Film Review: The Curse (1987)

SYNOPSIS:

Nathan is a struggling farmer in a small community in Tennessee. When Nathan isn’t worrying about his wife Francis cheating on him or his crop he finds time to deal with Francis’s two children he is raising as his own. Nathan believes in good old fashion Christian values and wants his family to have the same beliefs that he does. It doesn’t help Nathan that the local city council member Charlie Davidison is trying to get him to sell the farm, and it definitely doesn’t help any when a large object falls out of the sky and lands on his farm. The object is a mystery but it sure does know how to bring trouble in this gross out classick from the late 80’s.

REVIEW:

Directed by: David Keith
Starring: Will Wheaton, Claude Akins, Malcolm Danare, Cooper Huckabee and Amy Wheaton

“It’s the same water we’ve been drinking for days.”

The gross out film is starting to make a come back of sorts on the indie circuit however where would these new films be without the gross out pioneers of the 70’s and 80’s. David Keith’s The Curse is one of those great under the radar gross out classics from the 80’s and it still holds up today.

The Curse stars Will Wheaton, you may remember him from Stand by Me or even his run in the Star Trek franchises. Well in the Curse young will plays a boy named Zack who is dealing with a new life. Zack’s mother Francis has remarried and is now married to a farmer named Nathan who is a God fearing and old fashion man (he wont even let Francis put the moves on him he says only a man is to such things!). Nathans own son Cyrus is a thorn in young Zacks side and even in the beginning of the film we see this. Francis also has one more daughter named Alice who is played by Will’s own real life sister.

The Curse is your standard “we are going to lose the farm, deal with your new life” kind of story until a large object falls out of the sky and lands on Nathans farm. Young Zack immediately goes and fetches the doctor named Alan who seems to be the only person in the community with any intelligence (and one smoking wife). Eventually the doctor just tells the family that the object must just be some airplane bathroom waste that fell from above and that everything going to be fine. Things however are starting to get rather weird from the animals attacking everyone who comes near them, to the weird sores that are starting to cover all of Zack’s familys bodies. Its something in the water and only Zack is smart enough to avoid it.

I love gross out horror and The Curse delivers. Of course Lucio Fulci….yeah that one….was in charge of the 2nd unit and it shows in several scenes involving worms inside what appear to be fresh apples and tomatoes. Francis also has quite a few stomach churning scenes just to herself including one where she stitches up her own hand.

When The Curse isn’t making bile rise in the back of your throat it is making you laugh. There are some genuinely funny moments during the coarse of the film and most of the characters are really likeable…even Charlie Davidson the town council member who repeatly tries to get Nathan to sell his farm.

My only real complaint about The Curse was revealing too much at the beginning of the film. You see Alan getting arrested and screaming that “it’s in the water” while images of everyone in the community drinking or using their water is some way. It already gives the viewer too much of a hint of what is happening. Although I will admit when the object fell from the sky it definitely was a wtf moment for me.

This one is definitely worth its cult status and should definitely be checked out by everyone who enjoys some toe curling, bile rising, eyes shut tight gross out horror.

The Curse (1987) is now available on bluray per Shout Factory