Curtains, l'ultime cauchemar

Premise = Six actresses are invited to a cabin in the mountains to audition for the part of Audra. Well, all of these actresses are really good-looking (well or so they're supposed to be I guess) but one, there's someone running around in a hag mask killing people around the cabin. Anyone who gets in her way will die.

I watched this movie recently and found it very entertaining, quite different from the other slashers that came out during this era, and plus the acting is actually really good especially Samantha, there are many effective scenes like the ice skating murder scene which is really well done, the dream sequence with the doll at the beginning and the final chase scene which takes a rather unpredictable turn and last but not least the ending which has a bit of a twist which i never saw coming.

The killers mask is really creepy as well and the directing is rather sleek even though we know when the killer's going strike next. All in all this is a really entertaining slasher that deserves to be remembered.

A number of good Canadian horror movies have made their way to the USA, to become cult classics. Bob Clark's outstanding 1974 horror-thriller Black Christmas remains a staple of the modern "scary" movie. Beloved Jamie Lee Curtis came to horror fame through the likes of Prom Night (1980) and Terror Train (also 1980). However, you may not have heard of this interesting little shocker...

Curtains is a better-than average slasher, despite some of its reviews. The movie is about six actresses who go to audition at a director's country house, where it seems someone is willing to kill for the role! While this may sound cliché, the film has enough creativity on it's side for one not to really notice. It sets up some pretty good shock sequences. Anyone who has read about this film will surely have seen mention of the infamous "ice skating" scene, which is very memorable.

Curtains was a troubled production though. It was to be filmed in 1980 and ended up taking years before completion. So, any of the films "loose ends" are more likely a product of this problem. But it does hold together. The cast is quite good; Eggar, Griffin, and Thorson are in especially top-form. The direction is well done with a touch of style. Paul Zaza's music score is an effective one. Last, but not least, the story itself is a gripper!

For horror fans, Curtains is a rare treat that is well worth seeking out. It ranks with some of the better slashers of the early '80s.

*** out of ****

Curtains (1983) is a movie that I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows a movie being made at a remote mansion where all the ladies want the lead role and will do anything to get it. Unfortunately for them, as the movie is being made people are disappearing and a serial killer is on the loose. Who could the killer be and why are the people at the mansion being targeted?

This movie is being directed by Richard Ciupka (Coyote) and stars John Vernon (Animal House), Samantha Eggar (The Brood), Linda Thorson (Half Past Dead), Anne Ditchburn (Slow Dancing in the Big City) and Lesleh Donaldson (Happy Birthday to Me).

This is a fun horror movie with a great premise, a solid cast and fantastic makeup, masks and costumes. The premise was believable and a perfect plot for a horror movie. The locations were well selected too. The cinematography was mediocre but the villain more than made up for it. The kill scenes were entertaining, my only complaint is that the kill scenes could have been better executed and contained more gore. There's an ice skating scene that I loved. The scythe scene was really good too.

Overall, this movie isn't perfect but it does have a worthwhile villain that's an absolute must see. I would score this a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

As slasher movies go, this one is not too bad. It borrows liberally from other more famous Canadian slasher films (the wintry setting and actress Lynn Griffith from "Black Christmas", the killer's mask from "Terror Train"), but it's not a bad little film in its own right. It has a good set-up. Six young actresses are gathered together in an isolated house to compete for the same theatrical role (of an insane woman). As it turns out the treacherous director (John Vernon) had previously given the part to an older actress (Samantha Egger) who had gone so far as to fake her way into a mental institution to research the role and ended up being left there by the director. Soon the competitors start disappearing one-by-one. But is it the director, the bitter older actress, or has one the younger would-be thespians been driven over the edge by the competition? The movies falls apart a little in the middle (apparently there were directorial problems-- the director on record, "Johnathon Stryker", has the same name as the character in the movie, and, according to this website, they also had to replace a lead actress). The ending is good, however, and pretty surprising--and it definitely has some very spooky scenes.

This is one of the rare slasher movies that is more interested in creating a strong atmosphere and developing the characters than in showing 101 ways to carve up annoying, brain dead teenagers. If you're the proud owner of the "Sleepaway Camp" box set you might want to pass on this one, but if you like horror movies that are well-crafted and actually a little bit scary, this is worth a look

Though fans of today's slam-bang gorefests will likely be let down, CURTAINS is worth a look for low-budget horror buffs. Actress Samantha Sherwood is so anxious to land the film role of a troubled woman she has herself committed to get a firsthand look at insanity. Things turn grisly when the director abandons her to host a casting session at his home. One by one the beautiful women he's invited are picked off. Is Samantha our killer or are things more complicated than they seem?

Despite is limitations, budgetary and otherwise, the Canadian-made CURTAINS is able to hold the viewer's attention while delivering a few thrills. The acting is surprisingly solid by genre standards, though you won't find very many people demanding a recount for the 1983 Oscars. It's clear the people behind this effort cared and wanted to bring something unique to the cinematic world, so nonsensical moments (what's with the doll??) are more easily forgiven.

In some ways, CURTAINS is reminiscent of an early Friday THE 13TH entry. Those involved put their best foot forward, accepted their limitations and tried to please a target audience. And like Jason Voorhees' adventures, CURTAINS will require a suspension of belief and acceptance of the fact not all the questions are answered.