Cursed To Kill (reviewed by Lisa Marie Bowman)
This low-budget horror film from 2017 appears to have two names. When I DVR’d it off of Showtime last week, the guide listed it as being named Patient. (That’s also the name listed over at the imdb.) But, according to the opening credits, this film is actually called Cursed to Kill. Since Patient is kind of a bland name, I’ve decided go with Cursed To Kill for this review.
Cursed to Kill tells the story of Rachel (Anney Reese). Rachel used to be in a cult but she left after deciding that she didn’t want give her soul to the devil, which is understandable. However, after a vicious attack leaves her paralyzed and confined to a hospital room, Rachel discovers that escaping is not as easy as she thought it would be. Soon, she’s being taunted by not only voices but also by the ghost of her attacker. Rachel is given a choice. She can either stay in the hospital and die within 7 days or she can allow the cult to take the soul of her young nephew. In order to keep her from telling anyone about the cult or her current situation, a curse is placed on Rachel. Anyone who hears the sound of Rachel’s voice will automatically be sucked up into the ceiling and killed.
That’s an intriguing idea and the film does deserve some credit for sticking to it. The entire film pretty much takes place in that one hospital room and Rachel spends the majority of it stuck in bed. The scenes in which the spirits of dead cult members haunt and taunt Rachel are actually well-done and full of menacing atmosphere.
At the same time, it’s hard not to feel that the film itself doesn’t really have enough of a story to justify its 94-minute running time. This would have been a great 30-minute short but, as a feature, it just feels like there’s too many scenes that only serve to pad out the film’s length. Add to that, it’s hard not to feel that a lot of Rachel’s issues with not being able to speak could have been avoided by just giving her a pencil and a pad of paper.
The performances are a bit inconsistent, with some members of the cast underplaying while others go totally over-the-top. However, Anney Reese is excellent in the role of Rachel and does a great job communicating with both her body language and often just her eyes what Rachel wants to say but can not.
In the end, Cursed to Kill is okay. The premise is intriguing but the execution often leaves a bit to be desired. Wisely, Cursed to Kill keeps the focus on its greatest strength, Anney Reese.
