Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- melancholic
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- 1980s slasher night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a poorly written and inconsistently executed slasher whose atmosphere, production values, and lead performances provide its main strengths.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Samantha and the young actresses compete for the coveted role while disappearances transform the audition process into a deadly contest.
The auditions occur in a spooky old mansion cut off by winter conditions, reinforcing claustrophobic slasher tension.
Jonathan Stryker controls Samantha through an asylum scheme and treats actresses as interchangeable candidates for his film.
The plot explicitly raises suspicion of Samantha, Stryker, or one of the actresses behind the old-hag mask.
Films like Curtains, and why
The Shining
isolated snowy setting, masked killer, and slasher mystery
The House on Sorority Row
ensemble of imperiled young women, stalking, and stylized slasher violence
StageFright: Aquarius
1980s slasher mechanics, theatrical atmosphere, and an ensemble whodunit
Alice, Sweet Alice
murder mystery structure, artistic milieu, and heightened psychological menace
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Ciupka
- Release Date
- 1983-03-04
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (145)
Cast
- John Vernon
- Samantha Eggar
- Linda Thorson
- Anne Ditchburn
- Lynne Griffin
- Sandee Currie
- Lesleh Donaldson
- Deborah Burgess
- Michael Wincott
- Maury Chaykin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, Shudder, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, ARROW, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, Bloodstream
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Curtains about?
- An aging actress returns from institutional betrayal to a snowbound audition mansion where a masked killer turns artistic ambition into a lethal slasher contest.
- What is Curtains like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Curtains as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Curtains violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Curtains as graphic.
- What did critics think of Curtains?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a poorly written and inconsistently executed slasher whose atmosphere, production values, and lead performances provide its main strengths.
- Which films are like Curtains?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shining, The House on Sorority Row, StageFright: Aquarius, and Alice, Sweet Alice.
- How long is Curtains?
- Curtains runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Curtains?
- In United States, Curtains streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, Shudder, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, ARROW, Howdy Amazon Channel.
