Directed by:
Sean EllisScreenplay:
Sean EllisCinematography:
Sean EllisComposer:
Robin FosterCast:
Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, Simon Kunz, Roxane Duran, Sean Mahon, Stuart Bowman, Amelia Crouch, Richard Cunningham, Tommy Rodger, Gary Oliver (more)Plots(1)
In the late 1800s, a once-peaceful remote country village is under attack - but by who or what, no one knows. Villagers spread rumours of a cursed land, supernatural forces, and even demonic creatures, as the disappearances and killings continue. Pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) arrives to investigate the danger, only to discover something much deeper and more sinister than he ever could have imagined. (Mediumrare Entertainment)
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Reviews (6)
I rarely miss a werewolf horror film, and Eight for Silver won me over with its premise and its setting. In terms of production design, it's a decent atmospheric horror film where the foggy landscape evoked the dangerous swamps of “The Hound of the Baskervilles”. I also liked the concept in the direction of the gothic novel. Story-wise, however, I found the film somewhat confusing and jumbled. (Spoiler alert!) Sean Ellis rambles about the years between the frame story and the main story, and it would have been better not to refer to the Beast of Gévaudan, which had run rampant nearly 130 years earlier. The rescue of one of the beast's victims was also problematic from my perspective. If the film were unframed (and thus shorter) and Ellis didn't try to overdo the mythology, I'd easily give the film four stars - as it is, three is better.
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Forests and meadows shrouded in fog are a great setting for a werewolf horror movie. The historical period with costumes to match give the film the mark of a solid drama. However, the viewer pretty much checks out by the time the horror scenes start to work at least a little. Those scenes are unusually badly directed at first and later evoke emotions only because we already know the characters better and we are experiencing the drama with them. I’m giving this a weak third star for the drama, not for the horror.
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There hasn't been a Werewolf horror film in a long time and I welcome a quality addition to the genre. The first half hour is noticeably better and more mysterious, but then it starts to go downhill a bit and the film just barely makes it to a satisfying end. The characters aren't particularly interesting, the visuals are thankfully properly dark and grim and there is the occasional blood and monster scene, so I'm not complaining. Equally pleasing are a couple of jump-scares with the a scarecrow and a solid atmosphere that does its thing with the aforementioned visuals. The story, however, is perhaps a little too simple and straightforward and doesn't bring much new, engaging or interesting enough as a whole for me. Pure average.
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A weak four or a strong three. The strength of The Cursed is a really well-done period atmosphere – an old mansion, a gloomy countryside, a dense forest drowned in fog – it really feels like an old Hammer film. The whole thing is serious, there is not even a hint of humour, which is quite refreshing, and it has a couple of horror scenes that are downright brilliant (the autopsy). Unfortunately, there are also a few scenes where things get a bit wonky. The pseudo-werewolves sometimes look unconvincing, and the director uses such a stupid blurry filter in several attack scenes (probably just to cover up the poor visual effects) that doesn't fit the beautifully shot dark gothic splendour all around. And the fact that you can't establish any connection to the characters (I found the main pathologist/investigator unlikeable, and the rest are either assholes or have little space) doesn't make for a stronger experience. However, despite the rather generous runtime (and predictability), I wasn't bored for a minute and enjoyed how nicely atmospheric it was, so I'm leaning towards the weaker four.
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I've gotten used to the fact that most horror movies these days don't really scare me. It's been over a decade since I felt that spine-tingling chill or the unsettling fear that makes a nighttime trip to the bathroom a nerve-wracking adventure. Unfortunately, Eight for Silver didn't break that streak. The constant use of English and the main character, John McBride, confused me at first. However, I got used to it; after all, Scots have historically done well in French service. The gloomy, oppressive atmosphere was excellent, though the CGI was terrible. The acting was solid, but I think a more rigorous editing process could have trimmed the unnecessary fat and tightened the film's runtime. Overall, it wasn't bad. / Lesson learned: White guilt is still in vogue.
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