The Killian Curse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Killian Curse
Title card in Series One
Genre	Horror-fantasy
Directed by	Thomas Robins Wayne Vinton
Starring	Georgia Fabish Jacinta Wawatai Beth Chote Ivana Palezevic Felicity Milovanovich Priyanka Xi Cameron Wakefield
Country of origin	New Zealand
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	14
Production
Producer(s)	Thomas Robins
Production location(s)	St Patrick's College, Silverstream, New Zealand
Running time	25–30 minutes with ads, 21–25 minutes without ads
Release
Original network	TV2 New Zealand ABC3 Australia
Picture format	16:9
Original release	21 July 2006 (2006-07-21) – 20 March 2008 (2008-03-20)

The Killian Curse is a spooky TV show from New Zealand. It's a mix of horror and fantasy made for young people. The show was directed by Thomas Robins and Wayne Vinton.

The story is about the students of Room 21. Each student faces a scary curse from a bad guy named Charles Killian. Killian wants to get revenge on the people who caused his death way back in 1906. He needs to capture eleven souls to come back to life. There are two seasons of the show, which first aired in 2006 and 2008.

The Spooky Story of Room 21

How the Curse Began in 1906

Long ago, in 1906, the first students of Room 21 were doing a strange ritual with Charles Killian. Their parents found out and tried to stop him. During a fight, a fire started in the classroom. Killian died in the fire.

Before he died, Killian swore to get revenge. He said he would steal eleven souls to return from the dead. He also cursed the parents, saying they wouldn't see their children's suffering. Only the other students in Room 21 could see what was happening. One of the present-day Room 21 kids is related to the person who caused Killian's death. After this, Room 21 was sealed up for 100 years.

Room 21 in 2006

After a century, in 2006, a new principal opened Room 21. This principal didn't believe in curses. It was up to the school janitor to warn the students about Killian's curse. Some students didn't believe him until the first victim was taken. This first series was filmed between 2005 and 2006.

Room 21 in 2008

A year later, in 2007 (when this series was filmed), the students from Room 21 were still affected. They had gotten their souls back, but some were taken again. These students were stuck in Killian's World. On Earth, they looked like zombies, but adults saw them as normal kids.

Meet the Characters

Adults You'll See Often

• Charles Killian – Played by Nick Blake. He's the main bad guy who curses the students.
• Mr Timmins – Played by Paul Yates.
• Miss Pritchard – Played by Tanea Heke.
• Mr Elder – Played by Grant Roa.
• Miss Ryder – Played by Holly Shanahan.

Other Important Characters

• Eddie Lockhart – Played by Rafe Custance. He's Katie Lockhart's brother.
• Troy – Played by Johnny Hurn. A basketball player and friend of Te Aroha.

The Kids of Room 21

All the young actors in the show were from New Zealand. They were between 11 and 16 years old when filming started. Most of them appeared in both seasons.

Here are some of the Room 21 kids:

• Billie Anderson – Played by Brooke Paske. She's a new exchange student in the second series.
• Byron Turner – Played by Tim Radich. A skater boy who likes taking risks.
• Celia West – Played by Georgia Fabish. A smart girl who loves bugs and books. She helps everyone get their souls back in the first series.
• Charlotte Brunton – Played by Grace MacDonald. The "mean girl" of the class, but she secretly loves china dolls.
• Chelsea Regans – Played by Priyanka Xi. (Only in the first series) A stuck-up girl who bullies Celia.
• Jack Williams – Played by Cameron Wakefield. His great-great grandfather caused the curse. Jack tries to help everyone and even talks to the class from Killian's world in season two.
• Katie Lockhart – Played by Beth Chote. The class goth girl.
• Jen de Jong – Played by Felicity Milovanovich. She likes sports and seems to like Byron in season two.
• Owen Jameson/Slater – Played by James Croft. A computer geek who is often late for class.

Season One: Facing the Curse

The first season of The Killian Curse started in New Zealand on July 21, 2006. In each episode, a student faces a unique curse from Killian. The number 21 often appears in strange ways when a curse happens.

First Victims and Strange Encounters

• David – He was the first to be taken by the curse. A janitor tried to warn the class, but David left early and his soul was taken.
• Celia – A demon tried to possess her. She trapped it in her pet cockroach and crushed it.
• Johnny – He crashed his bike while being chased by an ambulance. The driver was a warlock who wanted his fat. Johnny defeated him.

Water, Phones, and Werewolves

• Elizabeth – A kraken (a sea monster) hid in the school pipes. She was taken but later returned.
• Lucy – Her phone had a poltergeist that tried to "download" her soul. She defeated it by microwaving Karen's phone, where her soul was being sent.
• Owen – He faced a werewolf. A teacher accidentally pushed him outside, and the wolf took his soul, but he returned later.

Zombies, Witches, and Demons

• Karen – She was attacked by zombies in a grocery store. She trapped them in an oven.
• Charlotte – She went into an old house to get her necklace back. A witchy owner took her soul, but she was returned.
• Katie – A demon called Haki attacked her at her uncle's place. Her soul was taken when she mistook it for their neighbor.

Dreams, Energy, and Monsters

• Miles – He was forced to fight an alien. His soul was taken when Will thought it was his curse and escaped.
• Te Aroha "TP" – She had to play basketball against a demon. She defeated it by ripping off its head.
• Karl – With Jack's help, he defeated a Wendigo, a monster from folklore.

Voodoo, Mummies, and Shadows

• Will – A voodoo doll meant for Keith affected Will instead. He overcame it by hiding the doll.
• Shane – On a field trip, he was attacked by a mummy. He was taken.
• Jen – A shadow demon attacked her, moving objects' shadows. It took her soul before being destroyed by a T-rex doll.

