As a fantastically entertaining documentary viewing experience, A Cursed Man is the Supersize Me of black magic. Disclosure: I was done with my study of the occult by the age of nine. Any fascination with finding what magic still existed in the real world collapsed under an avalanche of 1970s supermarket paperback hogwash. At a certain point, the boredom of the reality of traditional magic rituals just pushed me further into exploring how magic is treated in imagination, such as role-playing games and comic books.
Some of the best documentaries are the ones where the concept would also make a great fiction movie. Guillou’s journey to be cursed and then his attempts to lift it is made to be slathered in popcorn butter. If being entertained by someone inviting Satan into his heart seems a little suspect, that is because it is. After cursing Guillou, Elias is asked how performing that act on request makes him feel. His answer was it made him feel evil. Watching this documentary makes you feel a little evil, as you really are hoping for the worst.
“The entire production is very slick, with everything cranked up to thrilling at all times.”
Guillou’s showmanship here could give some of the magicians he interviews a run for their money. The movie starts with a warning just like the one I opened the review with, increasing the mystery and darkening the aura. The entire production is very slick, with everything cranked up to thrilling at all times. This may sound heavy-handed, but it works like a charm here.
It was so helpful when the lab coat guys started yammering, and my eyes started to glaze because the pace kept thundering along the way. The rapid-fire musical score melds smoothly into the acceleration throughout the sinister experiment. Even a grizzled old Bermuda Triangle burnout like myself, who can’t stand even thinking of the occult, is going to be totally glued to this picture.
I wish more Hollywood movies had plotwork this intriguing. I suggest Guillou start making a found footage horror movie based on his experiences immediately because if he doesn’t, someone else will. They also wouldn’t do as good of a job. A Cursed Man definitely gets my blessing, as that old black magic works its spell on the viewer in no time at all.
"…the Supersize Me of black magic."
