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Moody, dreary, esoteric low budget possession caper. Regan and Damien comparisons can be made to the titular child, but lumping Cathy's Curse in with the glut of Exorcist and Omen riffs does it a disservice. This is a much stranger, riskier film than many of those also-rans by virtue of its outsider art qualities and the strength of its narrative symbology. For all its absurdities, Curse manages effective atmosphere and surprising turns on a threadbare budget.

Much of the film rests on the tiny shoulder of Randi Allen, whose precocious evildoing is one of the film's highlights. Unlike Rhoda or Esther, Cathy feels like a little girl trapped by something she doesn't understand. Her cruel taunts or scheming behavior is all the more chilling because the film does not try to convince us of her uncanny, adult like qualities. It's a risky gambit, one taken by the excellent Poison For The Fairies, and it pays off here with a devilishly entertaining title role. Cathy can be off putting to watch, but that is very much the point.

Part of that aforementioned 'outsider' quality has to do with how the film frames Cathy as a threat. Harsh synth stings, quick jump cuts, long psychedelic sequences involving snakes and spiders.... This is a very unusual horror film in how it tries to accomplish its scares, especially one involving a child threat. A smug, smiling little girl teasing you as she traipses in and out of material reality up and down a staircase is a far cry from other films in this micro-genre.

Once again, a film often served as 'so bad, it's good' has art to it beyond its low budget and campy acting. Cathy's Curse is a tempestuous and striking examination of transgenerational feminine roles; the idea of nature vs nurture is very much at play here, as is often the case in child possession narratives. Here, however, there's a disturbing oedipal aspect to the whole thing, as the spectre guiding Cathy specifically shows how to turn men against women. She clings to her father and practically offers to be his child wife, then turns around and terrorizes everyone else for her amusement. Particularly chilling is her use of alcohol to control the handyman.

Cathy's Curse is a perfect 70s horror film in that there's just the right balance of camp, oddity, and legitimate tension to keep it entertaining throughout.