Christina Ricci's werewolf movie has obviously lost some of its bite, judging by all the rewriting and editing it's gone through.

Still, there's plenty to howl about with this movie about an American werewolf in Los Angeles.

Make that howl as in laugh, not baying at the moon.

Cursed is a comic horror movie that owes more to the Scream films and American Werewolf in London than it does to The Howling or even the Canadian female werewolf thriller Ginger Snaps.

Ellie (Ricci) and her brother Jimmy (Jessie Eisenberg) are driving home one night when a big, hairy creature hits the windshield of their car, causing them to strike another vehicle that careens down a canyon.

When they try to rescue the lone occupant (Shannon Elizabeth) the beast rips the girl apart and bites both Ellie and Jimmy, infecting them with its ancient curse.

Part of the fun in Cursed is trying to guess the identity of the head wolf who must die in order for Ellie and Jimmy to be saved from an eternity of monthly transformations.

The first third of Cursed is scary and filled with great potential scream-aloud moments.

The second third is pure slapstick fun as the once nerdy Jimmy's animal nature turns him into a sex magnet.

When Jimmy and Ellie confront a werewolf or two in a trendy wax museum style club, the showdown is played for laughs, not shrieks.

When the final third tries to go for laughs, gore and chills simultaneously, things really fall apart.

Both director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson have distanced themselves from the movie. They wanted it to be more adult and more horrific.

Still, even the hybrid Cursed has become makes it a fright fest far superior to White Noise, Boogeyman and especially Alone in the Dark.

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