Sunday, October 24, 2010

Hallowe'en Countdown Day 24

Wes Craven's Cursed

Plot: Ellie is a television producer, who's boss treats her like an assistant intern. Her brother Jimmy is bullied at school. While driving home one night the two are in a car accident, and witness the victim of the other car being dragged off by a wild animal.  Both Ellie and Jimmy were injured by the animal.  Jimmy is the first to notice the oddities that are happening around them, (nightmares, increased energy, short tempers and strange marks on their bodies) and starts to do some research.  It's clear to him they are turning into werewolves. Ellie learns to accept the change using their new powers to their advantage at work/school; until people start getting killed around them.  Ellie needs to find out who the Alpha wolf is and destroy them before the whole neighbourhood gets eaten.

Set in L.A., and more to the point, Hollywood, this film uses werewolves as a metaphor for getting ahead in life.  From the younger brother coming into his own identity in school, beating the captain of the wrestling team at his own game to win the girl, to the older sister standing up for herself against a nasty boss. 
This movie's subcore is about how we interact within society to each other, and how our key relationships evolve. No one is truly alone, even when we think we are, we find we are only one degree from everyone else. The question is who's got the skills to be the leader of the pack?

The last act of the movie takes place in a club that has a horror film house of wax theme to it. Which I thought was a genius nod to not only the werewolf genre but to it's creator Wes Craven.  Where would we be without the monsters we create?

80's movie stars Corey Feldman and Scott Baio both have small cameos.