The Curse The Origin: What exactly is this terrifying creature in the film?

The curse: the originmuch more than a prequel

The universe of The curse (1976) returned to prominence with the release of The curse: the origin. In this prequel which tells the origins of Damien, the child who turns out to be the Antichrist in the first film, we follow Margaret, a young American nun who goes to Rome to serve the Church. While working in an orphanage, she discovers a strange little girl. Then a priest arrives who warns her against the child and who states that a part of the Church is carrying out atrocities to give birth to the Antichrist…

If this speech may seem quite classic and predictable, the proposal of director Arkasha Stevenson in fact it is much more surprising. The director who offers a body horror about women’s expropriation of their bodies. The result is a nightmarish work that manages to go beyond the clichés of the genre (see our review). This idea of ​​nightmare is precisely what Arkasha Stevenson wanted to transcribe with an important element The curse: the origin, the scary creature used by the Church.

The creature is no mere jackal

In the film we discover that the cult members use a monster to do it mate with women in the hope that his offspring will become the Antichrist. An element that refers to what was told in previous films. Damien’s real father was said to be none other than Satan, and this his mother is a jackal. Arkasha Stevenson then went from there, but offering a slightly different viewas he explained to us during an interview.

People already know this story of the jackal. But I didn’t want to see him as a literal jackal, but rather as something bestial and demonic.

In fact, the different guises of the creature show a demonic monster that can sometimes appear partly human, with hooked hands. But a shot from the finale reveals a glimpse of an imposing animal, like a kind of giant jackal. This specific choice by the director actually arrives collective nightmares in some women, reflecting fear of rape.

Also, I once read a book that talked about the collective nightmares women have all over the world. And there’s one that involves a half-man, half-animal creature standing over them as they sleep. It is a metaphor for fear and rape among women. So we talked about it a lot and how the jackal is, in a way, the manifestation of the fear of a greater threat to women.

During our interview, Arkasha Stevenson also spoke about her tribute Possession (1981) with Isabelle Adjani and the surprising influence of Michael Haneke. A meeting you can find here. The curse: the origin is available in theaters from April 10th.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.