Boyd Holbrook Compares Working With Reality And Visual Effects On The Set Of The Cursed - Exclusive
There's an eternal debate currently waging among those who love horror movies: There are those who believe CGI unlocks limitless potential, introducing a new brand of monsters to haunt people's dreams. Then there are those who believe practical effects in horror will always remain superior. To be honest, both options have their pros and cons, but there's always the matter of what's better for the actors while on set to consider too.
It's easy for audiences to form an opinion. All they have to do is watch the movie, but there are a ton of actors that have had to work with both pre-CGI creations and practical effects. That's why, when Boyd Holbrook, star of the new werewolf movie "The Cursed," spoke exclusively with Looper, we had to ask him about his experiences dealing with both options. We had to know if the monster in the movie was actually on the set or whether it was made after the fact — and the answer may surprise you.
The vast majority of effects in 'The Cursed' were practical
Those that value practical effects will be immensely pleased to hear what played out on the set of "The Cursed." According to actor Boyd Holbrook, the vast majority of effects you see on the screen were actually captured on camera. As he explained in a recent interview, "I'd say about 90, 95% of it was real, practical, in-camera effects. There's been films before where it's on a broomstick with a tennis ball, and that's supposed to be something. You can feel that, whether you can see it or not in the end product of a film, and I think that was really important."
And yes, that includes the main monster you see throughout the film, as he elaborated, "They probably spent half the budget on this animatronic puppet, that's operated by six people. It makes a really big difference, and I think it was really original and something that was scary in a different way." It may have taken a lot of work to operate the puppet, but it looks like it was worth it. The movie has earned rave reviews with many calling it one of the best horror films of the last few years. Just take this review from Dwight Brown of National Newspaper Publishers Association who said, "This is not your average gothic werewolf film. This one has classy production elements, builds intense suspense, and features strong performances."
As the characters learn all too well in "The Cursed," you reap what you sow, and the cast and crew of the movie have reaped one of the more disturbing werewolf pictures in recent memory.
"The Cursed" is now playing in theaters.