing that the picture frame Ellie touched earlier was only stainless steel. Realizing what's happening, Jimmy goes to warn Ellie who has deduced that Jake is a werewolf. But when the siblings confront Jake and another werewolf attacks, Ellie and Jimmy must embrace their new powers to defeat the rampaging lycanthrope!
Kyle: Okay, all psychics back in their seats please.
Zela: [to Ellie] The beast is human, too. Don't forget that. And it's closer to you than you think.
Kyle: Maybe you can just follow me...
[dragging her away]
Kyle: [turning to Zela as they leave] Shouldn't you psychically know when you're annoying someone?
Top: Siblings Ellie (Christina Ricci) and Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) get involved in a car accident, after hitting a "large dog" in the Hollywood Hills;
Above: Another driver involved in the accident, Becky (Shannon Elizabeth), is not so lucky after being attacked by the werewolf!
After the successful release of Scream 3 in February, 2000, screenwriter Kevin Williamson pitched Bob Weinstein (of Dimension Films, the studio that released the Scream movies) his script for Cursed. The original plot line had three strangers brought together by a car accident in the Hollywood Hills and the subsequent attack of a werewolf, with the leads to be played by Christina Ricci, Skeet Ulrich and Jesse Eisenberg. With a budget of $38 million, Cursed commenced shooting March 2003 in Los Angeles using the same sets used for Sunnydale High (for Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and West Beverly High (for Beverly Hills, 90210).
Although, while filming the original version, producer Bob Weinstein told Craven he was happy with the film, he later changed his opinion and ordered for the movie to be re-shot with a new plot - with production to resume in November that year. While the production stalled, many cast members had be recast (or cut from the script altogether) due to scheduling conflicts with other films, including Illeana Douglas, Heather Langenkamp, Scott Foley, Omar Epps, Robert Forster, James Brolin and Corey Feldman. Mandy Moore - who had also shot her scenes for the movie - was cast originally as Jenny, but was replaced by Mya for the reshoots. Lead cast member Ulrich dropped out of the project before the recommencement of photography when he was unsatisfied with his characters changes in the rewritten script. His character was then totally re-written and renamed Jake, which was then played by Joshua Jackson. The replacement of Ulrich created certain creative problems for the few parts of the opening scenes at the pier from the original shoot that were kept; this included actress Shannon Elizabeth (playing Beth) filming the scene twice (once with Ulrich, and a second time with Mya) with the footage being edited together - although a one point when Becky turns at the fortune tellers tent and calls out "Vince" (Ulrich's character) she has been obviously over-dubbed in post to call out "Jenny".
Although, while filming the original version, producer Bob Weinstein told Craven he was happy with the film, he later changed his opinion and ordered for the movie to be re-shot with a new plot - with production to resume in November that year. While the production stalled, many cast members had be recast (or cut from the script altogether) due to scheduling conflicts with other films, including Illeana Douglas, Heather Langenkamp, Scott Foley, Omar Epps, Robert Forster, James Brolin and Corey Feldman. Mandy Moore - who had also shot her scenes for the movie - was cast originally as Jenny, but was replaced by Mya for the reshoots. Lead cast member Ulrich dropped out of the project before the recommencement of photography when he was unsatisfied with his characters changes in the rewritten script. His character was then totally re-written and renamed Jake, which was then played by Joshua Jackson. The replacement of Ulrich created certain creative problems for the few parts of the opening scenes at the pier from the original shoot that were kept; this included actress Shannon Elizabeth (playing Beth) filming the scene twice (once with Ulrich, and a second time with Mya) with the footage being edited together - although a one point when Becky turns at the fortune tellers tent and calls out "Vince" (Ulrich's character) she has been obviously over-dubbed in post to call out "Jenny".
[describing the werewolf's human form, Joanie, to the police]
Jimmy Myers: I - I don't know... what a - about 5 foot 10...
Ellie: [cutting Jimmy Meyers off] She's got a bony ass... and fat thighs... and ugly skin.
[the werewolf breaks through a window, roaring, and gives Ellie the finger]
Top: Ellie's boyfriend Jake (Joshua Jackson) tries to understand the "changes" happening with Ellie;
Above: The werewolf attacks at the art gallery.
Effects designer Rick Baker, who provided the werewolf effects for the original version of the film, was certainly no stranger to the werewolf genre, having designed the creatures for An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, the Fox TV series Werewolf, and, much later, The Wolfman. However, once Weinstein ordered re-shoots, all the scenes with Baker's effects were deleted and Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX was hired to take over. However, after massive re-shoots, Weinstein told Craven that he still didn't like the new ending leading to yet another ending where Jake attacks Ellie and Jimmy in their home - despite some obvious incoherence with the rest of the film.
