[Rating: Swiss Fist] 
When I think of horror I always think about the shock and fear a film can give you — the type of films that send chills up your spine and make you want to watch something happy or funny right after.
Nowadays as our films change, horror has become something else. It has become filled with political and moral issues that are more present on the surface than they have ever been to make us examine who the real monsters of these films are. Sometimes they can be touching and yet horrifyingly brilliant and sometimes like in the case of The Cured, showing this week at Panic Fest in Kansas City, they can be deadly, for lack of a better word, dull.
The Cured (directed by David Freyne) takes place in Ireland, after an outbreak of a virus that turned people into gut hungry zombies is finally eradicated and 75% of those who were infected get to go home and live their lives over again. This stage of life is known as “The Third Wave.” There’s only one side effect to this cure: those who were infected can still remember the horrors they caused that changed families forever. The 25 percent who were not cured are facing death even further, and hoping their virus doesn’t continue on. At the center of this is Abbie (the only big-name star in this, Ellen Page), a single mother and widow who welcomes back her brother in-law Senan (Sam Keeley) after he is cured.
Senan, along with many others who overcame the virus are ostracized from society in fear they could still turn back into their former selves. Senan joins an underground group who want to risk their lives and the lives of all of Ireland to help save those still infected so that they will not have to face a death that could be stopped if the cure is experimented with further in their favor.
All of this plot sounds like a pretty promising film. I liked the idea that the film presents its viewers with maybe humans who weren’t infected don’t face the same punishment as those cured. Though Abby wants to accept her in-law back, he still holds a secret that “infects” him inside. The film does a wonderful job portraying PTSD.
The real bummer, however, is the way the film is made. It is so poorly paced that at times it felt too rushed, and other times felt never-endless. I loved the flashbacks to Senan first becoming infected but other than that, that’s all the horror there is. There’s nothing that’s going to scare you and nothing to watch out for in the dark.
Simply put, The Cured is a bit of a drag. It never feels like it wants to take a chance in this new age of horror like The Witch or It Follows, and even Ellen Page is underused here! Still though, I linger with the thought that maybe we the survivors of the zombie outbreak, are the real monsters. An extra fun fact of this film is David Freyne also directed a short called The First Wave which is the prequel to this film.
The Cured can be see at Screenland Armour: January 26 @ 9:45pm and January 27 @ 1:45pm. For ticket information on this film and more at Panic Fest CLICK HERE.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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