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Released by: Severin Films
Released on: May 28th, 2024.
Director: Eddy Matalon
Cast: Alan Scarfe, Beverly Murray, Randi Allen, Dorothy Davis, Roy Witham
Year: 1977
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Cathy’s Curse – Movie Review:
Directed and co-written by Eddy Matalon, 1977's Cathy's Curse opens with a scene where a man and his daughter die in a car wreck. The man's wife took his son, George, and left him for reasons never really explained.
Cut to the 'present day' and George (Alan Scarfe, a popular TV actor who not only appeared in The Littlest Hobo but who also appeared in Iron Eagle II!) is now a grown man. His wife, Vivian (Beverly Murray) has recently been let out of the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. George figures a change of pace will do them good and so he, Vivian and their daughter Cathy (Randi Allen) move into the old family home that he spent the first four years of his life in. There to help are a handyman named Paul (Roy Witham) and a maid named Mary (Dorothy Davis), kindly old folks to seem quite enamored with young Cathy.
Cathy is instantly comfortable in the new digs, and quickly becomes unusually into a ratty old doll that she finds in the attic. By the time she's met the kids next door and decided to play 'car accident' however, it seems that something is up. Cathy's behavior becomes increasingly strange and as it starts to seem that's somehow become possessed by the spirit of the sister George never really knew, things get weird. Even Paul's dog, a Doberman named Sneaker, knows that something is very wrong with Cathy. It's almost as if… she's cursed! The cops come by but it doesn't matter. Agatha (Mary Morter, who had a small part in The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane - check out screen cap #2 at that link - that's her alright!), a medium who lives nearby, tries to warn the family but NO! Not even this bespectacled middle aged lady can put a stop to the evil.
This one doesn't always make a whole lot of sense but if quirky, low budget seventies horror is your thing, it won't matter so much. There are moments where Matalon and company do manage to conjure up some interesting imagery and atmosphere. A scene where Paul sits frozen at the kitchen table, powerless to move as snakes crawl over his arms, rats run over his feet and a big tarantula climbs up his shoulder is a good example. It's creepy, it's weird, and we're never given a proper explanation as to why it's happening. It just seems that whenever Cathy gets annoyed about something, she's able to make things happen. She drives her mother, already clearly unstable, further off the deep end and in a scene that seems lifted from The Omen, she somehow forces Mary out the window of the house to her death. Or does she? Her dad, well played (if occasionally overdone) by affable Scarfe, gets along with the little girl just fine. The only problem is that he's working sixteen hours a day and he's never home to witness all of this insanity. Beverly Murray is also good here, though really most of what she's asked to do is act meek and scared. She does it well, but the movie doesn't ask much more of her than that. Roy Witham steals a few scenes from everyone else, playing Paul as a kindly old man until he hits the bottle - by that point? He's a raging terror who winds up yelling at everyone and puking all over the front lawn! Mary Morter is pretty cool as the medium too, especially in her introductory scene where she makes a frightening connection in the family's living room.
Really though, the film belongs to Randi Allen. She's a cute kid, pretty even, but she's also eerie - wandering around the house with an unhealthy attachment to a raggedy ass doll, cursing out kindly old ladies, roughing up the neighborhood kids, launching a plague of creepy critters or making things mysteriously and suddenly explode! Allen does all of this with a really effective stern look upon her face, her soft child-like features taking on a very serious tone anytime she does it - and it works surprisingly well!
It's worth noting that this Blu-ray release includes the film's original Director's Cut (90:44) as well as the alternate U.S. Release Cut (81:49). The Director's Cut does make a bit more sense as it includes the scene that introduces Mary and Paul, the introduction of Margaret and her kids and the scene where Cathy repeats 'Jack and Jill' over and over again until her mother snaps. In place of some of this material, the U.S. cut uses weird text screens to kinda-sorta try to explain what the holy Hell is going on in the movie. The Director's Cut is clearly the better version of the picture but it's great that both versions are preserved here.
Cathy’s Curse – UHD Review:
Cathy’s Curse arrives on UHD in an HEVC encoded 2160p presentation framed at 1.85.1 widescreen, the film’s original aspect ratio, in an HDR10 enhanced transfer taken from a 4k scan of the original 35mm negative. Picture quality is really good, with the HDR making the colors look just that much better than they did on the previous Blu-ray release. Detail on the UHD is typically pretty impressive, with good depth and texture noticeable throughout (you can really make out all the detail in the various styles of wallpaper on display throughout the movie!). Black levels and skin tones look spot on and there are no problems to discuss with compression artifacts, noise reduction or edge enhancement. The source material used was clearly in really nice shape, as while the image retains the grain you’d expect and want it to, outside of a few small specks here there, print damage is never an issue.
The main audio option on the disc is a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track, in the film’s native English, tough a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track is also provided in French. Optional subtitles offered up in English only. Audio quality is fine for an older mix of a movie made on a low budget to begin with. The wonky score sounds pretty good, the dialogue is clean and clear and if any hiss or distortion works its way into the mix, it’s minor and not especially noticeable.
Extras on the UHD include an archival audio commentary over the U.S. Cut by BirthMoviesDeath Critic Brian Collins and Filmmaker Simon Barrett. There's talk from the commentators about how they each discovered the movie and their initial thoughts on it, as well as some discussion about the differences between the two cuts of the film. They also offer up some critical analysis as to what works and what doesn't and some observations and trivia regarding the cast, the crew and the locations.
A theatrical trailer for the feature is also included on the UHD.
The included Blu-ray disc contains the same commentary track and trailer as well as a featurettes, starting with a new piece called Tricks And Treats, a twenty minute interview with Director Eddy Matalon who starts off by talking about how and why he wound up moving to Canada from his native France. From there he talks about making Cathy's Curse in Quebec to take advantage of Canada's tax shelter program, bringing the movie in on a low budget, some of the challenges that they had with the effects work and what it was like working with the cast and crew, Randi Allen in particular.
Cathy’s Daddy is a twelve minute interview with actor Alan Scarfe where he speaks about how he was a stage actor up until 1977 at which point he started doing film and television after his agent started getting him roles, hins initial thoughts on the script, working with the film's director and producer, memories of his co-stars and their work on the film, thoughts on how the film turned out and what it was like seeing a screening of it in Toronto.
Up next is the thirteen minute Cathy & Mum featurette, which interviews with Actress Randi Allen and Costume Designer Joyce Allen. This is pretty interesting stuff as it allows Allen to look back on the work she did as a kid through the eyes of an adult. She notes that she'd done some commercial work before but nothing as intense as a film shoot, and that some of the demands on her were quite trying. Joyce Allen talks about how she came on board to work in costume design while her daughter was playing the titular lead, and then she shows off some items from a scrapbook that she made documenting the experience.
Rounding out the extras are a four minute introduction to The Cinematic Void screening of the film that took place at the American Cinematheque that once again features Brian Collins, the film's original theatrical trailer (reconstructed from restored footage from the feature and poor quality VHS inserts), menus and chapter selection.
This release comes packaged with some reversible cover sleeve art and an insert booklet featuring new writing on the film and its odd history by Brian Collins.
Cathy’s Curse - The Final Word:
Cathy’s Curse is as bizarre as it is wildly entertaining, a schlocky slice of seventies horror that never feels like anything else you’ve seen. Severin Films has done a great job giving it a 4k upgrade with this release, offering the film in an excellent presentation and with a nice selection of interesting bonus features. Highly recommended!