Cathy's Curse

Director - Eddy Matalon (The Mad Dog, Sweet Killing)
Starring - Alan Scarfe (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tales from the Darkside), Beverly Murray (Friday's Curse, Street Smart), and Randi Allen
Release Date - 1977
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "She has the power...to terrorize"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror and exploitation is so vast that I am constantly learning about new films, sub-genres, and movements.  I've been obsessed with horror since I was in middle school, late 90s, and was a member of several horror forums for many years.  I was an active member of the UHM horror forum for about 10 years before Myspace and Facebook took over.  I'd thought I had seen or heard of it all but that is far from the case.  A few months back my friends over at Severin announced that they would be released the canuxploitation supernatural horror flick Cathy's Curse.  This was the first I had heard of this film and the first time I've ever heard of canuxploitation.  I love horror and I love exploitation so diving into a Canadian horror exploitation was going to be fun.  I reached out to Severin and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way!  Thanks guys!
     The film begins when a man discovers that his wife has left him and took his son with her.  He becomes enraged and go searching for her with his daughter but his anger (and I'm sure a little alcohol) got the best of him and they crash the car presumably killing them both.  We move forward some years and the young boy is now a man with a family of his own.  He has decided to move his family into his father's home after his wife suffers from a mental breakdown.  It takes some time for his wife to adjust to the new surroundings but his daughter Cathy warms up to the house immediately.  However, the quiet home is not what it once was.  Something benevolent is living in the home and possesses Cathy and starts killing everyone close to her.
     Cathy's Curse hooked me with the artwork for the bluray.  I love when a film has simple artwork but uses colors that pop and stand out.  The mostly black artwork with Cathy's face and glowing green eyes is very effective and I fucking love it.  Would love to have this on a shirt...  Anyway, the artwork makes the viewer suspect that the film is dark and ominous but it really isn't.  The acting in this one is great.  Alan Scarfe is a face I am very familiar with but I rarely see in the driver's seat.  He is a very talented actors that seemingly consisted of playing secondary characters.  Beverly Murray was a pleasure to watch as well.  By the middle of the film the viewer feels for her character.  She is emotionally and mentally unstable resulting in her losing grip with reality.  Anyone with children will feel her frustration.  Now, with all that being said, I was never sold on Randi Allen.  I try to ignore the acting of children in films but she clearly showed her inexperience in this one.  Some of the scenes were better than others but overall I could see someone else making this character even better. The story for this one is not that original.  There has been other horror films centered around children possessed or acting evil against their will.  One quickly thinks of The Exorcist which was released in 1973 and The Omen which was released just one year before this one in 1976.  Evil kids are fucking terrifying but this film is not chilling.  The movie does not feel dark and Cathy comes across as nothing more than a little brat that never had her ass busted like I did growing up.  The story is still fun and full of moments that are highly entertaining but does not really feel like a horror tale until the last act.  Finally, the film does have some blood and with decent practical effects but the kills are not that entertaining.  Most of off screen with very little blood shown.  Some of the practical effects we see are solid while others were lacking.  Overall, Cathy's Curse is not a classic but was still worth a watch.  I enjoyed it for what it is and would recommend it to anyway wanting something different to see.  I will issue a warning that it is far from perfect but that only adds to the charm.  Check it out.