Review: Cursed Films Season 1 Ep. 4 & 5

The first season of Shudder's docu-series wraps up with two tragedy laden films, The Crow and Twilight Zone: The Movie -- a one-two punch that proves surprisingly emotional.

The Crow claimed the life of Brandon Lee, prompting rumours of a family curse against the males in the Lee family. Brandon's dad is, of course, the great Bruce Lee, who died young himself.

Veteran actor Vic Morrow died on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, along with two young children Morrow shared a scene with.

Filmmaker Jay Cheel explores how death prompts people to look for reasons behind it, which is where rumours of a curse were born. However, he reveals through interviews with filmmakers, special-effects artists, and stunt people that Lee and Murrow died from tragic accidents prompted by negligence and ego. Sad, but true.

The episodes work best when they focus on the impact Lee's passing had on his friends and colleagues, and when Cheel explores how accidents like the one that killed Morrow can happen. We see the emotions of those involved, and I couldn't help but feel affected myself.

I found dry spots in each episode, as I'm not sure there was enough material to fill the run times. But, as an exploration of the dark and tragic side of movie making, Cursed Films is worth the watch for horror and film fans. It's a Good.

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