Midlands Review of Cursed Words
midlandsmovies • November 3, 2020
Cursed Words (Haunted Edition)
Directed by Joe and Lloyd Stas
2020
Holomax
In our trawl of Midlands spooky shorts we’ve come across new film Cursed Words from Joe and Lloyd Stas which tells a bloody story of horror using historic cinematic techniques from yesteryear.
The short opens with a large “Presented in Holomax” title echoing the old-style anamorphic format trade names such as Cinemascope. But we’re in firm television ratio here and this mix of anachronisms brilliantly underpins all aspects of Cursed Words.
We push in on a man who waits trance-like at a local pub as other customers around him jovially drink traditional pints and play darts. Some older clothes and set décor give it a feel of the past – but again, what period it is, I don’t know – but this mix of old-timey quirkiness at odds with the modern and keeps the short off-kilter. It also creates a successful unsettling vibe perfect for any horror tale.
As time is called, the ding of the pub bell awakens the man from his thoughts and we see him hold a blood-stained letter with a wax seal featuring a pentagram.
The basic camera moves and shot choices echo classic black and white horrors and it becomes increasingly self-aware as the content of the letter is obscured by a large ‘censored’ sign. As he reads to himself from the letter, beads of sweat and a gulp of breath suggests something ominous forthcoming without the audience knowing what words are written.
And with a jolt from the sound of a storm and a sudden shattering of glass, our protagonist suddenly smashes his head to the table in self-inflicted terror. The pub patrons look on confusingly as the man violently hits his head again and again until grotesquely disfigured. He finally stands up with eyes rolled back, before his neck snaps and sticks a blade into his own skull. Woah!
Technical wise, the archaic style is spot on in every aspect. The sound is suitably gramophone-lite with record scratches and added spooky theremin soundscapes filling out the aural aesthetic. The black and white filter injects film scratches and a juddery projector feel to the proceedings.
The nods don’t stop there as some of the themes of the “undead” hark to the Universal movie monsters of the past, yet there is a more modern nod to the likes of comedies Inside Number 9 and The League of Gentlemen with dollops of jet black humour.
The story continues as a bar maid picks up the letter and reads the censored words aloud herself and suddenly all hell breaks loose with *SPOILER* a cacophony of bones breaking, fork stabbing, decapitations and body horror filling the pub.
The directors have thrown everything they can to inject Cursed Words with nasty nostalgia but also add new ideas too. 1931’s Frankenstein was subject to the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines and the short self-referentially pokes fun and uses the trope to create an intriguing set-up.
The cast give it their all and the film gets surprisingly gory, and funnily enough words aren’t able to fully describe how off the wall the short is. And the gross special effect make-up is brilliantly nauseating as skin ruptures, blood drips and heads roll. Coming highly recommended, Cursed Words comes together because of its mix of fresh modern gore and the winning formula of time-honoured horror cinema, ultimately making it a satisfying slice of dark comedy and hellish horror.
Michael Sales
With a number of acclaimed films under his belt including Cosmo, Gone Fishing and The Morgue Party, Jonathan Hawes launches a new short, once again in his favourite genre of comedy. Midlands Movies Mike Sales speaks to the writer/director about his latest project, his influences and his plans for the film.
Up! (1976) Dir. Russ Meyer Well, bi-Adolf Hitler BDSM is not something (a) I thought I’d ever see 5 minutes into a movie and (b) ever expected to write in my lifetime to be fair but this spicy start is pretty standard for the work of exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer. Up! is a kind of r*pe-revenge softcore p*rn film (there’s gonna be a fair bit of self-censorship in this review so apologies in advance), the type Meyer is known for. I’d describe the plot in more detail but it’s mostly a convoluted and incoherent mess of double-crossing, murder, violence and lots and lots of humping. In short, a man called Adolph gets murdered and a woman investigates (kinda) the circumstances but as she does so, a group of locals blackmail, attack and screw each other with the murder mystery barely mentioned throughout. With so little narrative, it could be argued if it’s essentially p*rn? To be fair, not far off. It’s about extreme as you can go without simply making a s*x film. Is that a…no, it’s a belly button hole. Bookending the film (and also seen at various points throughout) is a Greek Chorus - simply a busty fully nude woman of course - who delivers dialogue like “Pummelling the scrotum with joyous supplication” and other such poeticisms. This artistic flourish is mostly pointless - the actress herself saying the words were tough to learn because it was utter nonsense. On a technical level, the editing is surprisingly well done and the 4k image is frankly fantastic. Someone somewhere must be putting together a post-modern take about the beautiful landscapes and cinematography of Meyer’s * ahem * output. But it definitely does have a kitsch artistry. It has certainly provided plenty of cinematic influence though. Elements of Tarantino grindhouse sensibilities are on show - Meyers likes bosoms as much as Quents likes feet - and there’s even a leather gimp early on. I can also see how its had an impact on Ti West X’s with a focus on sexuality and the body as well, more obviously, Anna Biller’s feminist-twist The Love Witch (2016). Suffice to say it’s not for the weak of heart. I think in this day and age you can’t go into this completely blind to its style, period and context though. It's an X-rated Carry On style that was bad taste then and it’s bad taste now. It revels in its sleaziness without a single hint of shame or apology. Simply saying 'deal with it'. The main negative though is the absence of plot - if the film can even be looked at like that - which is barely present. This is a shame as the whole thing could do with a bit more coherence rather than endless shagging. But it’s far from titillation, it’s mostly clowning - albeit a very adult version of it. More saucy than sexy. Trying to review this through modern sensibilities is almost impossible. It’s as offensive can be from the first scene through to the final credits - heck even this 4k menu is simply one of the film's many s*x scenes. But there are some progressive themes as it doesn’t shy from confronting sexual freedom, bisexuality, gay sex, BDSM and consensual exploration. There's moments of comedy thrown in and I enjoyed a frankly hilarious 5-minute monologue explaining the culprit’s intentions, which was a ludicrous way to deliver a slasher-style ending. I suppose the main thing about Up! (and Meyers’ work overall) is there’s a sort of love it or loathe it quality about the whole shebang. But it’s so unlike anything being made today - for good or bad - that it’s never anything other than unpredictably fascinating. More explicit than most Meyers films - in fact more than any film - it’s a lewd, rude and crude (s)exploration with a satirical edge and campy enjoyment bouncing from every frame. ★★★ 3 / 5 Michael Sales Severin Films releases Russ Meyers' UP! (1976) and MOTORPSYCHO (1965) on 28 April 2025 in newly restored and scanned 4k with hours of new and archival Special Features https://severinfilms.co.uk/
On the 24th of April, the Midlands Art Centre opened its doors to Gobby Flicks Productions for a night of live comedy. Proceeds were raised towards the production of new short comedy films, directed and written by women.
Ti West’s The House of the Devil makes a wonderful companion piece to his film The Innkeepers. Both maintain the director’s referential approach to horror, incapsulating it in a slow burning 90 minutes that manages to build and maintain tension while cheekily winking to the audience and showing the mechanisms behind the scares.