The Curse (1987 film)

Last updated
The Curse
The Curse (1987 film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Keith
Written byDavid Chaskin
Based on"The Colour Out of Space"
by H. P. Lovecraft
Produced by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Starring
CinematographyRoberto Forges Davanzati
Edited byClaudio M. Cutry
Music by Franco Micalizzi
Production
company
Brouwersgracht Investments [1]
Distributed by Trans World Entertainment
Release date
  • September 11, 1987 (1987-09-11)
Running time
90 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Italy [2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million [1]
Box office$1.9 million [3]

The Curse (also known internationally as The Farm) is a 1987 American science-fiction horror film directed by David Keith in his directorial debut, and based on the short story "The Colour Out of Space" by H. P. Lovecraft. It tells about a meteorite that crashes into a farming community in Tennessee, which begins to infect the land and its residents. The film stars Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, Cooper Huckabee, Malcolm Danare, John Schneider, and Amy Wheaton.

Contents

An international co-production film between The United States and Italy, production began in September 1986, in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and Rome. It premiered on September 11, 1987, and was a box-office bomb, grossing $1.9 million against its budget of $4 million. The film would be the first entry into the Curse tetralogy, a series of four films that were retitled for the home video market as a franchise. The retitled sequels includes Curse II: The Bite , Curse III: Blood Sacrifice and Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice .

Plot

Teenage boy Zack lives on a farm in Tellico Plains, Tennessee with his mother Frances, younger sister Alice, stern and pious old stepfather Nathan Crane and unpleasant, dim-witted stepbrother Cyrus. One night Frances sneaks out of the house while Nathan is asleep and begins having sex with Mike, a farm-hand who lives in a nearby shack. Suddenly a large meteorite crashes onto the property, emitting an eerie glow. Next morning, Alan Forbes, a physician who lives nearby, visits the crash-site, examining the meteorite which is a large sphere with a hard shell from which a noxious liquid oozes out. Before long, the object dissolves into glowing gelatinous liquid which seeps into the soil. Forbes wants to contact the authorities but is dissuaded by Charlie Davidson, local realtor and head of the chamber of commerce, who worries that the event will discourage the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) from building a new reservoir in the area. Forbes' bored wife Esther also manipulates her husband into keeping quiet, worried their house will lose its value.

The mysterious liquid soon begins to affect the farm. The water from the well grows cloudy and tastes unpleasant, fruit and vegetables grow invitingly large but are rotten and inedible inside and the livestock begin to behave violently and show severe signs of infection. Alice is attacked and injured by infected chickens and Cyrus is nearly killed by a horse. Frances begins to have large boils growing on her face which soon grotesquely alter her features. She becomes mentally unstable, physically harming herself and attacking her own family. Believing the blight affecting his farm to be a punishment from God for his wife's infidelity, Nathan locks her in their bedroom, not allowing Zack to tell the doctor. Zack keeps himself and Alice free from the infection by consuming clean water and food he steals from Forbes' house.

Forbes secretly obtains a sample from the Cranes' well and has it analysed at a nearby lab. The water is found to contain a strange, unknown element which is altering its metabolic properties and molecular structure. Carl Willis, a TVA representative who is surveying the local area for the planned reservoir, enters the Cranes' house looking for a glass of water. Helping himself from the kitchen faucet, he has just started drinking when he is attacked and nearly killed by Frances, who has gone insane and is horribly mutating. Worried that Forbes is going to alert the authorities, Davidson and Esther arrive at the Crane farm looking for the doctor but are attacked by infected dogs who have turned feral. Esther is mauled to death and Davidson hides himself in the cellar only to be killed and seemingly devoured by Frances who had been locked in there by Nathan. As Nathan and Cyrus examine infected cows in the shed, the cows begin to decay, revealing maggots and worms inside. The cows explode, covering Nathan and Cyrus in insects.

