A director known for his exacting standards decides to cast a new actress as a deranged character in his upcoming movie, setting up auditions among six young women at his secluded estate during winter. However, someone wearing an elderly woman’s mask begins eliminating the hopeful actresses. "Curtains” (1983) is an unusual horror film that came about because of difficulties behind the scenes. Filming started in November 1980 with director Richard Ciupka envisioning a more sophisticated thriller; this clashed with producer Peter Simpson's desire for a standard slasher movie, given their popularity at the time. This disagreement led to Ciupka leaving the project, with much of the footage already completed. The film was put on hold for over a year before Simpson stepped in without credit, overseeing revisions and additional filming (primarily focusing on the introduction and conclusion), as well as one replacement actor (Brooke Parsons). John Vernon, familiar from his role as Captain Fletcher in “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” delivers a strong performance here, believably portraying an overbearing director. While there are some worthwhile elements for those who enjoy this kind of movie, particularly a skating scene, it doesn’t quite measure up to something like "StageFright" (1987), although the difference isn't significant. The film suffers from stretches that feel slow and a lack of development for the characters; the filmmakers didn’t fully utilize the actresses, and some scenes are too difficult to see. Still, the ending is well-done and unexpected. If you plan on watching it, avoid the poor quality prints with faded colors found on certain streaming platforms. A restored version can be found currently on Youtube. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was filmed in the Toronto area, including Muskoka, Caledon, and Forks of the Credit (for the gas station scene), with studio work done at Commercial Studios in Scarborough. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB