THE LAST WITCH HUNTER is the intense, action-packed adventure starring Vin Diesel, Michael Caine, Elijah Wood and Rose Leslie, from the visionary director Breck Eisner and the producers of 300, Riddick and the Fast & Furious franchise.

Hundreds of years ago, the mighty warrior Kaulder (Vin Diesel) vanquished the all-powerful Witch Queen, thus defeating the witches who had wreaked bloodshed on the world for centuries once and for all. But in moments before her death the Witch Queen cursed Kaulder with immortality, forever separating him from his beloved family. To mark The Last Witch Hunter arriving on Digital HD from 29^th February and on Blu-ray™ and DVD from 7^th March, courtesy of Entertainment One, we explore other well known curses that have been bestowed upon the world.

The Mummy’s Curse

Legend says the tomb of King Tutankhamun was inscribed and guarded with the threat “Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King”. Two Egyptologists, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon did not believe in this and opened the tomb in 1922, Lord Carnarvon died 4 months later and his dog followed suit just hours later. It was respected novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who said that the death could have been of a result of “elementals” or “curses” created by ancient priests to guard the tomb of King Tutankhamun. His theory made headlines all over the world.

The Hope Diamond Curse

King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette bought a 115-carat blue diamond from French merchant Jean Baptiste Tavern, who stole it from the eye of a Hindu idol in India. Shortly after this purchase, they were beheaded during the French revolution. The diamond was later inherited by Lord Francis Hope who was eventually reduced to poverty and when Evalyn Walsh McLean bought the stone in 1912, her son was killed and her daughter committed suicide That was a pretty unlucky stone.

The Tecumseh Curse

This well known American curse is the explanation many people hid behind when every U.S president between 1840 to 1960 died in office, including Abraham Lincoln and J.F.Kennedy. It was also a peculiar coincidence that all the presidents that died were elected in a year that ended in 0. The rumour was that the Native American Leader Tecumseh cursed the presidency line when William Henry Harrison’s troops defeated his forces at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Thirty years later, William Henry Harrison died just one year after being elected.

The Curse of the Silver Porsche

In 1995, James Dean was killed when the silver Porsche 550 Spyder he had was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Within a year of Dean’s crash, the car was involved in two more fatal accidents and two other injuries. Other incidents occurred after designer George Barris purchased the car. Whilst in the garage, the Porsche fell on the mechanic’s legs and broke them. Two doctors supposedly purchased the engine and transmission from the car, soon after one was killed and the other seriously injured in subsequent car accidents. Someone else purchased the tires which blew simultaneously, sending the driver to hospital.

The Billy Goat Curse

In 1945, William “Billy Goat” Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to Wrigley Field to see the fourth game of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Sianis and his goat were thrown out from the stadium after complaints from fellow fans, and Sianis supposedly put a curse on the Chicago Cubs that day. Ever since, the Cubs have had legendarily bad luck. In 1969, 1984, 1989 and 2003, the Cubs were painfully close to advancing to the World Series but couldn’t hold the lead. Even those who don’t consider themselves Cubs fans blame the hex for the weird and almost comical losses year after year. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, while no other team in the history of the game has gone as long without a championship.

The Curse of Turan

Hungary is home to the Curse of Turan, which posits that Hungary and its population have been oppressed by a malevolent spell for centuries. The trouble started in 1000 A.D. when then-despot King Stephen declared that his people must convert to Christianity. Not all the country’s inhabitants met the news with a willing spirit. A spiritualist, believed to have psychic powers because he was born with six fingers on one hand, resisted the orders to leave the old religious ways behind. In protest, he placed a thousand-year curse on all Hungarians. In the years that followed, its people are believed by some to have experienced increased levels of personal misfortune. As proof, some point to Hungary’s inflated suicide rate. During the 20th century, the country had one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

The Rasputin Curse 

Rasputin was a well known self-proclaimed magician and cult leader; he wormed his way into the palace of the Romanovs, Russia’s ruling family, around the turn of the last century. He did so by telling stories to the heir to the throne, a boy named Alexis. His stories kept Alexis calm and this was important to the royal family because Alexis had haemophilia, which could have caused him to bleed to death if he were injured. However, Rasputin’s power soon went to his head, and a few of the Romanovs allegedly decided to have him killed, but he was exceptionally resilient. Reportedly it took poison, a fall down a staircase, repeated gunshots and drowning before Rasputin was finally dead. It’s said that Rasputin mumbled a curse as he died, assuring Russia’s ruling monarchs that they would all be dead themselves within a year. The Romanov family was brutally murdered in a mass execution less than a year later during the Russian Revolution.

The Curse of 27

There appears to be an exclusive “club” for 27 year old rock stars. Robert Johnson, who Eric Clapton called “the most important blues musician who ever lived,” played the guitar so well that some said he must have made a deal with the devil. So when he died at 27, people said it must have been time for him to pay up. Since Johnson, a number of musical geniuses have gone to an early grave at age 27. Brian Jones, founding member of the Rolling Stones passed away in 1969. Then it was both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in 1970, and Jim Morrison the following year. Kurt Cobain joined in 1994 and Amy Winehouse in 2011, all only 27 years old.

