Curse of Aurore

Curse of Aurore is a 2020 American horror film written by Llana Barron & Mehran C. Torgoley, and directed by Mehran C. Torgoley. It is presented as found footage on a USB flash drive found in a dark web mystery box that was sent to popular YouTuber, Casey Nolan of Mindseed TV.[1]

Curse of Aurore
Official Release Poster
Directed byMehran C. Torgoley
Written by
  • Llana Barron
  • Mehran C. Torgoley
Produced by
  • Llana Barron
  • Mehran C. Torgoley
  • Minna Brighton
  • Kevin Pardo
Starring
  • Llana Barron
  • Lex Wilson
  • Jordan Kaplan
Edited byMehran C. Torgoley
Music byLlana Barron
Production
company
Cult Cinema Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
  • July 24, 2020 (2020-07-24) (Québec, Canada)
  • January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12) (USA/Worldwide)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish & French

Curse of Aurore initially premiered in Québec, Canada with a limited theatrical release in the Cinémas Guzzo theaters on July 24, 2020.[2] The film was later released to major streaming platforms in the United States by Freestyle Digital Media on January 12, 2021.[3]

Cast
  • Llana Barron as Lena[4]
  • Lex Wilson as Aaron [4]
  • Jordan Kaplan as Kevin [4]
  • Agathe Salzmann as Chantal
  • Roxane Delisle as Blanche
  • Mike D. Smith as Mr. Gagnon
  • David Robert Donatucci as Benoit
  • Casey Nolan as Himself

Release

In July 2020, Curse of Aurore was initially acquired in Québec, Canada by Vincenzo Guzzo and & distributed at his personal theater chain, Cinémas Guzzo. He placed the film in 9 Mega-Plex locations, as well as, 4 independent theaters owned by Ciné Entreprise. Since Québec is a heavily french-speaking region of Canada, the film was played on multiple screens within the same theater location (one with French subtitles and one without). It was also marketed and screened with the alternative English title Pærish: The Curse of Aurore Gagnon & coinciding French title La Malédiction D'Aurore Gagnon.

On opening weekend, the film reached #1 overall in the box office for all Cinémas Guzzo Theaters and #4 overall for the entire province of Québec.[5][6] The film maintained the #1 overall spot at Cinémas Guzzo in its 2nd & 3rd weeks, while maintaining Top 10 placement in Québec. Curse of Aurore's limited theatrical release lasted for 10 consecutive weeks before moving on to the Cinémas Guzzo Streaming platform.

Freestyle Digital Media acquired Curse of Aurore in January 2021 and distributed worldwide on major streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. It is also available for rent on iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube Movies, Microsoft Store, Playstation Store, and Xbox Store.        

Reception

Critical response

Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central said the film features "one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in the subgenre", and included the film on her Top Ten "Terrifying Found Footage Movies Available to Watch on Prime Video".[7] Christine Burnham from PopHorror wrote, "I have to say I really loved the this film. There were some genuine moments of creepy terror in it. The location of rural Canada was perfect, and I loved the weirdly religious overtones that were reeking out of the entire town". She also stated that "the acting is terrific" and that Curse of Aurore is "a film found footage fans should not miss".[8] LAZombieGirl from The Blood-Shed thought that "Curse of Aurore manages to be different in a genre full of the same old tired tropes. Meta, funny and yet scary as hell, this film has gotten my attention and is listed as one of the most anticipated films of 2021. With an engaging, entertaining cast that truly clicks with each other and some cool SFX, this is a solid and chilling horror film".[9]

Curse of Aurore also received international recognition. Torgeir Blok from CINEMA, Norway's oldest film magazine, commended the film by stating that it "...achieves a certain authenticity and feeling that the dialogue is improvised...This chemistry [between characters] really paid off, and also earned Barron the Ravenheart Award for Best Actress".[10]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref(s)
2022 Unnamed Footage Festival Jury Award for Best Cast Curse of Aurore Won [11]
Ravenheart International Film Festival Best Actress Llana Barron Won [12]
Yellow Fever Indie Film Festival Best Horror Film Curse of Aurore Nominated [13]
Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival Best Picture Curse of Aurore Nominated [14]
Shockfest Film Festival Best Feature Curse of Aurore Nominated [15]

Curse of Aurore was also an "Official Selection" at the following Film Festivals in 2022:

References
  1. DarkSkyLady (January 11, 2021). "Movie Review: Curse of Aurore". Nightmarish Conjurings. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  2. Hamman, Cody (July 16, 2020). "Trailer: The Curse of Aurore Gagnon is coming to theatres in Montreal". JoBlo.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  3. Gingold, Michael (December 16, 2020). "Fact-based horror film "Curse of Aurore" sets January Release ; Trailer & Poster". Rue Morgue. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  4. Patrick, Sean (January 11, 2021). "Movie Review: 'Curse of Aurore' beats the found footage curse". vocal.media/horror. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  5. Cinoche.com (July 26, 2020). "Quebec Box Office". Cinoche.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  6. Lepage-Boily, Elizabeth (July 27, 2020). "Quebec Box Office: Suspect number one remains in the lead". Cinoche.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  7. McAndrews, Mary Beth (April 18, 2022). "10 Terrifying Found Footage Movies Available to Watch on Prime Video". Dread Central. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  8. Burnham, Christine (January 12, 2021). "Movie Review: 'Curse of Aurore' (2020) is a unique, clever found footage film". Pophorror.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. LAZombieGirl (January 10, 2021). "Curse of Aurore does the found-footage genre proud and pays its respects to a child who didn't deserve to die". TheBlood-Shed.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. Blok, Torgeir (August 31, 2022). "Report from Ravenheart 2022". Cine.no. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  11. UFF5 (April 27, 2022). "UFF5 Awards". unnamedfootagefestival.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  12. RIFF 2022 (August 31, 2022). "RIFF 2022 Winners". ravenheartfilmfestival.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  13. YFIFF 2022 (November 18, 2022). "YFIFF 2022 Winners". theyfiff.wixsite.com/theyfiff. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  14. LA Crime & Horror 2022 (November 19, 2022). "LA Crime & Horror 2022 Screening". lacrimehorror.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  15. McAndrews, Mary Beth (November 19, 2022). "Dread Central Announces The Winners of Shockfest Film Festival 2022 [Exclusive]". Dread Central. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  16. ANOH 2022 (October 18, 2022). "ANOH 2022 Official Selection". A Night of Horror International Film Festival. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  17. BITS 2022 (November 21, 2022). "BITS 2022 Official Selection". Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  18. GCHFF 2022 (October 27, 2022). "The Creature Features Screening Line Up 2022". www.bingewave.com/f/the-great-canadian-horror-film-festival-2022. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
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