By now Nathan and Cyrus are also infected and beginning to go insane. A guilt-ridden Forbes enters the house, hoping to rescue Zack and Alice but he is surprised and murdered by Nathan who then barricades the door. Cyrus attacks Alice but Zack fights him off, hiding his sister in a closet. Nathan corners Zack and is about to kill his stepson when he is stabbed by Willis who has just arrived. The ground begins to glow and heave beneath the house which starts to fall apart. Zack locates his mother just in time to see her mutated corpse dissolve into liquid. As Zack prepares to leave, Cyrus attacks him, but Zack knocks him off the balcony, seemingly killing him. Nathan is knocked out by a support beam as he attempts to stop Zack. Willis gets Zack and Alice out of the house before it collapses and a dying Nathan and Cyrus are both killed by falling debris. Willis drives away from the farm, taking Zack and Alice with him.

Some months later, a heavily-bandaged Willis lies in a hospital bed, having become infected more slowly because he only drank a small amount of the farm's water. He is watching a news report on how authorities are promising that the blight from the farm will be eradicated.

Later, at a location in the nearby countryside, ground and trees begin to heave and break apart at night, revealing more of the glowing alien liquid spreading onto the surface. A large amount of the substance appears, suggesting that the hostile mutagenic entity is still alive, planning to complete its invasion of Earth.

Cast

Production

H. P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space was previously adapted as Die, Monster, Die! in 1965. American International Pictures, who distributed the film in the United States, planned a remake in 1970 with a new screenwriter, but the project never came to fruition. [1]

Principal photography began on September 29, 1986, under the title The Farm, after being announced previously as The Well. David Keith, a native of Knoxville, utilized his farm property in Tellico Plains, Tennessee for the film, while the interiors were shot in Rome. [1] [4] Many of the crew members, who were Italian, were billed under American names, including associate producer Lucio Fulci. [1] Actor Treat Williams was reportedly set to star in the film, but was not involved with the film itself. [1]

Actor Wil Wheaton later wrote on his blog in August 2022 that child labor laws were repeatedly broken on the set and that he and other cast members were endangered and abused during production. [5]

Release

The Curse opened in Los Angeles and New York on September 11, 1987. [1] It earned $1,169,922 from its opening weekend in 326 theaters, and finished grossing $1,930,001 at the box office. [3]

Critical response

Lovecraft scholar Charles P. Mitchell referred to the film as faithful to the author's original work, but claimed that "[t]he last twenty minutes of the film are so disjointed that they virtually ruin the entire film." [6] In their book Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft, Andrew Migliore and John Strysik write: "This third feature 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." [7]

Home video

The Curse was subsequently released on VHS by Media Home Entertainment, as well as on Laserdisc by Image Entertainment, in 1987. [8] [9] It was re-released on VHS by Polygram Video in 1998. [10] On September 9, 2008, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the film and its sequel, Curse II: The Bite, on DVD as a double-feature. [11] Scream Factory, a sub-label of Shout! Factory, released both films as a double-feature on Blu-ray on February 23, 2016. [12]

Soundtrack

The score for the American and Italian versions of the film are different. The bluegrass-inspired music in the American release is uncredited, but press surrounding the film attributes it to John Debney. [13] A soundtrack CD was released in 2011 with Franco Micalizzi's score on GDM/Legend Records, along with a 10 minute score suite from Black Demons. The score was not the same as the score in the USA release of the film, making American fans of the film disappointed, which may have led to some returning the CD back to wherever they purchased it from.

Tracklist

The Curse
1The Curse (Main Titles)1:39
2Something Dark Out There3:33
3Corn Fields1:07
4The Deadly Farm2:10
5Mutations1:22
6Gate To Hell2:44
7Night Shadows3:25
8Demon In The Cellar1:30
9Evil In The Farm3:29
10Attack And Escape3:58
11Cursed1:31
12Evil Spirits5:19
13The Curse (Finale)4:44
Black Demons
14Black Demons (Suite)10:19

The Curse: 34:31 (44:10 with track 14).