THE LAST WITCH HUNTER is out on Digital DOWNLOAD on the 29^th february and Blu-ray and DVD from 7^th march, courtesy of Entertainment One

THE LAST WITCH HUNTER is the intense, action-packed sci-fi adventure starring Vin Diesel, Michael Caine, Elijah Wood and Rose Leslie, from the visionary Director Breck Eisner and the producers of 300, Riddick and the Fast & Furious franchise.

Hundreds of years ago, the mighty warrior Kaulder (Diesel) vanquished the all-powerful Witch Queen, thus defeating the witches who had wreaked bloodshed on the world for centuries once and for all. But in moments before her death the Witch Queen cursed Kaulder with immortality, forever separating him from his beloved family.

To mark The Last Witch Hunter arriving on Digital HD from 29^th February and on Blu-ray™ and DVD from 7^th March, courtesy of Entertainment One, we explore the idea of cult societies and look at The Axe + Cross in The Last Witch Hunter. The Axe + Cross formed in AD 1211, when an army of priests, warriors and farmers-turned-fighters swore an oath to crush the witch threat that tormented the world. Cursed with immortal life, Kaulder, the Last Witch Hunter, is all that remains to fight the witch threat and protect the human race.

Church of Bible Understanding

The Church of Bible Understanding is a destructive cult founded in 1971 by former atheist and vacuum repairman Stewart Traill in Pennsylvania. Traill teaches that he is the reincarnation of Elijah, and that he understands the true words of God. Whilst members lived in a small commune and donated 90% of their income to the cult, Traill himself owned four planes and a mansion. Throughout the 1970s, the cult expanded to other parts of the United States including a mission in Haiti, where Haitian children were reportedly bribed to join the cult in exchange for food and clothing.

Raëlism

The Raëlian Church is a UFO religion founded by Claude Vorilhon, who claims to have been contacted by aliens. The cult believes that an American woman underwent a standard cloning procedure, which led to the birth of her new daughter Eve in December 26, 2002. National authorities and mainstream media investigated the church’s activities as a result of controversial statements by Clonaid’s head Brigitte Boisselier the day after the birth. The Church denies the belief of a supernatural or Ethereal God because they believe humans are descended from aliens whom they call Elohim.

Scientology

The Church of Scientology was created by L Ron Hubbard (Elron) in 1952 as an extension of his earlier self-help teachings. Scientology and the organisations that promote it have remained highly controversial and are often quite secretive. Journalists, governments, religious groups and other critics worldwide have often referred to the organisation as a cult particularly due to the treatment of the churches critics.

Many famous celebrities support the beliefs of scientology; some of these notable names include Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

Unification Church

The Unification Church (Mooneyism) is a religious movement started by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the 1940s. They believe that Jesus did not die and that the Lord of the Second Coming must be a man born in Korea early in the 20th century, who must marry and have children. In 1993, Chung Hwa Pak released a book containing allegations that Moon conducted sexual rituals on six of the married female disciples to prepare the way for the virgin who would marry Moon and become the True Mother.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The Golden Dawn cult society is a ‘magical order’ that was active in Great Britain during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, they were one of the largest single influences on the knowledge of the paranormal. They are the inspiration for many present day concepts of ritual and magic such as Wicca and Thelema. The Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation with women being admitted on an equal basis with men. It is rumoured that there have been many well-known Brits throughout history who have been part of the order including Bram Stoker, W.B Yeates and Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Illuminati  

The Illuminati are the prime focus for conspiracy theorists, as while there is no solid evidence  of their existence, they are the first name on everyone’s lips when every unexplained disaster and mystery comes to light. Whenever there are shocking events in history, there are also conspiracy theories to the Illuminati being involved; these range from the assassination of President J. F. Kennedy to the destruction of the Twin Towers and the ‘faked’ moon landings.  Famous reported members are widespread and said to include Jay Z, his wife Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Bob Marley, Jim Carrey and Will Smith.

The Order of the Skull and Bones
A secret cult society founded by students from Yale University in 1832, is an organisation much like the Illuminati that is rumoured to play a critical role in international conspiracies. Skull and Bones selects new members among students every spring as part of Yale University’s ‘Tap Day’. Theories have suggested that The Order of the Skull and Bones actually run the CIA. Due to its exclusivity and elusiveness, the club draws much fascination and has been featured in many aspects of popular culture, including TV shows; The Simpsons, American Dad, Veronica Mars, Family Guy and Gossip Girl.

The Order of The Axe + Cross

The brotherhood of The Axe + Cross formed in AD 1211 in what is now Macedonia. The group was an irregular army of priests, warriors and farmers-turned-fighters who swore an oath to crush the witch threat.  Cursed with immortal life, Kaulder, the Last Witch Hunter, is all that remains. Once, The Axe + Cross fought only with the unaided blade, but Kaulder learned to harness the power of the elements and wield them against the coven. His sword is called Hexenbane, has cut countless witches to smoking ribbons beneath its edge. St. Chrysostom’s church in Manhattan is the modern day headquarters of The Axe + Cross. Hidden in the catacombs below are council chambers and the world’s largest witch prison; the Sentinel.

The Last Witch Hunter is available on Digital HD from 29^th February and on Blu-ray™ and DVD from 7^th March, courtesy of Entertainment One