🎭 Curtains (1983) – Review

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we?

Official Trailer (1983)

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⚠️ Content Warning:

This film includes themes of gaslighting, mental health institutionalization, and violence against women. It also features a disturbing killer reveal that might be uncomfortable for some viewers.


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📖 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview:

A renowned director lures six actresses to a remote mansion under the guise of auditioning for the lead in his next film. But as the snowstorm hits and tensions rise, the women begin to disappear one by one—picked off by a masked killer with a creepy doll and even creepier murder methods. This isn’t a casting call… it’s a death sentence.


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🎭 Character Rundown:

Jonathan Stryker (John Vernon) – The manipulative director who gaslights his leading lady and orchestrates the twisted audition.

Samantha Sherwood (Samantha Eggar) – An actress who literally checks into a psych ward for a role. Her comeback is icy and intense.

Brooke Parsons (Linda Thorson) – Glamorous, competitive, and quick to make waves with the other actresses.

Laurie (Anne Ditchburn) – A ballet dancer with grace… and some secrets.

Patti (Lynne Griffin) – The sweet and quirky stand-up comic of the group.

Christie Burns (Lesleh Donaldson) – The doe-eyed ingénue. Spoiler alert: snow isn’t the only thing falling when she’s around.



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⏱ Pacing / Episode Flow:

Curtains has an eerie, atmospheric start with slow-building paranoia. The mid-section drags a bit, feeling more like a stage drama than a horror film, but it picks up in the last third with surreal murder set-pieces and a twisted ending that almost redeems the uneven structure.


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✅ Pros:

The ice skating scene? One of the most unnerving murder sequences in slasher history. A porcelain doll + killer in a hag mask + frozen lake = nightmare fuel.

Surreal cinematography gives the film a dreamlike, stagey feel that works in its favor.

Unique concept mixing high-art pretension with campy slasher tropes.

Samantha Eggar brings serious acting chops—too good for this film, honestly.



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❌ Cons:

Troubled production shows—editing is choppy and character arcs feel incomplete.

Long stretches of nothing happening (unless you like watching people read scripts in a hot tub).

The killer reveal will either thrill or frustrate you. Mileage may vary.

Some performances feel like rehearsals for a better film.



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🧠 Final Thoughts:

Curtains is an odd little snow-globe of a slasher—artsy, muddled, and chilling. It’s not the most coherent horror film, but it is one of the most memorable. It’s got that vintage Canuxploitation charm with a feminist rage undertone, plus that iconic masked killer gliding across ice. If you like your horror with a little theatrical flair and early-’80s weirdness, give it a whirl.


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⭐ Rating: 7.5/10

Cult classic vibes with uneven direction, but strong visuals and standout scenes make it worth the watch.


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🚨 Spoiler Warning! 🧵

👹 Spoilers:

The killer is one of the actresses, driven by professional jealousy and trauma. Specifically: Patti, the comedienne. Yep, laughs turn lethal.

The reveal is sudden and jarring—she puts on a theatrical performance after the bodies are found, symbolically merging performance and madness.

The twist tries to say something about how the industry chews women up and spits them out—but the execution is muddy.

The ice skating kill scene (Christie’s death) is the film’s most iconic moment. No dialogue, just the sound of blades slicing and the silent terror of a mask.

Samantha, who had faked insanity to secure her role, is ultimately outmaneuvered—another layered critique of ambition, maybe?