Review of The Talisman (1987) by Ms Amanda J — 09 Nov 2010

The second-best film adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Color Out of Space" is profoundly flawed but tremendous horror fun, thanks in no small part to the involvement of Lucio Fulci. While his official role was producer, but his fingerprints are all over the look of the film, from the cinematography to the liberal use of maggots (well, mealworms; they look better on screen), pus-oozing wounds, and anti-religious sentiment.

"The Curse" is set on a farm in Tellico Plain, Tennessee. The Cranes are struggling to get by. Claude Akins is deadpan, growlingly perfect as bible-thumping halfwit father Nathan Crane who also frequently thumps wife Frances and stepson Zack (Will Wheaton). When a meteorite strikes the farm and melts into the water supply, the crops swell with inner goo and the farm animals go crazy and also swell with goo. In one memorable scene, the sores of an infected cow explode, showering Nathan and his son with maggots, pus and bugs. Yum. Frances degenerates rapidly, sewing a sock to her hand and soon getting "nasty and ugly," turning into a slimy, mummified-looking monster that the family locks in the barn. As Nathan and his bullying son also degenerate, Zack tries to save his young sister, Alice. Much oozing, screaming, and stabbings with pitchforks ensue before the climax, when we see Frances as little more than a puddle of gray-green goop with eyeballs and the house itself flies apart in a manner reminiscent of "The Fall of the House of Usher.".

There are plenty of little technical goofs; one can see the stick from which the meteorite hangs as it flies in for impact. Models are used in many scenes and they're not too convincing, particular in the scenes of impact and the house falling apart. Some of the acting falls short, too. Will Wheaton isn't particularly good here, nor is Malcolm Danare as Cyrus, Nathan's pudgy, over-aggressive son. Despite this, "The Curse" is too much fun for horror fans in general, and Lovecraft fans in particular, to miss. It goes in more for mood and gross-out than gore, and it never takes itself too seriously. Worth seeing just for the dinner scene and learning how much can really go wrong with produce. If you liked Fulci's "City of the Living Dead/Gates of Hell," you'll enjoy "The Curse," too. Not quite as good as "Colour from the Dark" but better than "Die Monster Die.".