Curtains (1983)

Curtains (1983)

“If I’m going to play a madwoman, I’ve got to know what it’s really like!”

Synopsis:
An actress (Samantha Eggar) and her director-husband (John Vernon) agree Eggar should check herself into a mental asylum under false pretenses, to prepare for an upcoming role as “Audra” — but when she learns that Vernon planned to leave her in the asylum and audition six other actresses (Deborah Burgess, Lynne Griffin, Linda Thorson, Anne Ditchburn, Sandra Warren, and Lesleh Donaldson) for the part of Audra, she vows revenge.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Horror
  • Mental Illness
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Revenge
  • Samantha Eggar Films
  • Serial Killers

Review:
What would people “kill” for? Landing a coveted role in a high-profile show might evoke such urges in disturbed actors, as we’ve seen play out (metaphorically) in films such as All About Eve (1950) and Mephisto (1981). However, this Canadian slasher flick takes the sentiment to its literal bloody conclusion, with the entire screenplay centering on numerous young women unknowingly putting their lives at risk for a role. At first the movie seems to be flirting with the dangerous territory covered in Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963), as a “sane” woman (Eggar) foolishly commits herself to a mental asylum (not a good idea!!!!).

But we fairly quickly shift to a more serious variation on Murder By Death (1976), with a group of individuals all invited to a big, dark house for a specific purpose.

We’re kept in reasonable suspense about the identity of the killer, and there are plenty of unnerving twist and turns. As described in the Canuxploitation review:

By the time animated curtains fall on the final bookend scene — a performance in front of a handful of drooling asylum inmates — the film has supplied enough black-gloved killings, whodunit red herrings, terrorized beauties and theatrical set pieces to qualify it as more of a snowy giallo than anything else.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • A clever screenplay with some effectively handled chills
  • John Vernon as Jonathan Stryker

Must See?
No, but fans of the genre will want to check it out. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

2 thoughts on “Curtains (1983)

  1. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    A film that was thrown away by it’s distributor and has a poor critical reception. Consequently, I went in expecting a turkey and was pleasantly surprised to find a little gem. Good performances and it hangs together pretty well despite the tortuous production. Only Michael Wincott’s character gets short shrift in the final edit.

    Enjoyable though it is, it’s not a must see for FFs.

  2. First viewing.

    ‘And Then There Were None’ goes to Drama School! Implausible (doubtful that even desperate actors would fall for this set-up; though, yes, perhaps dumb ones would), pretentious (in its depiction of the acting profession), and ponderous (as in s-l-o-w).

    ~ all of which leads to a dopey reveal. Skip it.

Leave a Reply