Is The Cathy’s Curse a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu-ray Distributed By: Severin Films / April 11, 2017
The Infamous ‘Canuxploitation’ Classic
Now Fully Restored For The First Time Ever!
Forget what you’ve seen in blurry bootlegs and crappy budget packs. This first- ever restoration of the depraved Canadian shocker is being hailed as the genre rediscovery of the year: In 1947, a young girl is roasted alive in a car accident. Thirty years later, her grown brother returns to their childhood home with his mentally unstable wife and sweet daughter Cathy. But when the dead aunt’s vengeful spirit possesses the child, it will unleash an unnerving nightmare of creepy mediums, demonic dolls, and plenty of sick ‘70s foul-mouthed moppet mayhem.
Jimbo’s Take 
(3 / 5)
Cathy’s Curse is the kind of obscure rarity mostly found in value bins or convention bootleg tables. It’s not the kind of film that speaks to a wide audience but its followers are typically rabid and passionate. The question is, do you want to be part of the growing audience discovering Cathy’s Curse?
Cathy’s Curse joins a long list of cinema rip-offs trying to cash in on their successful counterparts – The Exorcist, The Omen, Carrie. For me, what makes Cathy’s Curse a joy isn’t in how well it emulates these films, but rather how hard it falls on its face.
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Cathy’s Curse is a delightful mess. It is filled with admirable performances from the cast, questionable directing choices, and a plot that is barely serviceable but rarely boring. The film’s opening scene is a perfect representation of the film overall. Not only does it include one of the best lines of dialogue, it does its job effectively. It sets the tone for the rest of the movie, but with complete incompetency and serves as the perfect segue into the rest of the film. Below is the film’s opening sequence from the “Alternate U.S. Release Cut”…
Right off the bat your brain may be swirling with questions. Where did the mother go, and why? Why did she take the son (George) but leave her daughter (Laura) behind? What would prompt the father to rush out in the middle of the night with his daughter?
These aren’t questions the script and the director are actively asking the viewer. They are questions that naturally come to mind as your brain tries to bridge gaps in the narrative. Don’t expect any of these questions to get a satisfactory resolution. The threads that bind typical storytelling and close those narrative gaps we call “plot holes” are in very short supply throughout the film. Depending on what kind of viewer you are, this will either frustrate or tickle you endlessly.
For this film fan, I love this kind of incompetent filmmaking. The entire opening sequence is hilariously absurd and only serves to set up the eventual main narrative which includes a grown George (Alan Scarfe) returning to his boyhood home with his wife (Beverly Murray) and daughter Cathy (Randi Allen). Cathy almost immediately falls prey to a vengeful spirit who takes possession of the innocent girl and…well the trailer provides the rest.
Based solely on the trailer, the film includes:
- Telepathy
- Psychic medium
- People burning alive
- Supernatural possession
- A self-animated creepy doll
- Rats/Snakes/Spiders
- Child teleportation
- Mother bathing in blood
- Child torture/tears
- Murder, of course
- And so on…
Great bad films never overcome their negative attributes, but compensate by overwhelming the viewer with enough fun and inventive elements to outweigh the negative. You need like a 10 to 1 ratio of good against bad in order for this to typically work, but for the right audience the film offers a smorgasbord of deliverable goods.
If Cathy’s Curse had a competent Director or a half decent script, it’s conceivable that the film could have been a bit more respectable. However, it’s possible that it would get forgotten among the other mediocre films in the horror genre. Instead, we’re left with a film full of “happy accidents” and, with the work done by Severin Films, is elevated out of obscurity and into the collection of grateful fans. Like this guy.
There are other surprises (and laughs) in store but instead of telling you about them, I’d rather you go out and purchase this disc to watch for yourself. Cathy’s Curse is the perfect companion for a backyard, outdoor movie screening with friends, a fire pit, and probably some alcohol (not mandatory).
Technical merits of the Blu-ray are outstanding and Severin Films once again shows they go above and beyond for all of their releases.
The video is very good considering that the source elements were probably less than ideal. Image appears a little washed out at times and there are some inconsistencies here and there, but overall the film looks fantastic.
The audio is serviceable and provides some additional “guffaws” with unintentionally humorous musical cues, sound effects, and choice quotes.
Last but not least, Severin Films produces a number of supplemental treats that are not deserved but greatly welcomed. The interview with Director Eddy Matalon proves incredibly telling as his recollection of the film seems to describe a much more coherent and polished film than the rest of us experience. The interview with actress Randi Allen (Cathy all grown up) is an interesting look into someone who is very humble and has zero desire for the industry, but ended up being featured in a cult classic because her mother happened to be the costume designer. And the audio commentary feels like a nice cherry on top listening to Cathy fans, speak openly about the flaws and virtues of this “Canuxploitation” rarity.
Jamie’s Take 
(2.5 / 5)
I do agree with Jim. Cathy’s Curse does fall on its face.
From the very opening with the cheap sets, jump cuts, and poor acting, Cathy’s Curse is a Canadian exploitation film that somehow has generated a cult following.
There are some decent moments in Cathy’s Curse that doesn’t make the film a failure. I did enjoy the winter, bleak background as this provided the film with some decent atmospheric moments. It is a cold film and the winter landscape adds to the charm.
While the film does rip-off moments from The Omen, Carrie and notably The Exorcist it does provide some interesting creepy moments with Cathy conjuring up spiders, rats, and snakes that seem to attack the drunken caretaker of the house. I also enjoyed Cathy mocking and ridiculing a strange medium who seems obsessed with the family, calling her a “fat dried up whore”.
But if you are looking for a coherent plot, look elsewhere as there really is no reason why Cathy is being possessed by her dead aunt, nor why this strange doll has anything to do with her possession. The ending climax with her mother is also bizarre as Cathy’s face turns into hamburger and she just attacks her Mom out of the blue.
Cathy’s Curse isn’t really all that scary but it did have some moments and could be a good time waster on a Saturday afternoon.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Jimbo: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Jamie: |  (2.5 / 5) |
| Average: |  (2.8 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Director’s Cut
- Alternate U.S. Release Cut
- Tricks And Treats: An Interview with Director Eddy Matalon
- Cathy & Mum: Interview with Actress Randi Allen and Costume Designer Joyce Allen
- Audio Commentary on U.S. Cut by BirthMoviesDeath critic Brian Collins and Filmmaker Simon Barrett
- Introduction to Cinematic Void Screening At American Cinematheque by BirthMoviesDeath Critic Brian Collins
- Theatrical Trailer
