If you want a trifecta of talent who all come under the banner of ‘weird, but in a great way’, look no further than the team behind A24’s upcoming Showtime series The Curse. It’s created by Nathan Fielder, of Nathan For You (weird, but in a great way!), and Benny Safdie, of the Safdie Brothers (whose work is weird, but in a great way!) And on top of that, starring opposite Fielder is Emma Stone, of being Emma Stone fame, whose recent work with Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, the upcoming Poor Things) has been… well, weird, but in a great way. Put them all together, in a show that looks to maximalise the discomfort felt in all of the aforementioned projects, and you get The Curse. It looks weird. But in a really great way. Rather than us try to explain it, watch the trailer here:
The gist seems to be that Fielder and Stone are a couple who have a pretty cushy life, and a seemingly benevolent home improvement show. But, they’re possibly not great people. And when that comes to fruition in a moment when Fielder snatches a $100 bill from a kid on camera, they find themselves plagued by bad luck. Or, perhaps, just the consequences of their own actions. There’s such a particular tone and feeling being created here, and that it comes across so strongly in a mere trailer offers much hope for the full series might achieve. Fielding and the Safdies are cult heroes for a reason, and Stone is one of the most daring performers in Hollywood right now, so all signs point to this being must-see TV.
The Curse comes to Paramount+ on 10 November – hopefully, that includes the service in the UK too. If not… well, a curse on those responsible.