Review: 'The Curse' very cringeworthy

Four and a Half out of Five Stars

By Abby Cowels
Staff Writer

You would not first assume that “The Curse” is a black comedy/horror series by the looks of its sunny, wholesome disposition. The series is available to stream on Showtime, and most platforms that offer a Showtime add-on.

Set in beautiful Espanola, New Mexico, Whitney and Asher are a newlywed couple filming the pilot to their upcoming HGTV series, “Flipanthropy.” “The Curse” follows their relationship into the most intimate settings through a glaring, voyeuristic lens.

Viewers will find themselves becoming a part of each unsettling moment. So much so, they will wish they could leave, but they are stuck wanting to know what outrageous thing happens next.

This is not a show about good people; there are hardly any redeemable characters. It is almost as if there are times that a character will give in, and act or speak on behalf of their own “Imp of the Perverse.”

In contrast to the unlikeable characters in “The Curse,” the main characters of Whitney and Asher, played by Emma Stone (“La La Land,” 2016) and Nathan Fielder (“The Rehearsal,” 2022), truly shocked me with their outstanding performances.

“The Curse” only has one season. I am not sure that my back and shoulders can handle another 10 episodes with the sheer amount of cringing needed to watch.

I hope you do not like happy endings, because there are none in “The Curse.” Watch in awe as the worst kinds of people have their lives torn apart by greed.