Curtains, l'ultime cauchemar

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

Some creepy moments and an atmospheric location, but "Curtains" is also ponderous and bloodless, which, for a slasher coming at the end of a cycle, is suicide. It seems to have been inspired by Soavi's "Stagefright", an excellent slasher, but it's too slight, too low key to make any impact. The plot, if you can call it that, focuses on women auditioning for a part in a horror film. They don't get the part, they get killed.

The Australian "Nightmares" (by John Lamond) bears some resemblance to this, but uses its theatre setting to better effect.

The poster art depicting a deformed doll and a curtain was striking and raised expectations, but director Jonathan Stryker seems incapable of pacing the narrative and is finally undone by is refusal to let the blood run free.

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.

"Curtains" features a group of women who have been summoned to a prestigious director's mansion to audition for a film; meanwhile his frequent collaborator and muse, a glamorous and established actress, has intentionally admitted herself into a psych ward in order to prepare for the role he is now offering to one of the younger talents. Things are doomed for the the young women from the start when a killer in a grotesque hag mask begins killing them along the way.

One has to wonder why a film like "Curtains" has been so longly ignored except among cult horror purists— fans have ached for a proper DVD release of the film, and it certainly deserves at least that. It is not a great film, but it is great if we're measuring it on a slasher scale.

Though it is most definitely a slasher movie, there are shades of class here that set it apart from the sleazier body count films of the era, and the performances are part of this, but also a great deal of attention to cinematography and the establishment of mood. The entire film has a dark, somber, weather-drenched atmosphere that is immediately off-putting, and things become progressively macabre after the girls reach the remote mansion.

It's an interesting and unusual setup, and there is a lot of subtext about filmmaking and performance that is played up with some minor intelligence. While the establishment of mood is fantastic here, and the setting is delectably spooky, there is a sense of disconnectedness in the film on a tonal level. Given the film's purportedly lengthy, troubled production, this makes sense, but it does create a feeling of the film not really being the sum of its parts— at least not the sum that it could have been. That said, the film is nevertheless successful at maintaining an eeriness.

The performances here are great, with John Eggar as the cold and calculated director, and Samantha Eggar as his glamorous "has been" muse. These two are the veterans of the film, both literally and narratively. Linda Thorson, Lynne Griffin (of "Black Christmas"), and Lesleh Donaldson ("Funeral Home") are welcome additions to the younger actresses, and give respectable performances, especially Griffin.

Overall, "Curtains" excels at being a moody and moderately classy slasher film. There are enough death scenes to appease the gore crowd, and enough suspense and mood to engage the more narratively-inclined audience, and, while the film's disjointed production seeps into the final product, the parts are effective enough to take precedence over the sum. 8/10.

Curtains (1983)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Director Jonathan Stryker (John Vernon) is about to start another movie and his lead actress Samantha Sherwood (Samantha Eggar) wants to make sure she knows what it's really like to be a crazy woman so she fakes an illness and has herself committed to an asylum. While in there she really does lose her mind and she's pushed over the edge when she learns that the director has invited six actresses to his mansion for a rehearsal to see who gets the lead role. Soon dead bodies start to pile up.

CURTAINS is a Canadian slasher that has pretty much been forgotten over the years, although it does have a somewhat strong cult following. The film is actually a pretty well thought out movie that manages to have a couple interesting kills, an interesting killer and some pretty good performances from the cast. If you're looking for non-stop gore and violence then you'll probably be disappointed as it's clear that the filmmakers were trying to set themselves apart from what the typical slasher was at the time.

I think the best thing going for the film is the cast. Vernon and Eggar aren't really the people you'd expect to see in a film like this but both of them bring a lot to the picture. Vernon was terrific as the rather jerk director who appears to have more up his sleeve than just an audition. Eggar is also extremely good as the actress who loses her mind and then sets out to let the director know the damage he has done to her. Both of them work extremely well together as does the rest of the supporting cast.

The actual mystery of the picture plays out quite nicely and especially since the first thirty minutes has some very interesting twists and turns. These little scenes really keep you off guard for the rest of the picture, which was a plus. With that said, CURTAINS does have a few moments where things stall out. I think a little more action would have helped matters and a faster pace as well. Still, CURTAINS is certainly a lot different than your typical slasher and there's enough going for it to make it worth viewing.