Cursed

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Marks a return to a not-so-distant time when horror movies weren't soul-rotting atrocities but just enjoyably bad.

Film Threat Rick Kisonak

Until this past Friday, the worst werewolf film ever made was, hairy hands down, Mike Nichols' "Wolf." Cursed now assumes that dubious distinction and someone is going to have to try very hard to wrestle it away.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Though Craven shows flashes of the old magic, Cursed eventually settles into rote, uninspired horror fare, hog-tied to the Williamson formula all the way to arbitrary finish. The film may be one of the best ever not screened in advance for critics, but that still doesn't put it in the finest company.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Outdoes recent releases such as "Boogeyman" in the fright department, but the "Dawson's Creek" sensitivity and unsatisfying effects undermine the lupine anxiety.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The problem lies with Williamson's script, which feels as if it has been torn from different places and glued back together like a ransom note.

LA Weekly Kim Morgan

Poor special effects, a silly looking werewolf and clunky comic writing help to spoil what should have been a fun B-movie.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

More an uninspired letdown than a flabbergasting turkey... One reason for this lack of bite lies in the werewolves themselves. They're a bit too teddy-bearish, even oddly cuddly, and the fright scenes work better when you don't see much of them.

Variety Robert Koehler

Except for Eisenberg's superb comic timing and his ability to make the familiar seem interesting, the high school scenes play like "Scream" outtakes.

Empire William Thomas

There is some fun to be had if you're in an undemanding frame of mind.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

If there's the kernel of a good story buried somewhere deep in Cursed, it never pops. As werewolf movies go, this one is on par with "An American Werewolf in Paris," but at least that dud had plenty of gore and Julie Delpy's bare breasts to recommend it.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

It's not bad enough to make you curse, but you are likely to laugh when you should scream, and to roll your eyes when you are meant to laugh.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

It's a mess, but it isn't as bad as you think.

Village Voice Ben Kenigsberg

The scariest thing in the movie is a cameo by Scott Baio.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Wes Craven, who started the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series, should know a lot better.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson (the Scream trilogy), having bottomed out in the horror genre, now dips below bottom (there isn't a line that has his knowing sweet-and-sour zing).

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A third-rate effort, with a weak script, cheap-looking effects and no genuine frights.

New York Daily News Robert Dominguez

It's hard to tell who is more Cursed - the pretty young people who turn into werewolves on screen or the people who buy tickets for this slow, witless, predictable horror flick.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Unlike Cursed, which resorts to blatant but unconvincing gore and violence, "The Wolf Man" (1941) gets its point across through suggestion, makeup and spooky sets.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The film vacillates between inanity and flat-out lameness, and the decision to recut from an R-rated version to a PG-13 sucked out whatever life might have been left.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Cursed, a modern-day werewolf tale that fails to provide either Craven's trademark chills or Williamson's trademark satirical wit, is a distinctly subpar film that, but for the current boxoffice streak enjoyed by such formulaic genre entries, deserved to go direct to video.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Genre fans and newcomers alike should skip this monstrosity and go rent "Ginger Snaps" instead.