Horror fans have an obsession with film lore. Specifically flicks considered “cursed.” As a kid, our playground was filled with stories of things we heard from “the big kids” about the The Exorcist, Poltergeist, or even The Crow being haunted. Actual ghosts walked on the set, they said. The reason these people died is because they were playing with real-life bad forces, they yelled. Those people really died while making the movie and the director went to jail was another monkey bar staple. Cursed Films, Shudder’s latest original series, shows that obsession continues into adulthood.

But unlike rambunctious children, there’s a clear-eyed thoroughness that comes with adulthood. Cursed Films approaches the subject matter from a serious perspective while keeping its finger on the pulse of spirituality.

Director Jay Cheel grounds this series in the humanity of these films rather than just the controversy. Sure it’s interesting to note the deaths surrounding Poltergeist, but Cheel pieces episodes together so we get the full picture. There are interviewees who talk about the spectacle mixed in with subject matter experts and those who can provide historical context. The result is an informative and surprisingly academic exploration of legitimate tragedy.

Cursed Films never forgets these are tragic stories. For every anecdote about Gregory Peck walking away unscathed when his plane was struck by lightning, there’s a story about Dominque Dunn getting strangled to death. Cursed Films is entertaining, but sober. The talking heads never trivialize the pain of those who lost their lives and the pain of those who mourned — and still mourn — their deaths.

When Gary Sherman, director of Poltergeist III, details the studio battles over whether to release the film after the death of its young star, Heather O’Rourke, it’s heartbreaking. MGM put a price on a human life and a director — and his cast — was put in an awful position between his livelihood and mourning the loss of a young child he cared about. The series, through two episodes, strikes the perfect tone. Too far to either side and the series could be way too sad or incredibly crass. Cursed Films walks this tightrope with the skill of a Cirque du Soleil veteran.

Are the films cursed? That’s not as important as the fact the series is willing to let you determine that for yourself.

Cheel dedicates an episode to his deceased father, and that feeling of loss permeates both episodes. In the Poltergiest episode in particular, it feels like Cheel is working through his own grief. Remember what I said about the spirituality in each episode? It shines brightest in the way the series handles its answers. Cursed Films does its best to separate fact from myth, but never completely dismisses the supernatural or otherworldly. No, the set of Poltergeist wasn’t built on top of real dead people, but there were actual skeletons used for one of its pivotal scenes. Cursed Films is here to tell you that — shock — there are real skeletons used in any movie you’ve ever seen that features a set of human bones. In fact, some of the same skeletons used in Poltergeist were used in 1959’s The House on Haunted Hill, and yet no one walks around saying that movie is cursed.

That said, the director is open to life after death. He takes religion seriously, even if he’s not a religious person himself. Most series interviewing witches and demonologists would probably include a laugh track or at the least someone disputing them. Cursed Films is a gem because it gives that witch the same respect it gives to Richard Donner. Does Donner believe Satanic forces were at play during the making of The Omen? Nope. But a witch does, and his opinion is given just as much weight. Like I said, the way Cursed Films manages tone is really incredible.

Is Cursed Films worth your time? Most definitely. It’s for horror fans but also anyone interested in film history. But don’t go in expecting a loud or bombastic series that’s all about spectacle. Cursed Films wears its heart — and its brain — right on the tip of its sleeve and treats its audience with as much respect as its subject matter. Are the films cursed? That’s not as important as the fact the series is willing to let you determine that for yourself. And that is in itself is a blessing.

Marcus Benjamin is a danger to the public, an alum of American University, St. John’s University, a screenwriter, and has an intense relationship with words. Witness his tomfoolery on Twitter,@AbstractPo3tic.

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