Cursed Films (2020–2022) User Reviews

An Interesting Concept That Strays from Its Own Topics

[hunteracechaney · 6/10 · 5 April 2020]

Being a huge horror fan most of my life I have always had a huge fascination with the ideas of cursed films. I remember reading up on the Poltergeist incidents and reading about the tragic helicopter crash from The Twilight Zone: The Movie. I was hooked on finding out more and more about films with curses and thinking that this concept of a cursed movie would make great television, books, and/or movies.

Then the wonderful streaming service Shudder released an episodically released, documentary show about such cursed films. Being more than thoroughly pleased with Horror Noir (a Shudder original documentary discussing the impact of African Americans in the horror genre), I decided to definitely give it a go.

So far there has only been one episode released tackling the classic, controversial, satanic-panic movie: The Exorcist (1974 dir. William Friedkin). I grew up watching The Exorcist on my old VHS player and being instantly infatuated with the crazy and fatal background of the movie. However, when I watched the first episode of Cursed Films, I was disappointed. The beginning of the episode went how I expected, discussing deaths and accidents that happened surrounding and during filming.

But that topic seemed to have only lasted a very short amount of time. Before I knew it, the episode veered off topic from the movie, to in depth discussions of the correlation between horror and religion and then showing us the day and life of a real life Exorcist. As a viewer I understand that in order to drive your point home, you need to give deeper details and background. But they seem to give you an overload on background to the point where it's no longer on topic or The Exorcist. This show has transformed to one thing and then ending up as a totally different new thing that doesn't correlate.

However, I'm not damning the show. I find that the show, in fact, does have great potential to be very fun. I personally feel, in my OPINION, that it was a swing and a miss with this first episode. My advice is just stick with what you are supposed to be tackling.

Not very explorative

[nelsonramatos · 6/10 · 15 September 2020]

This an ok documentary series, however it's not very explorative so you end up with a feeling that something is missing, because actually it is. It turns out that everything is mostly vague and some episodes are even filled with people that have absolutely nothing to do to the films or even with the industry, even so apart from a couple of episodes it's entertaining

Offers nothing we don't already know.

[motherfckzombies-261-668745 · 7/10 · 15 April 2020]

Shudder is a channel for horror fans, right? Horror fans are generally obsessive and do research on most the films they love, right? The concept of this show is terrific, in theory. However, it just feels like you're reading through a wikipedia page. The show offers no new knowledge and the pacing is all over the place. Especially in the second episode. Poltergeist didn't offer much new info either, but was more grounded in the emotional impact of O'Rourke and Dunne's deaths. The show had potential. So far, it's not mustering up the excitement i hoped for. Let's hope "The Crow" and "Twilight Zone : The Movie" conclude the season on a higher note.

Very effective. Left me wanting more.

[timtuch · 9/10 · 16 April 2020]

All the episodes are very entertaining/intriguing. A couple episodes have moments where they go on misdirected tangents, but it all still works. That said, I thought The Crow episode was the most effective. And that shot in the Twilight Zone episode... Holy crap. I'll remember that footage for the rest of my life. I'd love to see another season of this show. Jay Cheel is a talented filmmaker.

Informative and blunt doc series of backstory that involve strange myths and legends of bad happenings on film sets!

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 17 April 2020]

"Shudder" really made a nice stab with it's latest doc series "Cursed Films" a five part doc series that examined strange and fatal happenings on the set of some of Hollywood's most famous horror films. Featured in each episode is interviews with those involved and never before seen film footage is often shown of the behind the scenes making. Also featured are pop culture and paranormal and religious experts who give their take on why these things happened to people or why this certain kind of film set seems to be cursed! Episodes are entertaining and informative it takes any horror fan back in time as most episodes involve telling the tragic deaths of actors who worked on the set of their film. "The Crow" episode tells how Brandon Lee was fatally shot by a weapons malfunction and how it was a curse as a demon haunted the Lee family as from his father Bruce's death they all seemed doomed. And the footage of the plane crash from the Twilight Zone episode was tough and crazy to watch as the crash and explosion killed Vic Murrow. Was it that John Landis pushed things to hard and ignored safety? Watch this and be the judge were things just meant to happen or was the devil involved or was a curse meant for these legendary pictures. A must for any horror buff and film history fan!

Great series

[kateprewett · 10/10 · 7 June 2020]

Really great series. Good to hear from people from the sets of iconic films.

Pretty Basic

[sammymayson · 5/10 · 31 May 2020]

Besides the episode on The Twilight Zone which digs a little bit deeper into the topic of on-set safety and what actually took place that tragic night, Cursed Films feels as basic and cursory as a click-bait article on cursed productions.

