The Cursed ending explained: McBride's tryst with the curse revealed

The Cursed is a film in the gothic horror genre that was written and directed by Sean Ellis.

Ellis also co-produced it with Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and it was released theatrically on February 18, 2022, by Universal Pictures.

Here is the official synopsis as mentioned in Letterboxd,

In the late 19th century, a brutal land baron slaughters a Roma clan, unleashing a curse on his family and village. In the days that follow, the townspeople are plagued by nightmares, the baron’s son goes missing, and a boy is found murdered. The locals suspect a wild animal, but a visiting pathologist warns of a more sinister presence lurking in the woods.

Let's explore the film's ending and whether McBride was able to lift the curse.

How does The Cursed end?

A still from The Cursed | Image via LD Entertainment

The Cursed takes place in the late 19th century in rural France. A ruthless landowner, Seamus Laurent (played by Alistair Petrie), kills a Romani clan. This leads to a curse getting unleashed that causes several mishappenings in the village.

As the film reaches its climax, Isabelle lifts up the barricade, which allows the beast to go towards the church. It then starts killing everyone in the town. Isabelle stops John from trying to shoot Edward, who is now a beast. But the beast attacks her. John at the beast and the bullet goes through Isabelle. This leads to her death while Edward returns to being a human.

John decides to take care of Charlotte and Edward. They gave him the three silver bullets that were inside the church. We find out that the French captain, who is about to die, is the adult version of Edward. A silver bullet has been inside his body since the time he was shot inside the church. After the bullet is removed, he dies instantly. Later on in the film, Charlotte, who has become an adult, pays a visit to John. The latter is sick and bedridden and receives the fourth bullet.

Did McBride remove the curse in The Cursed?

In The Cursed, John McBride (played by Boyd Holbrook) realizes that it was Timmy who had torn a bible page and handed it over to Charlotte. He first understands the curse and realizes that the curse began after the Romani clan was k*lled and before Seamus died, he spelled the curse. It is tied to a silver fang, and whoever comes into contact with the fang will become a creature. He kills the creature and removes the silver fang from his teeth.

After that, McBride decides to bury the fang in a remote area to ensure that the curse stops working. While the curse has been dowsed for now, there is a sense of ambiguity that it might return. This is possible if someone tries to dig out the fang and touch it.

What are your thoughts on the ending of The Cursed?