Blu-Ray Review: Curtains

By Less Lee Moore

The 1983 Canadian tax write-off known as Curtains has long been out of print, except for deplorable VHS and DVD transfers. In the 30 years since its theatrical release, it’s become an iconic cult horror film, particularly because of its uniquely chilling ice skating murder sequence. Now, Synapse Films has restored the film from its original negative and released it on Blu-Ray. So, does Curtains hold up?

Having never seen the movie before this new release, I can only applaud Synapse’s exquisite transfer. It looks and sounds incredible, especially when compared to what previously available versions looked like. Curtains was a bit of a black sheep for horror films and the Canadian industry in general, so it’s nice to see that not only does the film finally get some justice, but that the cast and crew do as well.

For the uninitiated, the plot of Curtains is almost too good to be true: six actresses are invited to legendary director Jonathan Stryker’s country retreat in the dead of winter to audition for the coveted role of Audra, the title character in Stryker’s upcoming film. Two things stand in the way of Stryker’s production: the actress who Stryker initially intended for the role, Samantha Sherwood, has recently escaped from a mental asylum and someone is killing off the ingénues.

There is, of course, much more to the story than that, so if you don’t want to know any more details, skip to the end of this review. What Curtains does very well is evoke a certain time in horror cinema history as well as the backstabbing, cutthroat (often literally) world of acting. It’s a peculiar combination of slasher, psychodrama, and theatrical production. Opening with a title sequence that is revealed by the opening of animated stage curtains, it feels immediately stage-y. This may seem hopelessly stilted and out of date to a portion of today’s horror audience, but for those of us raised on 1970s movie musicals, it intrigues and evokes nostalgia.

Besides the gorgeously framed and impeccably lit images (thanks to initial director Richard Ciupka and his illustrious cinematography skills and the fine camera work of Robert Paynter), the set design and costuming are evocative of a bygone era, one that was such even when the film was shot in the early 1980s. Stryker’s palatial estate is an Art Deco and Art Nouveau dream, crammed with elaborate sconces, doorframes, banisters, etched glass, and brass décor. As Samantha Sherwood, Samantha Eggar portrays an “actress of a certain age,” and like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, she just wasn’t made for these times. Contrast her red and black polka-dotted georgette dress with Tara’s (Sandee Currie) designer jeans, for example. Even the score, by Paul Zaza (and later, Carl Zittrer), eschews the John Carpenter-style synths for lush orchestration, feeling more like a TV movie mystery than a slasher.

Of course, Curtains wasn’t an actual slasher, or at least, it didn’t start off that way. First time director Ciupka was handpicked by producer Peter J. Simpson (Prom Night) but when Ciupka’s penchant for artsy, psychological thrillers rubbed Simpson the wrong way, the production was scrapped and then restarted nearly two years later under Simpson’s directorial hand. This would explain why a creepy doll shows up early on, wreaks some havoc, and then disappears, not once being mentioned by anyone in the film. Or why some of the characters (notably Anne Ditchburn’s Laurien) feel more like afterthoughts without motivation than anything else. Still, there’s a lot to admire about Curtains.

For one, it subtly and scathingly portrays the reality for actresses of that time period (and to a certain extent, today). Samantha checks herself into a mental institution for some serious method acting training, only to be abandoned by Stryker, who subsequently embarks on filming Audra without her, the role she was “destined” to play, but more significantly, the movie whose rights she purchased for him. There’s an echo of Frances Farmer as Sherwood becomes increasingly unhinged and despondent.

Secondly, the idea of a wrinkled old hag killing off young and beautiful actresses is so obvious it hardly needs further explanation. Even Stryker seems fixated on how Sherwood is wrong for the role. She’s not invited to the audition, and he continually confronts her about why she should just give up and leave. When she insists on proving she’s the only one for the role, he makes her put on the mask (never mind how he got hold of the killer’s disguise), and seduce him with her eyes, eventually forcing her to look into a distorted mirror and confront her own failings.

Styker (played by John Vernon and feeling eerily like the ’70s version of James Lipton) is an arrogant, self-centered, sexist, manipulative bastard who pits the women against each other in various ways (seduction, insults, possible gaslighting), even encouraging Tara and Laurien to engage in a bit of lesbian role playing (not for his pleasure, but for the craft, surely!). The ending sequence in which Tara runs through the maze of a prop house stuffed with traffic lights, non-functioning vehicles, and creepy mannequins, picks up where Blood and Black Lace and Tombs Of The Blind Dead left off: color-drenched giallo-style suspense with an added undertone of the disposability of women in Hollywood. This is underscored at the end when Patti ends up in the same place that Samantha began: the mental asylum.

Despite a few missteps and confusing bits (if this film were released today, no doubt the Internet’s Plot Hole Brigade would be out in full force), Curtains is a nice slice of vintage horror. The entire cast is great, but Lynne Griffin definitely shines as Patti. Her stand-up routine is funny and fresh, despite being improvised and over 30 years old. Her dramatic scene with John Vernon is one of the best parts of the whole movie and one feels a bit sad that Ciupka couldn’t have done the whole thing his way. If you’ve never seen Curtains or only seen it on late night TV or bootleg home video, this version is a must-own.

Curtains was released on Blu-Ray on July 29 by Synapse Films. In addition to the special features described below, the release also includes a theatrical trailer.

Special Features:

“Ciupka: A Filmmaker In Transition”—Filmed in October 1980, this is a terrific, eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look that has the kind of awkward honesty and obvious love of filmmaking that is sorely missing from most of these kinds of current featurettes.

“The Ultimate Nightmare: The Making of Curtains“—This is a new featurette that includes a lot of the cast and crew: Ciupka, Lesleh Donaldson (who plays Christie), Lynne Griffin, Paul Zaza, special effects makeup artist Greg Cannom, and editor Michael MacLaverty. It’s got a different tone but is on par with the surprising candor of the 1980 featurette. There are lots of juicy details in here and everyone seems happy to share them.

Commentary track with Lesleh Donaldson and Lynne Griffin, moderated by Edwin Samuelson—While Samuelson tries desperately to keep things on track and does ask some good questions, there’s just no stopping the bubbly, hilarious commentary from Griffin and Donaldson who reminisce about anything and everything and share more juicy behind-the-scenes details.

Audio interviews with Peter J. Simpson and Samantha Eggar—These are attached to the film like regular commentary tracks but were apparently recorded separately. To be honest, I only listened to a few minutes of Simpson’s interview because it was obviously done over the phone and difficult to hear.