It amazes me that the man who wrote the smart, self-aware teen horror flicks in the "Scream" series could also write "Cursed,"
a film that indulges in most of the clichés that those films mocked. The twist in "Scream" was that the kids had actually seen "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," and all their spawn, and therefore knew the rules of survival. But haven't the people in "Cursed" seen those movies, too? Or haven't they at least seen "Scream"? The writer in question is Kevin Williamson, who also created "Dawson's Creek" and wrote such craptacular films as "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" and "The Faculty." Basically, "Scream" was the quality exception to his general rule of teen-skewing mediocrity -- but it was an exception directed by Wes Craven, who has also directed "Cursed." So perhaps the pairing would again prove fortunate? Well, let's remember: Craven's name is no guarantee of quality, either. Like Williamson, he is well-regarded; but like Williamson, that regard puzzles me, as quality is his occasional exception, not his rule. He only directed the first and last installments in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series; his other films have been wildly erratic and mostly schlocky. Tell me again why some people get so excited to hear he's directing a new one, because I have forgotten.
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