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Wes Craven’s "Cursed" - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Label: Treadstone Records
Rating: 

Review By: Chris Stum
 

Tracks: Lil' Red Riding Hood - Bowling For Soup Better Now - Collective Soul Are You Ready - Three Days Grace You'll Never Catch Me - Steve Harwell Stadium Parking Lot - Apollo 440 Fine Without You - The Alkaline Trio Spirits - Junkie XL This Is A Forgery - Dashboard Confessional Still Need Your Love - Reno If You Don't Jump (You Are English) - GusGus Bound Too Long - The Crystal Method Freaks Come Out At Night - Whodini Sick - Seven Wiser Let Me Out - MBD

Lately movie soundtracks may seem a little redundant, especially in a day and age when the actual soundtrack doesn’t relate to the movie in any way shape or form. As a matter of fact, I’ve come across some soundtracks which do not even feature any of the songs in the movie. So although "Cursed" doesn’t hit theater’s until February 25th, the soundtrack itself seems to be a pretty good sign of what’s to come.

The plot behind the movie is quite simple. An estranged brother and sister are brought back together because of their parents death. They are involved in a car accident on a back road in the middle of the woods. While waiting for help, it seems as if the siblings are "cursed" with werewolf like traits and powers. Now the two are racing to find a cure for their werewolf like abilities which involves finding and killing the person who cursed them in the first place. The film features the work of both Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson, the winning team which brought us the "Scream" trilogy. 

The soundtrack itself seems to play nicely into the film. While not a 100% horror flick, it sounds as if the action and suspense scenes in the film play much more of a role than the actual horror title the film has taken on. This is where the songs on the "Cursed"  soundtrack come into play. An all star as well as diverse cast featuring the talents of Bowling For Soup, Three Days Grace, Collective Soul, and Dashboard Confessional, the
soundtrack offers upbeat rockers from most bands while giving us a taste of electronica with contributions from The Crystal Method, Gus Gus and Reno.

The "Cursed" soundtrack starts off somewhat tongue in cheek with a ditty entitled "Lil’ Red Riding Hood" by Bowling For Soup. It’s a cool contribution to this collection, because it obviously helps define what the film is about, but it also sheds some light on the film making us believe that maybe the movie isn’t as horrifying as we think. I mean really, Bowling For Soup on a horror soundtrack!? This vibe continues on with "Better Now" by Collective Soul. Typical stuff from the band that has brought us hits such as "Shine" and "December." "Better Now" is an up tempo rocker that seems to fit right in with where this project is going. 

"Are You Ready" by Three Days Grace is the first song which adds some darkness to the soundtrack. One of the best songs I’ve heard from Three Days Grace, "Are You Ready" outshines some of the bands more well known, radio nurtured tunes. The Steve Harwell number entitled "You’ll Never Catch Me" is a fast rap rocker, featuring heavier guitar riffs and nicely following up the Three Days Grace song. Rap rockers Apollo 440 check in with a song called "Stadium Parking Lot." Another hip-hop rocker beginning with the line "Gonna make enough noise to wake the dead," Apollo 440 keeps things interesting and rolling along at a good pace.  

The Alkaline Trio adds a remix of their song "Fine Without You" beginning an interesting song selection for the remainder of the soundtrack. "Spirits" by Junkie XL is the first of a few electronica songs, but it fits in well with "If You Don’t Jump (Are You English)" by Gus Gus and "Bound Too Long" from The Crystal Method. The wildcard here is a song by Dashboard Confessional entitled "This Is A Forgery" featuring drum loops and synth passages. A departure for a band that is known for it’s laid back acoustic and emo work. Just when you thought it was over, out comes a remix of Whodini’s "Freaks Come Out At Night." A cool electronic remix adding some modern life to this old school hip-hop number. The soundtrack winds up displaying some heavy girth with a song called "Sick" by Seven Wiser and "Let Me Out" by MBD.

All said, a very good collection of songs that seem to define this type of movie well. The soundtrack is diverse enough to provide something for everyone while still giving you a taste of the movie itself. Look for "Cursed" to be a hit at the box office this month.
 

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