It's a shame that Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson have become running jokes in Hollywood. They each have had great success with horror films in the past (Craven's "Nightmare on Elm Street" is considered a horror classic). Their first collaborative effort, "Scream" (1996), revolutionized the horror film industry not by going against common clichés but by admitting to the audience that they were well aware of them. The tongue-in-cheek style of "Scream" was succeeded by two far less entertaining sequels, and a cornucopia of horror flicks with very similar premises involving high school or students, betrayal by significant others and something chasing after them. For better or worse, movies like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legend" came pouring out of studios, but they lacked the humor and style that made the original Craven-Williamson piece so brilliant. Even Williamson's later movies, "The Faculty" and "Teaching Mrs. Tingle," weren't able to recapture the chemistry that was apparent in "Scream." Neither is "Cursed."
Fast forward a few years. Craven and Williamson have re-teamed as director and writer, respectively, in "Cursed." It's interesting that they chose the name because as of now, I'm afraid they might be forever cursed in the movie department. The movie's production is even said to have been cursed because it was halted so often and for so long that much of the original cast could no longer commit to the project due to scheduling conflicts. This delay forced Craven and Williamson to reshoot most of the movie with new actors. Add in pressure from the studio to maintain a PG-13 rating, and you've got a very messy film that might have had potential before it was reconstructed to the point that it barely resembles the original cut.
The movie begins with newly orphaned siblings Ellie (Christina Ricci) and Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) driving down Hollywood's Mulholland Drive late one night. Suddenly, a dog-like creature darts out in front of their car, and in order to avoid hitting it, they collide into another car. While trying to assist Becky (Shannon Elizabeth), the other driver, they are scratched by the mysterious creature which then proceeds to drag Becky into the dark woods from whence it came. In the subsequent days, Ellie and Jimmy begin to notice certain changes in themselves including heightened senses and increased strength. Both use their newfound gifts to impress members of the opposite sex, including Ellie's boyfriend Jake (Joshua Jackson) and the girl of Jimmy's dreams, Brooke (Kristin Anapau).
After most of the characters' introductions it became clear to me that Williamson is absolutely horrible at coming up with new roles. Ricci is playing Neve Campbell's role in "Scream," while her brother takes on the Jamie Kennedy role as the nerdy smart-aleck. Jackson is the token problematic boyfriend, Judy Greer fills the bitch vacancy left by Courteney Cox and Elizabeth and Mya bring up the rear as the pretty but idiotic soon-to-be victims. Eventually, Jimmy figures out that they're "cursed," and that their only hope is to kill the main werewolf before they turn into werewolves themselves.
There were some funny one-liners thrown in by Williamson that were reminiscent of his "Scream" days, but there were also some funny scenes that probably weren't meant to be funny. Better CGI (Computer Generated Image) effects, more gore (it had to be tamed down to a PG-13 rating, remember) and a more solid plot may have helped the film. However, any preexisting potential disappeared as a result of severe plastic surgery that neutered the movie and gave it an almost entirely new face. "Cursed" isn't worth the ticket price, but perhaps the uncut original that will likely appear on the DVD version will be worth renting.