By Mark Young
Trundling along a similar path to Ringu, where a single object triggers all manner of unpleasantness, this time it’s cursed NFT images at the centre of the chaos. The pre-credits sequence rushes through its exposition, eager to get us into the main story. We’re introduced to a group of crypto-obsessed kids bemoaning their lot in life—characters who might deliberately be made unlikeable so we don’t mind quite as much when they inevitably get bumped off. We spend a lot of time listening to their chatter about NFTs, the supposed riches to be made, and it becomes clear very quickly where this is all heading.
In fact, the detailed walk-through of NFT flipping feels almost like an instructional video—at least until Crypto Horrors makes its appearance. These cursed NFTs are limited in number, and, naturally, if you hold on to them for too long, a grisly fate awaits. Because nothing says “friendship” quite like sharing a supernatural curse, the group distributes these images among themselves, and from that point the film begins whittling down its cast with mixed results.
The early introduction of the curse’s physical manifestation looks rough. There’s no glossing over that. In some respects it’s reminiscent of the low-budget horror effects we accepted as part of the charm back in the ’80s. Things do improve later, but the question is whether the film does enough to keep you invested long enough to appreciate that shift. Once it hits its stride, there are some reasonably effective scares, and the film boasts a mint soundtrack with a sharp understanding of how sound can unsettle an audience. The filmmakers clearly know they’re working with limitations, leaning on sleight of hand and quick cutting to mask constraints, and on that front, they do an admirable job.
The real issue is that the cast simply isn’t strong enough to carry the material. The film relies heavily on its characters to keep things engaging, but none of them quite manage to lift the story as intended.
Still, as a switch-your-brain-off, do-nothing kind of watch, it’s far from the worst way to spend an evening.
Nightmare NFT: Cursed Images is now available on VOD platforms.
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