Sequels

Unlike the first film, its sequels, Curse II: The Bite and Curse III: Blood Sacrifice , were released direct-to-video in 1989 and 1991 respectively. [14] [15] Catacombs (1988) was labeled as Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice for its release on VHS in 1993, despite not being affiliated with the series. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wil Wheaton</span> American actor (born 1972)

Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me, Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers, and Bennett Hoenicker in Flubber. Wheaton has also appeared in recurring voice acting roles as Aqualad in Teen Titans, Cosmic Boy in Legion of Super Heroes, and Mike Morningstar/Darkstar in the Ben 10 franchise's original continuity. He appeared regularly as a fictionalized version of himself on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory and in the roles of Fawkes on The Guild, Colin Mason on Leverage, and Dr. Isaac Parrish on Eureka. Wheaton was the host and co-creator of the YouTube board game show TableTop. He has narrated numerous audio books, including Ready Player One and The Martian.

"When the Bough Breaks" is the seventeenth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on February 15, 1988. It is the first episode written for the series by Hannah Louise Shearer and the only episode of the series with Kim Manners as director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Colour Out of Space</span> Short story written by American horror author H. P. Lovecraft

"The Colour Out of Space" is a science fiction/horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1927. In the tale, an unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the "blasted heath" in the hills west of the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts. The narrator discovers that many years ago a meteorite crashed there, poisoning every living being nearby: vegetation grows large but foul-tasting, animals are driven mad and deformed into grotesque shapes, and the people go insane or die one by one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovecraftian horror</span> Subgenre of horror

Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named after American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937). His work emphasizes themes of cosmic dread, forbidden and dangerous knowledge, madness, non-human influences on humanity, religion and superstition, fate and inevitability, and the risks associated with scientific discoveries, which are now associated with Lovecraftian horror as a subgenre. The cosmic themes of Lovecraftian horror can also be found in other media, notably horror films, horror games, and comics.

<i>Tank</i> (film) 1984 film by Marvin J. Chomsky

Tank is a 1984 American action comedy film directed by Marvin J. Chomsky and starring James Garner, Shirley Jones, Jenilee Harrison and C. Thomas Howell. The film was written by Dan Gordon. It was produced by Lorimar Productions and was commercially released in the United States by Universal Pictures on March 16, 1984.

Ovidio Gabriel Assonitis is an Egyptian-born Greco-Italian entertainment executive, film producer, screenwriter, and director best known for his numerous B-horror films including Beyond the Door, Tentacles,The Visitor, and Piranha II: The Spawning.

<i>Scream Blacula Scream</i> 1973 US blaxploitation horror film by Bob Kelljan

Scream Blacula Scream is a 1973 American blaxploitation vampire horror film. It is a sequel to the 1972 film Blacula. The film was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) and Power Productions. This was the acting debut of Richard Lawson.

<i>Black Sheep</i> (2006 New Zealand film) Film by Jonathan King

Black Sheep is a 2006 New Zealand comedy horror film written and directed by Jonathan King. It was produced by Philippa Campbell and stars Nathan Meister, Peter Feeney, Danielle Mason, Tammy Davis, Oliver Driver, Tandi Wright, Glenis Levestam, Nick Blake, Matthew Chamberlain, Nick Fenton, Eli Kent, and Sam Clarke. The special effects were done by Weta Workshop.

<i>The Triple Echo</i> 1972 British film by Michael Apted

The Triple Echo is a 1972 British drama film directed by Michael Apted starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed, and based on the 1970 novella by H.E. Bates. It was shot in Wiltshire.

<i>Messenger of Death</i> 1988 film by J. Lee Thompson

Messenger of Death is a 1988 American vigilante action thriller film starring Charles Bronson. It is about an attempt by a water company to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to take the family's land for the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TableTop</span> Web series about games

TableTop is a web series about games, directed by Jennifer Arnold. It was created by Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day and was hosted by Wheaton. TableTop was published on Felicia Day's YouTube channel, Geek & Sundry. In each episode, following a brief explanation of one or more tabletop games, Wheaton plays the games with one or more guests—usually web or TV personalities.

