Shudder’s “Cursed Films” examine the movies that have long histories of being cursed. Movies are labeled cursed when they have a lot of baggage and a legacy behind them. There are plenty of troubled productions; actors who have died on set; or sighting of dead bodies on set.
Shudder’s new original documentary series covers the heritage of five brilliant horror movies – The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Omen, Twilight Zone: The Movie, and The Crow. Cursed Films try to explore whether these movies were truly cursed or the legacy far surpasses the reality.
Five-part documentary
Exploration of the legacy of these cursed films is enveloped in thirty minutes run-time for each film. Each episode covers the surface details of supposed curses of said film. The series features a blend of interviews and archival footage from the time of the movie’s release and footage from the movies themselves as well.
Each individual involved in these movies brings interesting facts and information to the series, such as Linda Blair recalls particularly traumatic moments from filming The Exorcist, while journalists remember investigations regarding the movies.
Though the episodes are short, there is a lot of information provided within the period. While the brevity benefits the series, viewers might wish for expansion of the information rather than the crammed up package.
Idea behind the series
It discusses the legacy of a curse rather than disclosing the actual curse. The idea behind the Cursed Films is not to sensationalizing film curses but to de-sensationalize them. It reveals the straight-forward, rational reality surrounding films about demons and ghosts.
For instance, the first episode is centered around The Exorcist, revealing the harsh production of the film. While this episode briefly features the various deaths that happened during the production of the film, including that of the actors Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros – the most fascinating fact is unveiled out of a rumor that an actual murderer appears in the film, which turned out true.
The first season of Cursed Films is now streaming on Shudder with new episodes released every Thursday.