History Main / CurseIsFoiledAgain

[[folder:Film]]
* The ''Film/{{Holes}}'' movie adaptation (and to a lesser extent the original book) shows how Stanley breaking his family's curse instantly makes his life better: at the exact same moment, a bolt comes off the wall in his family's apartment, sending a bowl of peaches down into a pot where his father is boiling an ancient shoe that he's been trying to deodorize for the entire run of the movie. The smell is instantly gone, making for a successful product. Stanley, meanwhile, has found some buried treasure with his great-grandfather's name on it, the authorities involved in the horribly illegal Camp Green Lake scheme are all arrested, and it begins raining at the camp for the first time in eighty years. Stanley then splits the treasure with his best friend Hector, allowing Hector to hire private investigators that successfully locate his estranged mother. In sum, everyone lives HappilyEverAfter.

* The 2006 film ''Film/JustMyLuck'' featured Lindsay Lohan as a girl who exuded good luck out of every pore. To "karmically balance things", there's a guy who can never succeed, played by Creator/ChrisPine. Both meet and kiss, switching their luck around. Afterwards, the guy uses his not inconsiderable talents coupled with her luck to rise astronomically, while she, being accustomed to utter luck, sputtered and flailed. Of course they eventually fall in love and their lucks "cancel out", but the guy was the better of the pair for giving her help when she was unlucky.

* OlderThanFeudalism: Job in the [[Literature/TheBible Old Testament]] has curses and misfortune heaped upon him and everyone close to him, due to a bet between God and Satan. After sucking it up and maintaining his faith and loyalty for long enough, he received double what he lost, and ten more children.

* A science fiction version in Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/BrainWave'': at the end of the Cretaceous period, millions of years ago, the Earth moved into an energy field which dampened neural function, causing mass extinctions. Some life survived and adapted. When it finally emerges, NextSundayAD, all animal life becomes about five times more intelligent in a matter of weeks. Considerable social chaos results, but people are now smart enough to make it work. A short time later, Earth's first interstellar spacecraft accidentally passes through the field, leaving the crew too stupid (that is, reduced back down to our current level) to operate the hyper-advanced controls; it's sheer luck that their course takes them back out again.

The title is a {{pun}} on a stock line uttered by the DastardlyWhiplash.

The title is [[JustForPun a pun]] on a stock line uttered by the DastardlyWhiplash.

* A science fiction version in Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Brain Wave'': at the end of the Cretaceous period, millions of years ago, the Earth moved into an energy field which dampened neural function, causing mass extinctions. Some life survived and adapted. When it finally emerges, NextSundayAD, all animal life becomes about five times more intelligent in a matter of weeks. Considerable social chaos results, but people are now smart enough to make it work. A short time later, Earth's first interstellar spacecraft accidentally passes through the field, leaving the crew too stupid (that is, reduced back down to our current level) to operate the hyper-advanced controls; it's sheer luck that their course takes them back out again.

* ''ComicBook/{{XXXenophile}}'': "Bequeath the Sheets" deals with a curse designed to make it as difficult as possible for a family to continue its line by having a [[HornyDevil demon]] watch whenever they have sex (due to the cursee coming from a long line of prudes). [[PornWithPlot The series being what it is]], the couple simply incorporate the demon into their sex lives.

* The ''Film/{{Holes}}'' movie adaptation (and to a lesser extent in the original book) shows how Stanley fulfilling his great-grandfather's promise instantly makes his life better: at the exact same moment, a bolt comes off the wall in his father's house, sending a jar of spices down into a pot where he's boiling an ancient shoe that he's been trying to deodorize for the entire run of the movie. The smell is instantly gone, making for a successful product. Stanley, meanwhile, has found some buried treasure, the authorities involved in the horribly illegal Camp Green Lake scheme are all arrested, it begins raining at the camp for the first time in eighty years, and Stanley pays for his best friend Hector's search party to find his estranged mother. In sum, everyone lives HappilyEverAfter.

