The Curse

The Curse

Physical Anthropology student Zandra Anderson is cursed by a Native American spirit while on an archaeological dig at an Indian Burial Mound. Her curse is that whenever she touches the bones of anything human (or animal) the ghost of that person will appear before her and can speak to hear and interact with her. With the help of her best friend Cory and Maria, a stern and intelligent co-worker, she embarks on a journey to try and get the curse lifted and along the way discovers sorcerers, grave robbers, serial killers, cannibals, and ghosts galore.

Number of Episodes: 9

Date Completed: August 2001

Airdates:

April 2001 – December 2002 

on SPC-TV in Carbondale, IL

Main Cast:

Zandra Anderson - Liz Schafer
Cory Devro — Michelle Chapman

Maria Sanchez — Morgan Thomas

Mordecai — Michael D.

Madame Maggie — Gillian K.

White Feather — Erika V.

Visit The Curse gallery for more photos!

Episode List

Episode 1 — Bone of Contention

While on a dig at a burial mound in Southern Illinois, Zandra is cursed by a Native American spirit.  Shaken but determined to prove her theories about the site, she steals a bone.  She is soon haunted by the ghost of the bone’s owner - Spanish Conquistador.  With the help of her best friend Cory and Maria, an archaeology student she met at the dig, Zandra tries to solve the mystery of the Spanish ghost and get her curse removed.

Episode 2 — Dream Catcher

Zandra’s curse remains and starts to interfere with her studies.  In an attempt to get it removed, she journeys into the Dream World with the help of a psychic named Madame Maggie.  Although Maggie herself thinks she’s a fraud, she turns out to be the real deal and Cory and Maria have to save Zandra from the spirit of a demon who’s determined to possess Zandra’s body and leave her stranded in the Dream World.

Episode 3 — The Sorcerer’s Bones

Zandra, Cory, and Maria are invited to a dig in England over spring break by infamous archaeologist Dr. Atholton, who’s known to have some strange theories.  While Cory and Maria investigate Atholton, Zandra investigates a mysterious tomb.  Inside is the body and ghost of a sorcerer who cast a death-like spell over a thousand years ago - and now he needs Zandra’s help to wake him up.

Episode 4 — Death’s Door

After meeting the ghost of an ancient sorcerer named Mordecai, Zandra agrees to perform a ceremony to wake him up if he removes the curse. Meanwhile, Maria and Cory discover that Dr. Atholton is not an archaeologist but a thief and it’s up to the dynamic duo to save a priceless archaeological discovery in this dramatic conclusion to Episode 3.

Episode 5 — Strangers in the Night

Swearing off Anthropology forever, Zandra discovers that her curse can’t be avoided.  An accidental encounter with a film student puts Zandra in danger once again when she witnesses his murder. Stuck in the middle between a ghost who wants revenge and a serial killer who wants her dead, Zandra must decide between staying alive and doing what’s right.

Episode 6 — The Lost Colony

While attending a seminar near Roanoke Island, Zandra decides to use the curse to solve the mystery of the Lost Colony once and for all.  The answer, however, is something none of the girls expected and Zandra discovers that an age-old evil is still lurking in the woods.

  

Episode 7 — The Gift Bearer

Zandra, Cory, and Maria go on the adventure of a lifetime when Clifford University’s new, mysterious, and wealthy benefactor sends them on a mission to Brazil to find a legendary statue known as the Gift Bearer. Love and mystery hide in the Roman Shipwreck and they find more than the statue when the ghost of a Roman soldier recognizes Cory. Back in Illinois, statue in hand, they come face to face with Mordecai once again and this time he’s alive and more powerful than ever before.

Episode 8 — Shadows in the Mind

Mordecai haunts Zandra’s dreams, then starts appearing to only her. Zandra is furious and confused, while Maria and Cory wonder if she’s going crazy.  They enlist the help of a professional and Zandra must convince her friends and herself that she isn’t going crazy and that Mordecai is behind it all.

Episode 9 — Shadows on the Wall

Mordecai kidnaps Zandra, then makes a deal with her.  She bargains for her life by challenging him to a treasure hunt. Maggie referees and Maria helps Mordecai while Cory helps Zandra.  It’s a race to the finish line with Zandra herself as the prize.

Character Bios

Zandra Anderson – Zandra is a student majoring in Physical Anthropology. The daughter of a legend in the field of archaeology, Zandra is an overly ambitious, egotistical, self-centered and self-righteous bitch. Intelligent, but stubborn to a fault she demands that the world work for her. Money, fame and power are her goals, but the curse she gets changes all of that.

Cory Devro – Cory is Zandra best friend since childhood. The only child of an extremely wealthy but broken family, Cory is a spunky, slightly preppy party girl who’s also very courageous, and very intelligent. She is a linguistic anthropology major and speaks several languages. Her greatest ambitions in life are to have fun and piss her parents off.

Maria Sanchez – Maria is the conscience of the group. A strong believer in native American rights, and part Native American herself, she believes in archeological reform and respecting all cultures — living and dead. She is an archeology major and is the moral opposite of Zandra, though just as stubborn, and the two often argue. However, Maria is the one Zandra calls on to help her out of a difficult spot.

Mordecai – Mordecai is a thousand year old, English Sorcerer who puts himself in a deathly sleep spell (1000 years in the past) and finds Zandra and convinces her to wake him up. Once awake he immediately begins catching up and excelling in the modern world. He shares Zandra’s love of money, fame, and power and is in every way her equal, though she often finds him on the opposite side.

 ©2001 by Eleanore Stasheff