The Curse (1987)

"They killed my whole crop with their damn toilet water." - Nathan

A family faces supernatural forces on their farm.
Starring: Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, Cooper Huckabee, John Schneider

Link to IMDB

Zack

Nathan Crane is a grumpy religious man, living on a farm with his new wife and her two children, Zack and Alice, as well as his own oafish son, Cyrus. Zack and Cyrus are always fighting and the mother seems to have her eye on the handy-man, but Nathan has hope that his family can be happy if he slaps them around enough.

They all have something new to worry about when a glowing meteorite crashes into their yard! The Crane's neighbour is Doctor Forbes, and he suggests that everyone should just leave the mysterious rock alone.
The meteorite soon melts away, to the relief of everyone in the community, but we know that the space ooze has actually found its way into the water supply on the Crane's property.


It's not long before weird things start happening on the farm. The crops begin to rot and there's a hilarious scene when the chickens go totally bonkers on poor little Alice! Zack is the only one that suspects the water has been contaminated, but no one believes his ideas about space poison.
Things go from bad to worse when the mother starts getting sick and transforms into a killer mutant, which is a sure sign that this movie just got way better! It's up to Zack and Dr. Forbes to find a way to save the family before the space sickness destroys them all.

The first half of the movie is slow, but the drama is corny enough to be enjoyable and I appreciated the Twilight Zone style of atmosphere that was established. Once people start getting sick it becomes a slimy good time with pus and maggots for everyone! Some of the special effects are low-budget, but for the most part they fit perfectly with the movie's tone.

Nathan's got the ooze blues

Doc Forbes

Claude Akins performance as the strict father is another highlight, as he chews the scenery like a pro.
The story is loosely adapted from H.P. Lovecraft, but instead of cosmic horror it evolves into a Peter Jackson or Sam Raimi type of nightmare scenario that is rather entertaining.

Be sure not to miss:
- Where did the handy-man go? He just disappears from the movie.
- Chickens gone wild!
- The great Lucio Fulci helped make the gore effects.

Internet review:
"The incessant banjo music and maggots make it something quite memorable and unique." - Cropsy

Should I watch it?
It's worth checking out.

Where can I find it?
Here on vidzi, or on YouTube.

The Curse gets...