American Fantastic Tales is a set of two reprint horror anthologies, released as American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from Poe to the Pulps and American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now. Both anthologies were edited by Peter Straub. They were published by Library of America in 2009. The anthologies contain horror stories by American authors from the 18th century to modern times, split at 1940. The anthology pair itself won the 2010 World Fantasy Award—Anthology. The pair were also released as a boxed set in 2009.

<i>Armada</i> (novel) 2015 science fiction novel by Ernest Cline

Armada is a science fiction novel by Ernest Cline, published on July 14, 2015 by Crown Publishing Group. The story follows a teenager who plays an online video game about defending against an alien invasion, only to find out that the game is a simulator to prepare him and people around the world for defending against an actual alien invasion.

<i>The Curse of Sleeping Beauty</i> 2016 American fantasy horror film

The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is a 2016 American fantasy horror film directed by Pearry Reginald Teo and written by Teo alongside Josh Nadler. The film stars Ethan Peck, India Eisley and Natalie Hall. It is based on a comic book of the same name by Everette Hartsoe and the story Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.

<i>Color Out of Space</i> (film) 2019 science fiction horror film directed by Richard Stanley

Color Out of Space is a 2019 American science fiction Lovecraftian horror film directed and co-written by Richard Stanley, based on the short story "The Colour Out of Space" by H. P. Lovecraft. It stars Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Elliot Knight, Madeleine Arthur, Brendan Meyer, Q'orianka Kilcher and Tommy Chong. This is Stanley's first feature film since his firing from The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). According to Stanley, it is the first film in a trilogy of Lovecraft adaptations, which he hopes to continue with an adaptation of "The Dunwich Horror".

Curse II: The Bite is a 1989 horror film directed by Frederico Prosperi, credited as Fred Goodwin. It is the second entry in the Curse tetralogy, a rebranding of unrelated films for marketing purposes.

Curse III: Blood Sacrifice is a 1991 horror film written and directed by Sean Barton. Although released as Curse III, it bears no resemblance to either The Curse or Curse II: The Bite and is a sequel in name only.

<i>The Curse</i> (film series) Horror film franchise

The Curse pentalogy is a horror series of five originally unconnected films that were retitled to be part of a supernatural franchise for the American home video market. The series started in 1987 with The Curse. 1993's Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice is notable due to the fact the fourth film was originally made in 1988, predating the third film Curse III: Blood Sacrifice which was released in 1991. The only loose connections between the films are the first two are Italian productions produced by Ovidio G. Assonitis, otherwise the films are completely unrelated.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Curse (1987)". American Film Institute . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  2. "The Curse (1987)". attackfromplanetb.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The Curse (1987)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. Mitchell 2001, p. 116.
  5. Wheaton, Wil (2022-08-15). "When you watch The Curse, you are watching two children who were abused and exploited daily during production. No adults protected us". WIL WHEATON dot NET. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  6. Mitchell 2001, p. 115.
  7. Migliore, Andrew; Strysik, John (February 1, 2006). Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft. Night Shade Books. ISBN   978-1892389350.
  8. "The Curse". VHSCollector. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. "Curse, The". Laserdisc Database. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  10. "The Curse". VHSCollector. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  11. "Curse, The / The Curse 2 (Double Feature)". DVDEmpire.com . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  12. "The Curse / Curse II: The Bite [Double Feature]". Scream Factory . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. "MOVIE REVIEW : 'THE CURSE': TRADING SLIME FOR GORE". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  14. "Curse II: The Bite". VHSCollector. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  15. "Curse III: Blood Sacrifice (1991) Blu-ray". dvddrive-in.com. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  16. "Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice". VHSCollector. Retrieved March 27, 2019.

Bibliography