The Curse is a 1987 sci-fi horror film about a meteor that crashes down on a farm and infects the land and its inhabitants.
Directed by actor/filmmaker David Keith from a screenplay written by David Chaskin loosely based [uncredited] on the H.P. Lovecraft story ‘The Colour Out of Space’.
Produced by Ovidio G. Assonitis. Executive produced by Moshe Diamant. Lucio Fulci was an associate producer and apparently directed some scenes.
The soundtrack score was composed by Franco Micalizzi [as Frank Micalizzi] (The Visitor; A Special Cop in Action; Violent Naples; The Tough Ones; Beyond the Door; The Two Faces of Fear; They Call Me Trinity).
The Italian-American production stars Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, Malcolm Danare (Popcorn; Christine), Cooper Huckabee (The Funhouse), John Schneider, Amy Wheaton, Steve Carlisle, Kathleen Jordon Gregory, Hope North and Steve Davis.
Reviews:
“Even by science-fiction standards, logic in The Curse is lacking, as are the makeup effects on the simplest usage […] Let’s make sure no one fails to tell you that the 1965 Boris Karloff vehicle Die, Monster, Die! is a far superior adaptation — histrionic title and all — than this.” Flick Attack
“This third film treatment of [Lovecraft’s] favorite story, “The Colour Out of Space”, has it all… everything except good dialog, believable acting, and a cohesive plot.” Andrew Migliore and John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft book
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“Like all adaptations, the first half of the story revealing Lovecraft’s fascination with modern scientific techniques is gone, but are actually referenced in a scene near the end of the film. Many other little points from the story are woven into the plot […] damned entertaining with some effective moments and, for the most part, a pretty cleverly adapted story.” Video Junkie
“Cheaply made, sleazy, continually inconsistent and with a story full of holes, The Curse is gross enough to qualify as perfectly acceptable trash-film fodder […] And if the ending makes no sense at all, the slow rot of the mom, stepdaddy and stepbrother is fun enough to watch—they sure do begin to look ugly and drool nicely.” A Wasted Life
Cast and characters:
Wil Wheaton … Zack
Claude Akins … Nathan
Malcolm Danare … Cyrus
Cooper Huckabee … Forbes
John Schneider … Willis
Amy Wheaton … Alice
Steve Carlisle … Davidson
Kathleen Jordon Gregory … Frances
Hope North … Esther
Steve Davis … Mike
Angelo Casadei … Arthur, Alan’s patient
Filming locations:
Atlanta, Georgia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Filming dates:
Shooting began on September 28, 1986.
Working titles:
The Farm (its title in some territories); The Well
Trailer:
YouTube reviews:
The Curse franchise timeline:
Free to watch online:
Related:
COLOR OUT OF SPACE (2019) Reviews of H.P. Lovecraftian adaptation
