The Killian Curse is a New Zealand kidult horror-fantasy television show, directed by Thomas Robins and Wayne Vinton. Starring Nick Blake and local New Zealand children, The Killian Curse tells 21 stories of the students from Room 21, who must each face an evil curse placed on them by the sinister Charles Killian. Killian wants to get revenge on the people who caused his death shortly after founding the school in 1906. He needs to capture eleven souls to rise from the dead. There are two series, which first aired in 2006 and 2008.
Premise 1906 Room 21 Students
The original students of Room 21 are caught doing a ritual led by Killian. The parents banished him, but a fire broke out during a struggle which eventually burned the interior of the classroom, killing Killian in the process. Before dying, he swore to get revenge by stealing the eleven souls needed to return from the dead. Killian also said that parents would be blind to the suffering of their children. It is only the other classmates of Room 21 who can see what is happening. One of the kids from present day Room 21 (and narrator of the events of 1906) happens to be the great, great grandson of the man directly responsible for Killian's death. The great, great grandfather and the others in the room at the time of Killian's death are presumed to be ancestors of the current kids in room 21. Shortly after, the room is sealed "forever", forever lasting until 2006, when the story begins. Some people who have watched it have been paranoid by the number 21 and have been seeing it repeatedly.
2006 Room 21 Students
After 100 years, Room 21 is unsealed by a principal who does not believe in curses, and it is up to the school janitor to tell the students about the curse. Some are sceptical until the first victim is taken. Filmed 2005–2006.
2008 (set in 2007) Room 21 Students
It has been a year and the last year students of Room 21 still got called out into the Room 21 Class. They all got their souls back, but some were repossessed. Those students are stuck in Killian's World/Lair. On Earth, they're zombies, but to adults, they are just normal. This series was filmed in 2007.
Cast of series one and two Reoccurring adults Charles Killian – Nick Blake Mr Timmins – Paul Yates Miss Pritchard – Tanea Heke Mr Elder – Grant Roa Miss Ryder – Holly Shanahan
Other characters Eddie Lockhart – Rafe Custance Katie Lockhart's brother. Troy – Johnny Hurn A basketball player who is a friend of Te Aroha.
Kids of Room 21 All the kids in the cast are local tweens and teenagers from New Zealand. From the time of shooting the first series, the oldest was 16 (Ivana Palezevic, Tabatha), and the youngest was 11 (Georgia Fabish, Celia). All the kids appear in both series apart from Chelsea (Series 1) and Billie (Series 2).
The kids in character alphabetical order;
Billie Anderson – Brooke Paske (Second series only) New exchange student in Room 21. Takes over Chelsea's place by having a similar personality and traits as Chelsea. Byron Turner – Tim Radich A skater boy. Does not listen and often takes risks. Celia West – Georgia Fabish A nerdy girl who loves insects and books. She is the reason everyone regained their souls in the first series. Charlotte Brunton – Grace MacDonald The class' "mean girl", very empowering. Has a secret love of porcelain dolls. Chelsea Regans – Priyanka Xi (First series only) Snotty, stuck-up girl. Bullies Celia by saying she has an 'ugly curse'. David White – Max Blake-Persen The first to be taken by the curse. Not much else is known about him. Elizabeth Ratana – Jacinta Wawatai A hydrophobic girl who enjoys kendo fighting. Te Aroha's best friend. Haley Bloomsfield – Zoë Robins Gullible, can be too nice and over committed. Jack Williams – Cameron Wakefield His great-great grandfather triggered the start of the curse. He always looks out for everyone in the class and finds a way to talk to the class from Killian's world in series 2. Jen de Jong – Felicity Milovanovich Shown to like sports in the first series. She appears to have a crush on Byron in Series 2. Johnny Campbell – Thomas Williams The class joker. He provides comic relief in dire situations. Karen Smyth – Frith Horan Lucy's ex-best friend. Has a crush on Will. Karl Bennett – Sharn Te Pou Believed there was no way to beat the curse in Series 1. Slightly selfish. Katie Lockhart – Beth Chote The class goth girl. Appears to also have a crush on Byron. Keith Wilson/Donaldson – James Shaw Bully turned nice, cares about everyone's safety. Lucy Myers – Liffey Jacobson-Wright A girl with phone addiction. Was Karen's best friend, but they fell out. Miles Delany – Brayden Muir-Mills Pessimistic, not very encouraging. Often humiliates Will. Owen Jameson/Slater – James Croft A computer geek. Always seen with gaming console. Shane Arnold – Riley Brophy Often described as a 'geek'. Was a victim of Keith's bullying in Series 1. Tabetha Simpson – Ivana Palezevic A girl who wants to be a director. Tries to be positive. Te Aroha Pene (TP) – Greer Samuel The sportiest in the class. Elizabeth's best friend. Will Taylor – Andrew Hampton A boy who wants to be a movie star. Appears to have a crush on Karen in Series 2.
Series one The first series was initially screened in New Zealand on 21 July 2006 on TV2.
Note: all episode names are unofficial.
Beginning/Possessor/Warlock David – A janitor attempts to warn the class about Killian's curse, but David, as usual, leaves the classroom early. They hear a scream, and when the whole class finds David, his soul has been taken, starting the curse. The appearance of the number 21 is when it is found written above the classroom door.