If you've never heard of most of these so- called curses, it's possible that you'll find some of this interesting, but most horror fans who already know most of this information will get bored quickly. For example, there are wonderful E True Hollywood Stories out there on both The Exorcist and the Poltergeist films that cover far more ground and are way more interesting.

If you're a newbie, you might enjoy it. It's still well produced and edited.

more scary than the films themselves

[markthomassintek · 9/10 · 27 July 2020]

REVIEW - CURSED FILMS

Shudder Original

The Exorcist The Poltergeist The Omen The Crow Twilight Zone - The Movie

There are quite a few rumours or urban myths around surrounding some films and apparently that they were cursed.

This short series explores if these are true and actually, wether you believe in such things or not actually some of the events do seem more than coincidence.

Very interesting and enjoyable watch especially as some of the facts surrounding these films are more scary than the films themselves.

Rating 9 out of 10

An Intriguing Watch!

[GothicGretch · 8/10 · 8 May 2022]

I thought this show was really interesting! It features a variety of movies and the crude rumors and horrible tragedies that surround them. The show also has interviews with various cast and crew members from each movie that tell their stories about working on the film. It also debunks some of the scary myths that make these movies seem cursed. I really enjoyed this docuseries. I thought it was well made and interesting.

What am I watching?

[micdavd · 2/10 · 21 April 2020]

Wow, very little time spent on the actual films. Just know, you aren't going to learn much about the movies the episodes are suppose to explore.

Beyond expectations

[alinelunardy · 9/10 · 2 May 2022]

It's quite interesting, actually its trespassing my expectations and it has interviews with casts and crews involved in the filming. More episodes and more seasons pls.

False information

[horningcr · 5/10 · 15 May 2020]

In episode 2 at about three minutes in when they're describing the "cursed plane crash", at least two statements made in this film are untrue. The plane that crashed did not "kill everyone onboard", nor was it piloted by the husband of the woman whose car was hit. The article referenced/shown in the documentary is called "Six die as jet plane hits car" by David Pallister. Ironically the title itself debunks the first claim that everyone onboard was killed. Furthermore, the article specifies that "Everyone in the plane walked from the wreckage" and two were hospitalized. Regarding the claim that the car hit was that of the pilot's wife, she was A pilot's wife, but not THE pilot's wife.

Could be better.

[natashialw · 5/10 · 12 March 2021]

The show isn't too bad, informative but they do derail from their topic on the episode each time, especially the last episode spent more time discussing things not related to the title. I do enjoy the stories though from the original people on these cursed sets and what not however.

Nothing new AT ALL

[GSK23 · 2/10 · 4 October 2022]

Hard to believe this is an actual series. This is SO "entry-level" that it was rather painful to watch at times. Or, painful for someone that has watched/studied films their whole life. When you bring "Mitch Horowitz" in for "occult" commentary, you know that you've reached the dregs of routine documentaries! (And Adam Savage? Why's he here?)

This is so simple-minded and made for younger fans that it's silly. If you've read one issue of Fangoria in the 1980s, you probably know more than this series. Still, as I said, it works for newbies. It's very basic info. But, really, time for a bathroom break with Mitch rears his head. The hocus pocus crap is SO juvenile in this setting. Sorry, but it is.

So far this series is all over the place

[fmbeswick · 3/10 · 11 April 2020]

Let's start out by saying that the second episode of this series is excellent. Smart, emotional and at times really charming. It treated the curse rumors as an interesting jumping off point to discuss the film, the tragedies and gave an opportunity to people integral to the film's production to speak frankly about the losses associated with the films, as well as the real life impact of the curse mythology. Unfortunately, episode one and three are filled with a bunch of nonsense about black magic and are pretty painful to sit through.

Not What It Claims To Be

[Jezabellabowie · 3/10 · 11 January 2021]

Was REALLY looking forward to this series and was the main reason I subscribed to Shudder. I love documentaries, I love horror and I love the combination of the two. Unfortunately, in almost every episode, about 10 mins of the beginning is actually about the curse of said movie, and the majority and remainder goes way left field, far away from the cursed film. It was every episode too. It felt like they could only afford 10mins of trademark material. Then they fill the remainder of time with arbitrary interviews of random people that have a very distant connection to the film. I wouldn't mind this series if they had marketed it honestly and not as a docuseries of cursed films.

Train wreck

[taxithedead · 1/10 · 10 July 2021]

Strays off topic so much. Hard to watch. Too bad though, great idea for a series.

Trying to make documentaries unique can be a breath of fresh air.....

[weakkeyleaks · 1/10 · 13 June 2022]

....or they can end up an aimless mess. Cursed Films is a documentary that is not sure what point its trying to make and does not know its own identity. On the outside it tries to be informative but on the inside, its nothing but fluff. In the end, it is nothing but a waste of information, waste of resources, waste of effort and most importantly a waste of time.