Curtains (1983)
- Directed by
- Richard Ciupka
- Genre
- horror film, slasher film, mystery film
- Country
- Canada
- Runtime
- 1h 29m
- Rated
- R
- Rating
- 5.3 of 10 from 141 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A group of actresses compete for a role at a famous director's mansion. A masked killer begins hunting them one by one.
tensesuspensefuldarkgrimmethodicalatmosphericbleakunsettling
What happens
Curtains is a 1983 Canadian slasher film directed by Richard Ciupka and Peter R. Simpson, from a screenplay by Robert Guza Jr., and starring John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, Linda Thorson, Lynne Griffin, and Lesleh Donaldson. Centered on the world of theater and filmmaking, its plot focuses on a group of ambitious female performers who are targeted by a masked killer while auditioning for a film role at a prestigious director's mansion. The film was conceived by Guza and producer Simpson, produced under the latter's production company Simcom Limited, who had previously released the box-office hit Prom Night (1980). Curtains was intended by Simpson to be an adult-oriented slasher aimed at older audiences, contrasting with the standard genre films of the time which featured predominately teenaged characters. Principal photography began in Toronto in late 1980, with much of the shoot taking place at Magder Studios on interior sets designed by Roy Forge Smith. Curtains had an extremely troubled production, fueled by disputes between Simpson and Ciupka over its tone: Inspired by giallo films, Ciupka envisioned it as an arthouse thriller, while Simpson sought a more straightforward slasher film form. The conflicts between the two resulted in Ciupka abandoning the project, after which Simpson took over directorial duties, overseeing multiple rewrites and reshoots. The film was completed approximately two years after production began, with Ciupka detaching his name from the project and being credited under a pseudonym. Curtains opened theatrically in the United States in February 1983, and was given a limited release in Ottawa the following year, through Jensen Farley Pictures. It received largely negative reviews from critics, with many citing its screenplay and lack of narrative cohesion as faults. It earned $1 million at the North American box office. In the years after its release, Curtains became a staple of late night television, and developed a cult following in the 2000s, with fans petitioning for an official DVD release. Following its inclusion in several multi-film bargain DVD releases sourced from video masters, the film received a 2K restoration by Synapse Films, who released it on Blu-ray and DVD in 2014. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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Mortuary (1983)
Self Defense (1983)
Julie Darling (1983)
Deadly Lessons (1983)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.