When Riko spots an eerie Instagram post from her friend, Shu-fen — a disturbing caption, accompanied by a photo where a wraithlike woman with anaemic skin and long, black hair can be seen lurking in the shadowy background — she calls her out of concern. What Riko doesn’t know is that Shu-fen has already suffered a tortuous death, and that because she is one of her followers, Riko and her friends are doomed to be next. But can they unravel the mystery before it’s too late?
This is The Curse: an unveiled commentary on the normalisation of cyberbullying, the perils of posting every slither of ourselves online for the world to appraise and dissect, and how being trolled can, quite literally, feel like an unbreakable hex.
Writer-director Kenichi Ugana, on the surface, takes zero strides to reinvent the wheel in terms of subject matter or narrative arc. Unfriended and Friend Request have made similar social observations (although it can be argued that confronting the topic of cyberbullying is more vital than ever). The plotline is also typical of the J-horror subgenre. Some of the imagery utilised could even be described as derivative of trailblazers like Ju-On.
The Curse does, however, offer some surprises. There is notably more visceral gore (and decapitations) than J-horror is known for, and the medley of Japanese-Taiwanese folklore is refreshing. Our antagonist, played astutely by Ray Fan, has the same twisted, unhinged energy as the instantly iconic Aunt Gladys in Weapons. It’s just a shame our most compelling character, and her motives, are granted such woefully short screen time.
It’s tough to ignore Ugana’s largely formulaic approach to The Curse. Still, it’s an adequately creepy, 90-minute jaunt which wastes little time getting straight to the action. Entertaining? Yes. Forgettable? Mostly, also yes.
DISTRIBUTOR
Blue Finch
DIRECTOR
Kenichi Ugana
SCREENPLAY
Kenichi Ugana
CAST
Yukino Kaizu
Ray Fan
Mimi Shao
DIGITAL
13 July 2026
