“Season one of Cursed Films captivated audiences with its thoughtful but unflinching exploration of the often tragic events surrounding some of history’s most notorious productions, becoming an instant hit for us and earning rave reviews from both critics and viewers,” Shudder General Manager Craig Engler said. “Since its debut, the number one question we’ve been asked is: Will there be more, and how soon? We’re delighted to say that we’re partnering with Jay [Cheel] once again for a second season of Cursed Films that will be even bigger and better than the first.” Jay Cheel is the writer, director, and executive producer behind the first season of the series. Taking a slightly more skeptical eye than a lot of televised productions about Hollywood “curses,” Cheel reexamined the tragedies and rumors associated with classic Hollywood productions like The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist, The Crow, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. “Filming season one of Cursed Films was an amazing experience,” Cheel said in a statement, “so I’m thrilled to have the chance to interview a new group of talented filmmakers and film critics while exploring the stories behind five more legendarily ill-fated film productions. This time around we’ll be heading outside of North America for a few episodes, which will not only widen the scope of the series but offer an exciting collection of stories connected to a diverse group of movies.” “When I first reached out to [Reardon], he was definitely not interested,” Cheel told us. “His initial response was that he would sue me personally if we even mentioned his name in the series… When people are suggesting choices he made could have potentially led to the deaths of actors involved in the production, he takes extreme personal offense to that.” But in the end, Reardon “saw it as some cathartic opportunity to just lay it all out there.” You can watch that resulting interview on the first season of Cursed Films, which is available on Shudder now.
