‘Cursed Films II’ Episodes 1-2 Review: An Impressive And Engaging Exploration Of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ & ‘Rosemary’s Baby’

Cursed Films II Episodes 1-2: The Wizard of Oz & Rosemary’s Baby

Series Created By: Jay Cheel

Plot: Season 2 of Cursed Films covers a batch of new films including The Wizard of Oz, Rosemary’s Baby, The Serpent and the Rainbow and more!

Back in 2020, I reviewed the Shudder original Cursed Films. It was exciting because this was my first screener from Shudder which is a platform that I still love dearly. Even though I enjoyed what turned out to be the first season (there were no plans at the time for a second), I was completely honest with how I felt about it. To sum up: Cursed Films Pt 1 was really fascinating with an amazing galley of talent talking about these films. Add a treasure trove of rare behind the scenes footage and pictures and you have an engaging series. However, I noted that the episodes at times lacked focus and would go off on sidelines that felt like filler. I even suggested that this would have maybe made for a better documentary rather than breaking it up into episodes. Flash forward to 2022, Shudder is tempting fate yet again with a slew of cursed films to explore.

The series starts out delve into the dark side of MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. It’s really hard to properly convey my feelings on The Wizard of Oz, so I will just say that it’s the very text book definition of a magical film that holds up extremely well. On a deeper level, The Wizard of Oz has always been extremely important to Queer identifying people, bringing with it an extra weight and significance. For as wonderful and candy coated as things seem in Oz, there has always been a dark specter that looms over it. Right out of the gate, I think Wizard of Oz is an inspired choice for the first episode. After all, it’s a film that has is steeped in legends and morbid fascination. The episode is cleverly bookended by interviewing professional cosplay actors in Oz costumes. It’s a nice touch that captures a solid and consistent tone whilst also helping to draw you in.

Overall, I think that the episode does a fairly good job at laying out and sorting through the tangled web of urban legend and fact regarding the iconic film. As with the first season, Cursed Films features a wonderful cross section of interview subjects that guide you through the history of mishaps and scandals. More importantly, the interviewees provide a wider context for the period in which the film was made and its larger cultural impact. I wish they could have gotten John Waters (a huge fan of the film) to talk about the film and its appeal to the LGBTQ community. Overall, I think the urban myths are explored satisfyingly. The most interesting and infamous has to be that a little person hanged himself in the background, only to be discovered later with the advent of home video and eagle-eyed film buffs. With only a few minor complaints, this overall episode has a nice focus and was incredibly entertaining.

Episode 2 focuses on 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, a movie plagued with a legacy as sinister as the film’s subject matter itself. Like The Wizard of Oz, this episode provides a clearly laid out narrative that takes you through the making of the film and its disturbing ties to one of the most infamous crimes in the 20th century. As much as I enjoyed the previous episode, Rosemary’s Baby is a standout. Not only does this episode retain an engaging focus throughout, it weaves a compelling story that is as gripping as it is chilling. It really sets the stage for a hellish ride into one of the most infamous and ghastly true-life horrors, the Manson murders, and how it connects with the seminal horror film.

Amazingly, the film has true crime doc elements but, thankfully it never strays far from the central premise. As always, the episode features a wide and impressive array of interviewees who are all extremely well versed, researched, and most importantly entertaining to listen to. There even was one speaker that literally had me shocked that they got, but I won’t spoil it. Like The Wizard of Oz, things never get too unbearably bleak or uncomfortable, especially for true crime genre fans. The episode ends in such a brilliantly creepy way and might stick with you. Overall, I was impressed by both episodes and I am excited for more.

Cursed Films II is currently streaming on Shudder with new episodes debuting every Thursday.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55pViqNPtKE]

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