The Accursed

When I sat down to watch the 2022 horror movie "The Accursed" I actually never had heard about the movie. I happened to stumble upon the movie, and given my life-long romance with the horror genre, of course I had to sit down and watch what writer Rob Kennedy and director Kevin Lewis had to offer.

I will say that the plot and storyline in "The Accursed", as written by Rob Kennedy, made for an adequate enough movie. If you are a newcomer to the horror genre, then I think you will most definitely enjoy the movie a lot more than I did as a seasoned horror veteran. To me, however, the movie was watchable, but writer Rob Kennedy just didn't bring anything new to the genre, and the movie was sort of a mediocre result at the hands of director Kevin Lewis.

The acting performances in "The Accursed" were good, and it certainly was nice to see Meg Foster in the movie, and she had a very good role in the movie as well. I am not overly familiar with leading actress Sarah Grey, but she did carry the movie quite well.

The special effects in the movie were good. Now, keep in mind that "The Accursed" is not a horror movie that throws one special effects in your face after another. No, the movie makes use of special effects when needed, and they definitely helped to further the narrative quite well. And the special effects were good.

I doubt that I will ever return to watch "The Accursed" a second time, though it made for an adequate enough viewing the first time around.

My rating of "The Accursed" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Overall, The Accursed 2022 ( not to be confused with any of the other accursed movies out there) was pretty underwhelming. The acting is a bit wooden at times, but not horrible. It's a fairly straightforward and predictable horror movie. I was drawn to this film because it has Alexis Knapp in it. Alexis isn't the greatest actor in the world, but she is cute, and I am glad she is trying to make a comeback found out about this. Sadly this movie doesn't give her much to work with. They really underutilized Alexis, as she is only in a few scenes despite being the best actor in the movie. I do love that Alexis got her daughter to be in this film with her. Little Kailani Knapp is actually super creepy and was perfect for the part she plays. I hope she has a big career ahead of her. Sarah Dumont, who I hadn't heard of prior to watching this film, is gorgeous, and the film knows it. In practically every scene, she is either in a workout bra or showing ample cleavage. She probably only got the part to be the movie's eye candy, but who can blame them? However, besides looking pretty, the script doesn't really give her much to do. In fact, all three of the female leads are beautiful, but it doesn't change the fact that the movie is a bit bland. There are a few jump scares here and there, but for the most part, it is all things you have seen done better in other horror movies, with one exception that I won't. All I'll say is it was gross. Overall, It wasn't a bad film, but I'd probably say wait until you can see it on a streaming service you already pay for.

Make no mistake, this movie is pretty bad. But I still enjoyed it. I'm really forgiving when it comes to demon or possession movies.

But there are huge gaps of logic, plot leaps where swear you missed something or an entire scene or transition was cut. And rather crazy things happen that the characters have zero reaction to. Or accept with a shrug. Sure it keeps the plot moving, but it doesn't add up.

If you can get past all that without an eyeroll every few minutes, this film can be a good one-time watch. I liked the concept and general storyline. And acting isn't too bad. It's shot well, some cool demon-y stuff.

Plot

Elly is asked by a family friend to look after an elderly woman living in a remote cabin for a few days. She agrees, but soon discovers there is a demon hiding in the woman just waiting to break free.

Cast

Those I'm unfamiliar with flanked by the incredible contract of awful Suvari and always welcome Foster.

Verdict

The Accursed was the wifey's Saturday night pick and though unfamiliar with this I wasn't opposed to it. I just did however wonder why I'd never heard of it.

The opening sequence was memorable, interesting and got me excited for what was the come. Alas what was to come was a dreadfully boring hour and a half of standard horror tropes, clichés, mediocre performances and fighting to keep my eyes open.

The Accursed is "Cursed" with a lack of originality, lifeless characters and a plot similar to countless other horror films.

The Accursed is a lifeless forgettable possession tale swimming in an ocean of forgettable horror movies. However I'd recommend wading a bit further to find something better.

Rants

Is originally in horror dead or is it just the industry as a whole? As I look at my 17.4k ratings on IMDB (Don't judge me) I realize I'm becoming very difficult to impress because I've quite literally seen it all. Watching thigs often feels like a chore, not because I don't want to but because I feel like everything is rehashed and that the industry are getting away with it because new generations are new blissfully unaware audiences. I craze something new!

The Good

Solid opening A couple of notable ideas Meg Foster

The Bad

Mena Suvari Bland characters Rather boring Overwhelmed with clichés and trope's.

Elinor is asked to look after a very strange, elderly lady living remotely in the woods, Elly quickly learns that Mrs Ambrose isn't all she makes out to be.

I didn't hate it, but I found it impossible to get into it, after a pretty interesting opening scene it becomes a little slow, it takes an age to get into the main body of the story.

I may be wrong, but I wonder if it is a made for TV movie, it has that kind of low budget feel about it, the special effects and camera work are a little clunky throughout.

The acting is a mixed bag, some of it is very wooden, some of it is alright, I quite enjoyed Sarah Grey's performance.

If you're looking for a Halloween chiller this year, The Accursed is more tepid.

5/10.