* This trope is occasionally subverted in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. While most curses can simply be dispelled and cease to have an effect, dispelling some of the more powerful ones can cause a backlash as bad or worse than just leaving the curse on. For example, a particular curse [[note]] technically a magic debuff [[/note]] that causes substantial damage over time will, when dispelled, deal the dispeller that damage all at once, as well as [[StandardStatusEffects silencing]] them.

* An example of the second variation is Franchise/{{Disney| Animated Canon}}'s ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast''. Once the wicked prince [[LoveRedeems redeems himself and wins Belle's love]], he, his castle and all its enchanted residents [[FisherKing are returned to normal.]] Which, considering the opulence of the place as well as getting a HappilyEverAfter with Belle, isn't too shabby.

* The ''{{Holes}}'' movie adaptation (and to a lesser extent in the original book) shows how Stanley fulfilling his great-grandfather's promise instantly makes his life better: at the exact same moment, a bolt comes off the wall in his father's house, sending a jar of spices down into a pot where he's boiling an ancient shoe that he's been trying to deodorize for the entire run of the movie. The smell is instantly gone, making for a successful product. Stanley, meanwhile, has found some buried treasure, the authorities involved in the horribly illegal Camp Green Lake scheme are all arrested, it begins raining at the camp for the first time in eighty years, and Stanley pays for his best friend Hector's search party to find his estranged mother. In sum, everyone lives HappilyEverAfter.

* ''{{XXXenophile}}'': "Bequeath the Sheets" deals with a curse designed to make it as difficult as possible for a family to continue its line by having a [[HornyDevil demon]] watch whenever they have sex (due to the cursee coming from a long line of prudes). [[PornWithPlot The series being what it is]], the couple simply incorporate the demon into their sex lives.

* The 2006 film ''JustMyLuck'' featured Lindsay Lohan as a girl who exuded good luck out of every pore. To "karmically balance things", there's a guy who can never succeed, played by ChrisPine. Both meet and kiss, switching their luck around. Afterwards, the guy uses his not inconsiderable talents coupled with her luck to rise astronomically, while she, being accustomed to utter luck, sputtered and flailed. Of course they eventually fall in love and their lucks "cancel out", but the guy was the better of the pair for giving her help when she was unlucky.

** There's also another curse [[note]]technically poison[[/note]] used by a boss monster that, once the curse runs it's course ''or is dispelled'', a large cloud of noxious gas is released around the victim. Dispelling classes have to work against their instincts to dispel curses during that fight, so that the victims can run out of the group before the gas cloud is released.

* ''{{XXXenophile}}'': "Bequeath the Sheets" deals with a curse designed to make it as difficult as possible for a family to continue its line (due to the cursee coming from a long line of prudes). [[PornWithPlot The series being what it is]], the couple simply incorporate the demon into their sex lives.

* ''{{XXXenophile}}'': "Bequeath the Sheets" deals with a curse designed to make it as difficult as possible for a family to continue its line. The couple manage to incorporate the demon into their sex lives.

* This trope is occasionally subverted in ''WorldOfWarcraft''. While most curses can simply be dispelled and cease to have an effect, dispelling some of the more powerful ones can cause a backlash as bad or worse than just leaving the curse on. For example, a particular curse [[note]] technically a magic debuff [[/note]] that causes substantial damage over time will, when dispelled, deal the dispeller that damage all at once, as well as [[StandardStatusEffects silencing]] them.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* A rather nasty version, but one that could still be described as played straight, occurs in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Angel's curse of a soul is lifted, resulting in a really good time... for [[EnemyWithin Angelus.]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* This trope is occasionally subverted in ''{{World of Warcraft}}''. While most curses can simply be dispelled and cease to have an effect, dispelling some of the more powerful ones can cause a backlash as bad or worse than just leaving the curse on. For example, a particular curse [[note]] technically a magic debuff [[/note]] that causes substantial damage over time will, when dispelled, deal the dispeller that damage all at once, as well as [[StandardStatusEffects silencing]] them.

* An example of the second variation is {{Disney| Animated Canon}}'s ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast''. Once the wicked prince [[LoveRedeems redeems himself and wins Belle's love]], he, his castle and all its enchanted residents [[FisherKing are returned to normal.]] Which, considering the opulence of the place as well as getting a HappilyEverAfter with Belle, isn't too shabby.

