Shudder’s acclaimed documentary series Cursed Films returns with a new five-episode season exploring the facts and myths surrounding a new batch of Hollywood’s notoriously “cursed” horror film productions. The Wizard of Oz, Rosemary’s Baby, Stalker, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Cannibal Holocaust: were these films really cursed, as many believe, or just the victims of bad luck and bizarre circumstances? Directed by Jay Cheel, and starring Mark Badley-Newkirk, Livio Bioglio, Stephen Cox, John Fricke, Aljean Harmetz, Blanche Barton, and many more.
For in-depth thoughts on Cursed Films II, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original streaming debut below:
- Episodes 1 & 2 – The Wizard Of Oz & Rosemary’s Baby
- Episodes 3 & 4 – Stalker & The Serpent and The Rainbow
- Episode 5 – Cannibal Holocaust
Video Quality
Cursed Films II arrives on Blu-Ray featuring a variety of material in varying degrees of quality. The core transfer of the show itself and everything within it looks as technically excellent as you would hope for in high definition. RLJE Films has my gratitude for spreading these five episodes over two discs which allows the content plenty of room to breathe where we can avoid any compression artifacts. Interview segments look incredibly crisp and clear with natural skin tones and subtle facial features on display. The movie clips used seem to be the best versions that were available when this was created, with most of them looking pretty excellent. Some of the clips from the films are unfortunately reframed to make the content fit the screen. You will not find any evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances of the sort. You really could not ask for better. It’s a fetching transfer handled with care by RLJE Films.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that represents this show really well. As this is mostly an interview show with talking heads abound, dialogue is the focus right up front in the center channel. The surround channels get some ambient noise on occasion which makes the soundscape feel a bit more spacious, but overall the show is more reserved. The movie clips maintain their quality pretty well even if it is a slightly more contained experience than watching the same scene within the context of the film. The surround sound presentation is enveloping while maintaining the artistic choice of the series. To expect anything more from this track would be unreasonable. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Extended Interview with Adam Savage: A two-minute piece with Savage in which he discusses the power of film props and shares a story about Dorthy’s dress from The Wizard of Oz.
- Extended Interview with Gregg Turkington: A two-and-a-half-minute conversation with Turkington in which he shows off his collection of The Wizard of Oz VHS tapes.
- Deleted Sequence with David Oman At The Oman House: A ten-minute unused sequence with Oman in which he gives a tour of his Oman House, shows off the production of Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood and more.
Final Thoughts
Cursed Films II finds the show reassessing the elements that made it entertaining in the first season and improving upon the aspects which were coming up short. The uniqueness of the films chosen is just as strong this go around, but the creatives approach things in a more focused and engaging way which allows it to live up to the fun of its premise. The runtime can still occasionally lead to some wheel-spinning, but for the most part you are going to have a good time with this. RLJE Films has provided a Blu-Ray set with an excellent A/V presentation along with a few special features. If you were on the fence about the first season, be sure to give this one another chance. If you already loved the first season, this remains a safe buy. Recommended
Cursed Films II is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.