Cathy’s Curse (1977) d. Eddy Matalon (France/Canada)
Shot in Canada during the tax shelter years (and released the same year as David Cronenberg’s Rabid), this bizarre French-produced Omen/Exorcist knock-off centers around the spirit of a young girl – who died decades earlier in an automobile accident with her father – possessing the body of a young couple’s daughter after they move into the family estate. You see, the husband (Alan Scarfe) is the younger brother of the girl who died, and just to stir the pot, did I mention his wife is recovering from a mental breakdown?
The stage is set for amateur-hour melodramatics (I’m fairly confident that no human ever expressed herself with the same phrasing and breathy comments as Beverly Murray, playing the unstable mom) and some not very special special effects (breakables exploding, Cathy’s doll flying around via fishing line, creepy crawling creatures, and some gore that looks like nothing so much as caked-on oatmeal cooked in a sea of red dye). But the DIY spirit is strong and the gravy thick, so Turkey aficionados and Canuxploitation completists will probably get a kick out of this one.
Severin Films presents a fully restored director’s cut on Blu-ray which adds an additional 9 minutes to the scant 82-minute US release running time that appears on most bootlegs and “public domain” box sets. Said US release is also included, which boasts a lively audio commentary track by BirthMoviesDeath critic Brian Collins and screenwriter Simon Barrett (You’re Next, V/H/S, V/H/S/2, The Guest).
Also included among the special features are interviews with director Matalon (charming and self-deprecating, with great stories to tell) and all-grown-up child actress Randi Allen (and her mom Joyce Allen, who served as costumer for the picture). For fans of the film, it’s a no-brainer upgrade.
Cathy’s Curse is available on Blu-ray and can be ordered HERE:
https://severin-films.com/shop/cathys-curse-bluray/
.
No comments:
Post a Comment