Curtains (1983)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Richard Ciupka

Writer:

Robert Guza Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Behind Every Curtain, Someone Is Watching...Something Is Waiting

Plot:

Six young actresses auditioning for a movie role at a remote mansion are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.

Plot Keywords:

Mansion | Audition | Murderer | Asylum | Mask

Cast

John Vernon	...	Jonathan Stryker
Samantha Eggar	...	Samantha Sherwood
Linda Thorson	...	Brooke Parsons
Anne Ditchburn	...	Laurian Summers
Lynne Griffin	...	Patti O'Connor
Sandee Currie	...	Tara DeMillo (as Sandra Warren)
Lesleh Donaldson	...	Christie Burns
Deborah Burgess	...	Amanda Teuther
Michael Wincott	...	Matthew
Maury Chaykin	...	Monty
Joann McIntyre	...	Secretary
Calvin Butler	...	Dr. Arthur Pendleton
Kate Lynch	...	Receptionist
Booth Savage	...	Amanda's Boyfriend Peter
William Marshall	...	Attendant

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Muskoka, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Simcom Limited

Trivia:

The opening credits give John Vernon's fictional director Jonathan Stryker credit as the films director. Director Richard Ciupka decided not to place his name on the credits.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Brooke is arguing with Monty the agent, there is a mic above Monty's desk in the first shot of him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Skull of Pain (1997)

Not bad at all for an eighties slasher

There was certainly a lot more slashers released during the eighties than there needed to be; but every now and then, you'll come across a decent one and while it has its fair share of problems, Curtains is one such film. The film is both a trashy eighties slasher, and a somewhat inappropriate commentary on the mentality of aspiring actresses. These two ideas blend well with the mystery plot too, as there's plenty of red herrings for the audience to mull over and a somewhat bitchy atmosphere to most of the lead characters. The plot seems to focus on the relationship between film director Jonathan Stryker and his long term muse Samantha Sherwood. For his next film, Samantha is required to be committed to a mental asylum in order to research the role. However, this is actually a ruse to allow the director to audition six younger actresses while Samantha stays inside. However, she manages to escape and get herself to the old mansion where the auditions are taking place. Around the same time, several of the young starlets start to disappear...

Normally, there's a high amount of gore in any given slasher; and while Curtains features a handful of murder scenes, none of them are particularly bloody and director Richard Ciupka seems to prefer to keep the focus more on atmosphere and tension than gore. The plot pacing is somewhat ponderous, so the film isn't always filled with tension - but the scenes that feature the murderer are largely well executed, and the mystery as to who is behind the mask is one that seems worth uncovering. Curtains takes place in a creepy old mansion house, and this provides a more than adequate location for the film to take place in. The acting is decent also, with two central performances - those coming from John Vernon and Samantha Eggar standing out among the younger cast. The conclusion to the film is particularly well done, and this ensures that the audience leaves the film on a high. The mystery behind the murderer is clever in that all the cards are kept close to the chest until the end, and while the culprit is unlikely - it does come as a surprise. Overall, Curtains is hardly a brilliant film, but it's not bad and certainly is worth seeing.