* A science fiction version in PoulAnderson's ''Brain Wave'': at the end of the Cretaceous period, millions of years ago, the Earth moved into an energy field which dampened neural function, causing mass extinctions. Some life survived and adapted. When it finally emerges, NextSundayAD, all animal life becomes about five times more intelligent in a matter of weeks. Considerable social chaos results, but people are now smart enough to make it work. A short time later, Earth's first interstellar spacecraft accidentally passes through the field, leaving the crew too stupid (that is, reduced back down to our current level) to operate the hyper-advanced controls; it's sheer luck that their course takes them back out again.

This is most likely to occur when the curse was clearly undeserved by its sufferers; in cases when the curse ''is'' deserved, the aftermath karma is usually reduced to a simple return to pre-cursed status quo with an {{Aesop}} learned.

** Interestingly, the 'curse' in question is a magic effect, not a curse effect.

* This trope is occasionally subverted in ''{{World of Warcraft}}''. While most curses can simply be dispelled and cease to have an effect, dispelling some of the more powerful ones can cause a backlash as bad or worse than just leaving the curse on. For example, a particular curse [[note:technically a magic debuff]] that causes substantial damage over time will, when dispelled, deal the dispeller that damage all at once, as well as [[StandardStatusEffects silencing]] them.

** There's also another curse [[note:technically poison]] used by a boss monster that, once the curse runs it's course ''or is dispelled'', a large cloud of noxious gas is released around the victim. Dispelling classes have to work against their instincts to dispel curses during that fight, so that the victims can run out of the group before the gas cloud is released.

* This trope is occasionally subverted in ''{{World of Warcraft}}''. While most curses can simply be dispelled and cease to have an effect, dispelling some of the more powerful ones can cause a backlash as bad or worse than just leaving the curse on. For example, a particular curse that causes substantial damage over time will, when dispelled, deal the dispeller that damage all at once, as well as [[StandardStatusEffects silencing]] them.

** There's also another curse used by a boss monster that, once the curse runs it's course ''or is dispelled'', a large cloud of noxious gas is released around the victim. Dispelling classes have to work against their instincts to dispel curses during that fight, so that the victims can run out of the group before the gas cloud is released.
** The latter of those is a poison, not a curse. Technically the former isn't a curse either (just a generic magic debuff) but it's close enough to count.
** Most magical effects in World of Warcraft would probably be called a curse anywhere else. They're only really different for the purposes of game mechanics. When most people think "curse" they think "magical effect that causes bad things to happen". This effectively puts every debuff that casters have, Warlocks in particular, under the "curse" category, but for the sake of game balance, only certain types of spells become curses.

** Ironically, the 'curse' in question is a magic effect, not a curse effect.

** Most magical effects in World of Warcraft would probably be called a curse anywhere else. They're only really different for the purposes of game mechanics. When most people think "curse" they think "magical effect that causes bad things to happen". This effectively puts every debuff that casters have, Warlocks in particular, under the "curse" category, but for the sake of game balance, only certain types of spells become curses. Which sucks because it'd make life for me easier as a mage if Warlocks only cast curses.

* Partial subversion in the third ''DeltoraQuest'' book series by Emily Rodda. When each of the Four Sisters poisoning the land is destroyed, the region it affected heals up immediately (crops grow again, poisoned wells clear up, et cetera)... but once all four are destroyed, [[spoiler:disgusting grey gunk starts rising from the ground to flood the land. Fortunately, the main characters manage to destroy that too.]]

* A science fiction version in PoulAnderson's ''Brain Wave'': at the end of the Cretaceous period, millions of years ago, the Earth moved into an energy field which dampened neural function, causing mass extinctions. Some life survived and adapted. When it finally emerges, NextSundayAD, all animal life becomes about five times more intelligent in a matter of weeks. Considerable social chaos results, but people are now smart enough to make it work. A short time later, Earth's first interstellar spacecraft accidentally passes through the field, leaving the crew too stupid (that is, at our current level) to operate the hyper-advanced controls; it's sheer luck that their course takes them back out again.