Celia – She is being followed by a demon who is attempting to possess her, in turn taking her soul. She defeats it by trapping it within the body of her pet cockroach, then crushing it. Mr. Timmins writes the number 21 on the blackboard after Celia answers a maths question he asked.
Johnny – He is taken to hospital when his bike crashed while he was chased by an ambulance, who turns out to be a warlock who wants his fat. The warlock is killed when Johnny stabs him with a fat-injecting needle and the warlock blows up. Earlier, Johnny rode past a letter box with the number 21 written on it.
Water/Phone/Werewolf Elizabeth – A kraken hides in the school's pipe system, so she follows it to the old swimming pool. She unplugs the drain in an attempt to defeat it, but she is taken. The number "21" was found written on a cubicle door.
Lucy – She has a poltergeist in her phone, which tries to "download" her soul to Karen's phone. Lucy beats her curse by putting Karen's phone in the microwave. The brochure advertising the mobile phone says "JUST TEXT 21".
Owen – His curse is a werewolf whom he tries to defeat by locking it out, but a teacher leaves him outside to be taken. The number 21 appeared as read on the calendar in the teacher's office. This episode features Jed Brophy as the werewolf.
Zombies/Witch/Domicile Karen – She is in a grocery store when she is attacked by zombies, but defeats them by trapping them in an oven. Karen paid 21 dollars for chocolate bars.
Charlotte – When Charlotte goes over the fence of an old house to return her necklace that was thrown over by a bully, a cat takes it inside the house. Despite warnings from Jen and Celia, Charlotte goes after it. She finds it, but the house's owner, a witch, takes her soul before she gets out. The number "21" is carved on the fence outside the old house.
Katie – She goes to her uncle's place during the weekend with her father and brother. She is attacked by a demon called Haki who can enter every nook and cranny. Her soul is taken when she mistakes it for their neighbour. The number 21 was seen on a painting of demons.
Dream/Energy/Wendigo Miles – He is forced to fight an alien in his curse. Will, thinking that it is his curse, escapes, but Miles is left behind; therefore, his soul is taken. The curse was triggered when Miles had watched 21 seconds of Will's humiliating performance.
Te Aroha "TP" – She is forced to compete against a demon in a basketball game. She defeats the demon by ripping its head off and throwing it in a waste paper basket. The curse is triggered when she bumps into a basketball player wearing the number "21".
Karl – He originally doubts that there is a way to defeat the curse, but with the help of Jack, he defeats a wendigo. The number 21 manifests as a carving on a tree that Karl and Jack both ride past.
Voodoo/Mummy/Shadows Will – In an attempt to cause Keith some pain, Karen sets up a voodoo doll that ends up affecting Will instead. It is overcome by hiding the doll in a tin with air holes where no one will find it. The number 21 is "accidentally" written in Will's blood on the doll.
Shane – On a school field trip, Shane, Keith and Chelsea are attacked by a mummy. Shane tries to defeat it by removing its bandages, but it is still invisible on the inside. He is taken. Killian locks the kids in a storage room with the code 0021.
Jen – Jen is attacked by a shadow demon that can manipulate the real world by moving objects' shadows. It manages to claim Jen's soul just before it is destroyed by a T-rex doll. The number 21 manifests as a shadow formed by a toy swan's neck and a candle on Jen's bedroom wall.
Vanity/Future/Vampires Chelsea – A vanity curse makes her fall apart, but it is defeated by allowing people to look at her. "21 kisses FREE!" is found written on a magazine Chelsea was reading in class.
Keith – His future self comes to claim his soul and calls Keith hopeless, but he goes on to prove his future self wrong. The number appears when Keith records his 21st day wagging school.
Haley – A vampire attacks her in a blood bus. She is defeated, but eventually returned. This episode features Nathaniel Lees as Haley's demon, Mr James. The number 21 appears when the vampire, disguised as a blood donor, offers Haley biscuits and says that she had been "so helpful, [she could] take... 21."
Car/Drama/Finale Byron – He tries to escape a car demon by attempting to jump the gap across an unfinished bridge. He misses and is only just hanging on when Killian shows up. Killian gives him two choices: either he would let go and fall into a garbage truck, and he will be free if he survives, or Killian could let him up, but take his soul. Byron chooses the former, but Killian pushes the garbage heap, then catches Byron and takes his soul. "21" manifested on the demonic car's license plate.
Tabetha – She decides to make a school play about the curse. Killian summons the ghost of an ex-drama teacher so he could get her soul, but decided to take part in the play first. During the play, Tabetha sets up an exorcism and banishes the ghost back to the spirit world. The number "21" is found on a flood light which fell onto the ground.
Jack – His soul is taken by Killian, but he is returned with the others taken. The surviving students realise that the curse can be undone by smashing a gravestone which bears the names of the students Killian had taken. After a name is smashed off, that person's soul is returned, and they are returned to the classroom (Room 21). After Killian's defeat, the students leave the school triumphant and ready to tackle another year at Killian High. Killian was not actually defeated.
Series two The second series began screening in New Zealand on 8 or 9 February (different sources say different things), 2008 on TV2.
Mechanical Demon/Giant Moth