Review of Curtains (1983) by Johnny T — 26 Sep 2014

Ah the good old days of Canadian "tax shelter" films that allowed so many horror movies to be made in the Great White North (masquerading as "anywhere USA"). This was was made during the post-Halloween "Slasher" boom that was beginning to play itself out by the mid-1980s.

Its more of a psychological horror film than your typical stalk and kill masked killer film though the killer does wear a very spooky old crone mask. John Vernon plays a jerk director who encourages his long-time leading lady and lover, Samantha Eggar, to commit herself into an asylum to properly research a role for an upcoming film.

Vernon's sleazebag director then has a casting call for the role Eggar is researching and six beautiful actresses converge on his estate for the weekend. Who is the killer? All the actresses want the role as does Eggar and then there is Vernon himself and his sleazy handyman lurking about.

Like Black Christmas and The Brood, this film uses its snowbound setting to further isolate our cast of characters, there is a killer inside and its freezing cold outside. Linda Thornson, Diana Rigg's replacement in The Avengers TV series plays one of the actresses vying for the part, Quebec cinematographer, Richard Ciupka directed the film.