Synopsis
Curse II: The Bite
This in-name-only sequel to the mediocre H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Curse is a slight improvement on its predecessor, eschewing any trace of Lovecraft in favor of a standard nuclear-mutant-beast plot but imbuing this theme with a menagerie of brain-damaged setpieces. When the protagonist and his girlfriend stumble across an abandoned atomic test site, he's bitten on the arm by an irradiated snake-monster; in a creative but excessively grotesque twist, only the venom-infected arm begins to undergo the inevitable transformation into a fanged beast (sort of a reptilian variant on Bruce Campbell's rebellious demonic hand in Evil Dead 2), which leads to some unpleasant quirks in the young couple's relationship. Before long, the poor guy becomes a veritable snake-factory, churning out baby serpents at an incredible clip. The performances are quite good and the makeup effects (by Screaming Mad George) deserve credit for their disgusting audacity. Very weird but more fun than its predecessor, this is probably the film that Sssss! wished it could have been. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
The Curse
This awful horror film, the directing debut of actor David Keith, is the second major adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space, first brought to the screen in Daniel Haller's Die, Monster, Die. Wil Wheaton stars as Zack, eternal whipping-boy of a rural farm family headed by his religious fanatic stepfather Nathan (Claude Akins). A large meteor comes zipping through the clouds and crashes in the yard, where local scientist Carl Willis (John Schneider) cracks it open to leak slime into the water supply. Soon, tomatoes are squirting blood, the lettuce oozes pus, apples are full of worms and little Alice (Wheaton's real-life sister Amy) is pecked bloody by crazed chickens. Eventually, the bad water begins affecting other members of the family, until Willis shows up to save the day. Keith's direction is sluggish, the acting is horrid, and even the involvement of associate producer Lucio Fulci couldn't save the wretched effects-work. The cast doesn't even seem to be paying attention most of the time, as in the priceless moment when Zach's mother tells him, "Eat your eggs, Wil." The Curse is an utter abomination which somehow produced three unrelated sequels. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
This in-name-only sequel to the mediocre H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Curse is a slight improvement on its predecessor, eschewing any trace of Lovecraft in favor of a standard nuclear-mutant-beast plot but imbuing this theme with a menagerie of brain-damaged setpieces. When the protagonist and his girlfriend stumble across an abandoned atomic test site, he's bitten on the arm by an irradiated snake-monster; in a creative but excessively grotesque twist, only the venom-infected arm begins to undergo the inevitable transformation into a fanged beast (sort of a reptilian variant on Bruce Campbell's rebellious demonic hand in Evil Dead 2), which leads to some unpleasant quirks in the young couple's relationship. Before long, the poor guy becomes a veritable snake-factory, churning out baby serpents at an incredible clip. The performances are quite good and the makeup effects (by Screaming Mad George) deserve credit for their disgusting audacity. Very weird but more fun than its predecessor, this is probably the film that Sssss! wished it could have been. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
The Curse
This awful horror film, the directing debut of actor David Keith, is the second major adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space, first brought to the screen in Daniel Haller's Die, Monster, Die. Wil Wheaton stars as Zack, eternal whipping-boy of a rural farm family headed by his religious fanatic stepfather Nathan (Claude Akins). A large meteor comes zipping through the clouds and crashes in the yard, where local scientist Carl Willis (John Schneider) cracks it open to leak slime into the water supply. Soon, tomatoes are squirting blood, the lettuce oozes pus, apples are full of worms and little Alice (Wheaton's real-life sister Amy) is pecked bloody by crazed chickens. Eventually, the bad water begins affecting other members of the family, until Willis shows up to save the day. Keith's direction is sluggish, the acting is horrid, and even the involvement of associate producer Lucio Fulci couldn't save the wretched effects-work. The cast doesn't even seem to be paying attention most of the time, as in the priceless moment when Zach's mother tells him, "Eat your eggs, Wil." The Curse is an utter abomination which somehow produced three unrelated sequels. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
Cast & Crew
Jill Schoelen - Lisa Snipes
J. Eddie Peck - Clark Newman
Jamie Farr - Harry Morton
Savina Gersak - Iris
Bo Svenson - Sheriff
