Cathy's Curse

''Cathy's Curse'' (, released in Quebec as ) is a 1977 supernatural horror film co-written, produced and directed by Eddy Matalon and starring Alan Scarfe, Beverly Murray, and Randi Allen. The film follows a young girl who is possessed by the spirit of her deceased aunt. A co-production between Canada and France, it was shot on location in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec.

Though the film was critically panned upon initial release, with many deriding it as being overly derivative of other films of the period including ''The Exorcist'' and ''Carrie'', it has since become a cult classic, some calling the film "so bad it's good".

Plot

In 1947, Robert Gimble flees with his young daughter, Laura, enraged to find that his wife has left with their son, George. Robert crashes their car into a snowbank, and he and Laura are burned alive in the car.

Thirty years later, George returns to his family home with his wife, Vivian, who is suffering from depression following a miscarriage, as well as the couple's eight-year-old daughter, Cathy. While exploring the home, Cathy uncovers an old doll along with a portrait of her aunt Laura in the attic. Meanwhile, Vivian becomes acquainted with the local neighbors, one of whom is a psychic medium who has a vision of Laura and her father's death while inside the home.

Cathy's behavior soon begins to change rapidly: She is cruel to the other neighborhood children, and exhibits destructive telekinetic powers. While home alone with Cathy, Mary, her nanny and housekeeper, dies after falling from a window. Cathy's violent and abusive behavior continues to alienate those around her, particularly her mother, who sinks deeper into a major depressive state. The psychic later visits the home, and finds Cathy in the attic. The psychic is confronted by a disturbing vision of herself, disfigured and burned. Later, Cathy tries to commit suicide by drowning herself in a river, but is saved by George.

George dismisses Vivian's fears that Cathy may be possessed or under the influence of supernatural forces connected to their house, dismissing the notions as delusions. One night, when George is away at work, a bedridden Vivian is left home alone with Cathy, who is watched by Paul, an elderly neighbor. Using her telekinetic powers, Cathy murders Paul, and Vivian subsequently discovers his disfigured corpse outside. Upstairs, she finds Cathy, covered in burn scars, who reveals herself to be Laura possessing Cathy's body. George, unable to contact Vivian or Paul by phone, returns to the house, where Cathy and Vivian are faced off in a confrontation. The three stare at one another, and Cathy grows tearful. Lying between them is the doll, impaled with a shard of glass.

Cast

Production

The film marked the first English-language feature by French director Eddy Matalon, who had previously directed music videos for Brigitte Bardot and several erotic films under the stage name 'Jack Angel'. It was filmed in on location in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec.

This was the sole acting role of child actress Randi Allen, who played the title character. In a 2015 interview with the blog ''Kindertraum'', Allen stated she and her brother Bryce appeared in the movie to financially support their single mother.

Release

Box office

The film was premiered in Montreal on July 29, 1977. A French-dubbed version was released in Quebec as ''Cauchemares'' ("Nightmares"). It was later given regional releases in Canada, opening in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 11, 1977, and opened in Ottawa, Ontario the following week, November 18, 1977. 21st Century Film Corporation acquired and distributed the film in the United States in 1980. Between Canada and the U.S., the film grossed a total of $1,261,228 in theatrical rentals.

Critical response

Barry Westgate of the ''Edmonton Journal'' derided the film for lacking cohesion, writing: "It doesn't have to make that much sense, done slickly. But ''Cathy's Curse'' squanders the licence, and its possibilities, with such insultingly careless abandon." The ''Ottawa Citizen''s Noel Taylor deemed the film a "ho-hum shocker" and compared it negatively to ''The Omen'' (1976) and ''The Exorcist'' (1973), adding that, "it took three writers to come up with a screenplay in which the awfulness of the dialogue is only matched by the ineptness of the plotting."

The ''Calgary Albertan'' critic Louis B. Hobson noted that the film contained notable elements found in ''The Exorcist'' and '' The Bad Seed'' (1956), concluding that, "All this plagiarism might be forgivable if the acting were even remotely bearable."

''TV Guide'' gave a negative review of the film, calling it a "dull Canadian ''Exorcist''-inspired horror film .... ull of bloody mutilations, cheesy makeup, and inept special effects."

''Red Letter Media'' featured the film in a 2017 episode of its series "Best of the Worst".

Home media

The film was released in April 2017 by Severin Films on Blu-ray with a restored print, and featuring both the 88-minute U.S. theatrical cut, as well as a 91-minute director's cut.

References

Sources

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External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0075820

1977 films
1977 horror films
Canadian supernatural horror films
French supernatural horror films
English-language Canadian films
English-language French films
Films about depression
Films about dolls
Films about spirit possession
Films about telekinesis
Films set in 1947
Films set in the 1970s
Films set in Montreal
Films shot in Montreal
Historical horror films
21st Century Film Corporation films
1970s English-language films
1970s Canadian films
1970s French films
English-language horror films