Later in the fall of 2004, Dimension further cut the film to a PG-13 rating, instead of the planned R rating under Craven's direction. Unfortunately, this meant that most of KNB's effects - those that hadn't already been replaced by CGI after Weinstien was not satisfied with the effects, that is - were further cut from the film, including Jenny's death scene in the elevator; originally much gorier, her dead body is shown with her belly ripped apart, but that scene, to this day, has never been released (although some stills from the scene were printed in Fangoria magazine). Craven later commented to the New York Post in 2009 that "the contract called for us to make an R-rated film. We did. It was a very difficult process. Then it was basically taken away from us and cut to PG-13 and ruined. It was two years of very difficult work and almost 100 days of shooting of various versions. Then at the very end, it was chopped up and the studio thought they could make more with a PG-13 movie, and trashed it ... I thought it was completely disrespectful, and it hurt them too, and it was like they shot themselves in the foot with a shotgun."
"I don't know why that movie got so fucked up. I don't understand it. I thought the script was fine. Honest to God, I didn't get the big deal. I don't know who kept making them fuck with it... Then we shot the movie for, like, seven years. I think they said we had four movies worth of footage. It was so fun, but so weird. I don't get it. I couldn't figure it out."
Cursed star Judy Greer, Buzzfeed Interview, 2014
Later in the fall of 2004, Dimension further cut the film to a PG-13 rating, instead of the planned R rating under Craven's direction. Unfortunately, this meant that most of KNB's effects - those that hadn't already been replaced by CGI after Weinstien was not satisfied with the effects, that is - were further cut from the film, including Jenny's death scene in the elevator; originally much gorier, her dead body is shown with her belly ripped apart, but that scene, to this day, has never been released (although some stills from the scene were printed in Fangoria magazine). Craven later commented to the New York Post in 2009 that "the contract called for us to make an R-rated film. We did. It was a very difficult process. Then it was basically taken away from us and cut to PG-13 and ruined. It was two years of very difficult work and almost 100 days of shooting of various versions. Then at the very end, it was chopped up and the studio thought they could make more with a PG-13 movie, and trashed it ... I thought it was completely disrespectful, and it hurt them too, and it was like they shot themselves in the foot with a shotgun."
TRIVIA: The original plot had a final sequence shot on a wax museum in Hollywood. When the screenplay was re-written, the final scenes took place on a movie-oriented club. Fortunately, Art Department supervisors had the ability to use the same props and sets for both the shootings.
Top: Director Wes Craven;
Above: Craven on set with Shannon Elizabeth
With the constant delays mounting, Craven (who had already passed on another directing project - Pulse - to continue production on Cursed) had already finished principal photography on his next film, the Dreamwork's thriller Red Eye, before Cursed was even finally released on February 25th, 2005.
Cursed was a commercial and critical disappointment, grossing less than its original budget at the box office (less than $30 million) and received mostly negative reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Cursed is a third-rate effort, with a weak script, cheap-looking effects and no genuine frights", while Film Threat stated, "Not that it doesn't make movie history. Until this past Friday, the worst werewolf film ever made was, hairy hands down, Mike Nichols' Wolf. Cursed now assumes that dubious distinction and someone is going to have to try very hard to wrestle it away." Cinema Blend critic Rafe Telsch granting the movie 2 out of 5 stars, felt that "Cursed isn't a bad film, and actually takes a unique approach to modern day genre movies by styling itself as an older one... The film is a fun little romp in the werewolf world, although Cursed never really sets any rules for the creatures themselves, leaving itself open to keep cute faces like Ricci's uncovered by makeup, but leaving the audience unsatisfied that there aren't really many werewolves in this werewolf movie."
Cursed was a commercial and critical disappointment, grossing less than its original budget at the box office (less than $30 million) and received mostly negative reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Cursed is a third-rate effort, with a weak script, cheap-looking effects and no genuine frights", while Film Threat stated, "Not that it doesn't make movie history. Until this past Friday, the worst werewolf film ever made was, hairy hands down, Mike Nichols' Wolf. Cursed now assumes that dubious distinction and someone is going to have to try very hard to wrestle it away." Cinema Blend critic Rafe Telsch granting the movie 2 out of 5 stars, felt that "Cursed isn't a bad film, and actually takes a unique approach to modern day genre movies by styling itself as an older one... The film is a fun little romp in the werewolf world, although Cursed never really sets any rules for the creatures themselves, leaving itself open to keep cute faces like Ricci's uncovered by makeup, but leaving the audience unsatisfied that there aren't really many werewolves in this werewolf movie."
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 16%
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