Curtains is an intriguing horror film of the slasher genre. Rather than following the cliched "hack and slash, hack and slash, final confrontation with the unstoppable killer" motif of so many Friday the 13th and Halloween sequels, this one keeps us asking questions.
The basic story is this: Samantha Sherwood (played by Samantha Eggar) wants to portray an insane character in a movie directed by Jon Stryker (John Vernon) so badly, that the two hatch up a plot to put her in an insane asylum for a while so she can "learn what THEY know".
However, while in the asylum, Sherwood reads a headline in Variety that Stryker has opened up a casting call at his house for the very role she was promised. Sherwood gets out of the asylum with help from a friend, and confronts the director at his home, while the hopeful actresses look on. Then, slowly, the actresses are murdered. Who's doing it? Sherwood? Stryker? Perhaps BOTH Sherwood and Stryker? Somebody entirely different? And whats with that creepy doll baby with the sad face? And speaking of faces, what about the killer's penchant for wearing a hideous old witch mask?
The acting is above average for this type of film, and tension leading up to each killing is masterfully enacted. (Especially the poor girl whom has to flee into a prop department surrounded by freaky mannequins, or the skater seeing that hideous old-witch-masked-killer skate right towards her with a hook in hand!) All that said, it's interesting the slayings are not bloody at all. Several of them occur off screen. But this is a good thing, as the human mind can always conjure up an infinitely more grotesque death sequence that even the best special effects can produce.
This movie also has a mild hint of eroticism floating throughout it, although there is no sex scene in the traditional sense. You see a few shots of a topless woman with a guy in a hottub, but these are short and viewed from far away. One of the most riveting scenes is when one actress slowly opens a blouse to caress the naked breast of one of the other actresses. A hearty kudos to the writer whom came up with the reasoning behind this scene!
My only complaints come with the sometimes jerky plot line, and throughout the movie, you may be find yourself confused by some scenes that just don't seem to flow together well.
In closing, Curtains is a well done horror film that deserves to be hunted down on the back shelf of your local mom-and-pop video store.
The basic story is this: Samantha Sherwood (played by Samantha Eggar) wants to portray an insane character in a movie directed by Jon Stryker (John Vernon) so badly, that the two hatch up a plot to put her in an insane asylum for a while so she can "learn what THEY know".
However, while in the asylum, Sherwood reads a headline in Variety that Stryker has opened up a casting call at his house for the very role she was promised. Sherwood gets out of the asylum with help from a friend, and confronts the director at his home, while the hopeful actresses look on. Then, slowly, the actresses are murdered. Who's doing it? Sherwood? Stryker? Perhaps BOTH Sherwood and Stryker? Somebody entirely different? And whats with that creepy doll baby with the sad face? And speaking of faces, what about the killer's penchant for wearing a hideous old witch mask?
The acting is above average for this type of film, and tension leading up to each killing is masterfully enacted. (Especially the poor girl whom has to flee into a prop department surrounded by freaky mannequins, or the skater seeing that hideous old-witch-masked-killer skate right towards her with a hook in hand!) All that said, it's interesting the slayings are not bloody at all. Several of them occur off screen. But this is a good thing, as the human mind can always conjure up an infinitely more grotesque death sequence that even the best special effects can produce.
This movie also has a mild hint of eroticism floating throughout it, although there is no sex scene in the traditional sense. You see a few shots of a topless woman with a guy in a hottub, but these are short and viewed from far away. One of the most riveting scenes is when one actress slowly opens a blouse to caress the naked breast of one of the other actresses. A hearty kudos to the writer whom came up with the reasoning behind this scene!
My only complaints come with the sometimes jerky plot line, and throughout the movie, you may be find yourself confused by some scenes that just don't seem to flow together well.
In closing, Curtains is a well done horror film that deserves to be hunted down on the back shelf of your local mom-and-pop video store.