Vanity, Future, and Vampires

• Chelsea – A vanity curse made her fall apart. She defeated it by letting people look at her.
• Keith – His future self came to get his soul. Keith proved him wrong.
• Haley – A vampire attacked her in a blood bus. She was defeated but returned.

Cars, Drama, and the Finale

• Byron – He tried to escape a car demon. Killian took his soul, but Byron's soul was returned later.
• Tabetha – She made a school play about the curse. Killian summoned a ghost, but Tabetha banished it.
• Jack – Killian took his soul, but Jack returned with the others. The students realized they could undo the curse by smashing a gravestone with the names of the taken students. After Killian's defeat, the students left the school feeling victorious. However, Killian was not truly defeated.

Season Two: The Traitor Among Them

The second season started in New Zealand around February 2008. Killian warned the Room 21 students that one of them was helping him.

New Challenges and a Traitor

The season begins with the students having a vision of Killian destroying their school. Killian tells them they will face the curse for another year, and one of them is helping him. A new exchange student, Billie, joins Room 21, and everyone suspects her. Jack sets up a "buddy system" to keep students safe.

• Byron – He was challenged by Killian and a Mechanical Demon to a skateboarding contest for his soul. He was taken.
• Celia and Jack – They tried to defeat a giant moth demon. The traitor used a flashlight to blind them, and the moth took their souls. Owen defeated the moth.

Camping, Viruses, and Possessed Hands

• Miles – On a school camp, a werewolf attacked. It was after Miles, who was tied up by the traitor. His soul was taken.
• Shane – His curse was a computer virus that looked like living mucus. He defeated it by clicking "Destroy virus" on his computer. The traitor was there, not helping.
• Karen – Her hand became possessed and made her do bad things. She defeated it by pulling it off with a wood vice. The traitor locked her in a room, but she escaped.

Shrinking, Games, and the Past

• Johnny – He started shrinking and was attacked by a giant spider. An allergic reaction to a bee sting defeated the curse.
• Elizabeth – Her curse was a kendo video game. She defeated the demon sent after her. The traitor tried to take her soul but failed.
• Te Aroha – She went back in time to old Killian High. She met a spirit who warned her about bullies sent by Killian. She was pulled into the world of lost souls.

Magic, Dolls, and the End

• Lucy – A medium possessed by a necromancer attacked her and other girls.
• Will – The traitor took his voodoo doll and pulled off his legs and arms, putting them in the school furnace. Karen saved the doll and put him back together.
• Haley – A time demon could stop time. Haley defeated it by smashing its clock. The demon accidentally revealed the traitor was a girl.
• Charlotte – Her china dolls came to life and shrunk her. She woke up as a doll and was pulled into the house, losing her soul.
• Karl – At Shane's birthday, a magician made Karl disappear. He was forced to perform an escape act and failed, losing his soul.
• Owen – A dead man under Killian's command tried to take his soul at a funeral home. The traitor helped the dead man.
• Tabetha – She was sent into a horror movie by Killian and had to fight a demon. She escaped and defeated the curse.
• Katie and Keith – Katie drew a demon taking Keith's soul, and it came true. She realized she could control the demon by drawing. She defeated it by shrinking, stepping on, and burning it.

The Final Battle and the Traitor Revealed

• Billie – Billie faced a reflection demon in the school bathroom. The rest of the class helped her. The traitor was finally revealed to be Jen! She had been possessed by a demon since the first episode. This demon wanted Jen's soul for itself, not for Killian.

After this, everyone whose soul was never taken went through a portal to Killian's world. Killian tried to take their souls, but a giant rabbit (from Karl's curse) pulled him down. The portal closed, and the students were stuck in Killian's world. It seemed like 10 of the 11 students would never get out.

• Chelsea didn't get a curse because she went to live with Billie's family.

Who Was the Traitor?

At the start of the second season, Killian said there was a traitor among the Room 21 students. Everyone suspected Billie, the new girl.

The traitor did many bad things:

• Let go of Byron (but said he let go).
• Shone a torch in Celia and Jack's eyes.
• Took Will's voodoo doll.
• Tripped David on Killian's Island.
• Tried to stop Elizabeth from leaving her cursed kendo game.
• Tied up Miles.
• Pushed Johnny off a desk when he shrunk.
• Stole Elizabeth's phone and pretended to be her.
• Told Te Aroha to go to the train station.
• Took off a chain to send Owen into a crematorium.
• Locked the door when Karen was being punished.
• Locked the bathroom door and pushed Billie through the mirror.

Many students were accused, like Karen, Katie, Tabetha, and David. But Billie often got the blame. If you watched closely, you could tell it wasn't her:

• The traitor always wore a jumper or something to hide their face. Billie didn't wear one until the last two episodes.
• The traitor dropped a scarf in Elizabeth's curse. Billie didn't own a scarf.
• In Miles's curse, the traitor's hair was blonde and plaited, but not curly like Billie's.
• The traitor wore grey socks and proper school shoes. Billie wore white socks and ballet flats.
• Billie's skirt was shorter than the other kids' skirts. The traitor's skirt was longer.

In the end, Jen was revealed as the traitor. She was controlled by a demon that possessed her in the first episode. This demon wanted her soul for itself. Even after Killian was defeated, the Room 21 students were stuck in Killian's world.

Awards and Recognition

The Killian Curse won an award for "Achievement in Sound Design in General Television" at the Qantas Film and Television Awards in 2008. It was also nominated for "Best Children's Programme" at the Air New Zealand Screen Awards in 2007.