Curtains (1983)
March 4, 1983Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Curtains is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Tubi TV, Freevee, Night Flight Plus, Vudu, Amazon Video, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Peacock, Peacock Premium, FILMRISE
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
John Vernon
Jonathan Stryker
Samantha Eggar
Samantha Sherwood
Linda Thorson
Brooke Parsons
Anne Ditchburn
Laurian Summers
Lynne Griffin
Patti O'Connor
Sandee Currie
Tara DeMillo
Lesleh Donaldson
Christie Burns
Deborah Burgess
Amanda Teuther
Michael Wincott
Matthew
Joann McIntyre
Secretary
Maury Chaykin
Monty
Calvin Butler
Dr. Pendleton
Richard Ciupka
Director
Kate Lynch
Receptionist
Robert Guza Jr.
Writer
Booth Savage
Amanda's Boyfriend
Peter R. Simpson
Producer
William Marshall
Attendant
Paul Zaza
Composer
Robert Paynter
Cinematographer
James Kidnie
Attendant
Daisy White
Roommate
Michael MacLaverty
Editor
Shannon Tweed
Stand In / Body Double (uncredited) / Stunt Double
Roy Forge Smith
ProductionDesigner
Ilana Frank
Production Manager
Greg Cannom
Prosthetics
William Gray
Screenplay
Tony Thatcher
First Assistant Director
Colin Chilvers
Special Effects
Richard Simpson
Executive Producer
Shonagh Jabour
Makeup Artist
Media.
Details.
Release DateMarch 4, 1983
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 29m
Content RatingR
Filming LocationsOntario, Canada
Genres
Wiki.
Curtains is a 1983 Canadian slasher film directed by Richard Ciupka 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 Peter R. 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.