History Film / Curtains

* DaylightHorror: The infamous ice-skating scene and subsequent forest murder take place in broad daylight.

* AssholeVictim: Brooke, who is an arrogant veteran actress, who sleeps with Stryker to get the coveted role, and Stryker, who already has pinpointed who he wants to play Audra, but invites the other women to his mansion to sleep with them, under the ruse of having them audition for the role. He also [[spoiler: abandons Samantha, his longtime partner and friend, in an insane asylum under the guise of her researching for the role of Audra.]]

* CarFu: Amanda is murdered in her nightmare by being hit with her own car.

* DecoyProtagonist: Samantha is introduced as the protagonist, before the narrative switches to Amanda, an inexperienced actress and one of the hopefuls for the role of Audra, [[spoiler: only to be murdered in her apartment by Patti]]. The film then frequently delights in focusing on each actress, rather than just one of them. By the climax, only [[spoiler: Tara, Patti, and Samantha]] are left, and you can guess which one is the killer.

* FinalGirl: Subverted, then averted. [[spoiler: Tara]], who is sexually active, appears as though she is going to fulfill this role, discovering the bodies of her fellow actresses and fighting off the killer more than once, before [[spoiler: Patti brutally murders her with an axe.]] The climax of the film suggests [[spoiler:Samantha is the killer and Patti will survive, only to reveal Patti murdered everyone besides Stryker and Brooke, before she then kills Samantha with a kitchen knife.]]
* HopeSpot: Tara is chased into the props warehouse by the killer, where they play cat-and-mouse. After incapacitating the killer three times, Tara appears to be in the clear, but is soon caught and hacked to death with an axe.

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that Patti and her remaining friends would be safe from her wrath, since she had no quarrel with them. However, Samantha is herself confused when Patti unexpectedly reveals that all of the others are also dead, before brandishing a butcher knife and stabbing Samantha to death]].

* SexualExtortion: Samantha knows that Stryker is only using the other actresses for their bodies, and that the whole audition is just a ploy for him to have sex with them. Stryker ultimately sleeps with Christie, which leaves her visibly shaken and causes her to [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere quit the shoot in disgust]] - but not before being murdered by [[spoiler:Patti]].

* DeathBySex: Averted, then played straight. [[spoiler: Amanda and her boyfriend]] are immediately killed after having sex. While [[spoiler: Tara]] is shown having sex with Matthew in the jacuzzi early in the film, she is the actress who survives the longest. However, [[spoiler: Brooke and Stryker]] are quickly dispatched by a gun-toting [[spoiler: Samantha]] after having sex.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curtains.jpg]]

* AnAxeToGrind: The killer ditches their sickle and chooses to wield one of these during Tara's chase scene in the prop shed.

* WeaponOfChoice: The killer prefers to pick their victims off using a sickle, but is also content to use an axe or a kitchen knife as necessary. Meanwhile, [[spoiler:Samantha]] uses a revolver.

* AloneWithThePsycho: After the killer murders Tara, Samantha is left alone with [[spoiler: Patti]], who reveals she killed the other girls to get the role of Audra.

* DestinationDefenestration: After being shot repeatedly by Samantha, [[spoiler:Stryker]] falls to his death from the fourth-floor window.

* CollidingCriminalConspiracies: [[spoiler:Samantha's]] murderous revenge plot against [[spoiler:Stryker]] ends up conflicting with the even more unhinged [[spoiler:Patti's]] own efforts to [[RemovingTheRival kill the other contenders]] for the part in ''Audra'' and anyone else who stands in [[spoiler:her]] way, making [[EvilerThanThou the former an additional target of the latter]].

* CollidingCriminalConspiracies: [[spoiler:Samantha's]] murderous revenge plot against [[spoiler:Stryker]] ends up conflicting with the even more unhinged [[spoiler:Patti's]] own efforts to [[RemovingTheRival kill the other contenders]] for the part in ''Audra'' and anyone else who stands in her way, making [[EvilerThanThou the former an additional target of the latter]].

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that Patti and her remaining friends would be safe from her wrath, since she had no quarrel with them. However, Samantha is herself confused when Patti unexpectedly reveals that all of the others are also dead, before brandishing a butcher knife, and stabs Samantha]].

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that Patti and her remaining friends would be safe from her wrath, since she had no quarrel with them. However, Samantha is herself confused when Patti unexpectedly reveals that all of the others are also dead, brandishes a butcher knife, and stabs Samantha]].

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that she and her remaining friends would be safe. However, Samantha is herself confused when Patti reveals that all of the others are also dead, brandishes a butcher knife, and stabs Samantha]].

* WeaponOfChoice: The killer prefers to pick their victims off using a sickle, but is also content to use an axe or a kitchen knife as necessary.

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that she and her friends would be safe. However, Samantha is herself confused when Patti reveals that all of the others are also dead, brandishes a butcher knife, and stabs Samantha]].

* WeaponOfChoice: The killer prefers to pick their victims off using a sickle.

* NotMeThisTime: A two-sided example. At the film's ending, [[spoiler:Samantha delivers a MotiveRant to an initially perplexed Patti, revealing that she fatally shot both Stryker and [[CaughtInTheCrossfire (mistakenly) Brooke]] in retaliation for the former's betrayal, but that she and her friends would be safe, but is herself confused when Patti reveals that all of the others are also dead, brandishes a butcher knife, and stabs Samantha]].

* DecoyProtagonist: Samantha is introduced as the protagonist, before the narrative switches to Amanda, an inexperienced actress and one of the hopefuls for the role of Audra, [[spoiler: only to be murdered in her apartment by Patti.]] The film then frequently delights in focusing on each actress, rather than just one of them. By the climax, only [[spoiler: Tara, Patti, and Samantha]] are left, and you can guess which one is the killer.

* FinalGirl: Subverted, then averted. [[spoiler: Tara]], who is sexually active, appears as though she is going to fulfill this role, discovering the bodies of her fellow actresses and fighting off the killer more than once, before [[spoiler: Patti brutally murders her with an axe.]] The climax of the film suggests [[spoiler: Samantha is the killer and Patti will survive, only to reveal Patti murdered the other hopefuls, before killing Samantha with a kitchen knife.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Patti, unhinged by her obsession with the role of Audra, viciously murders the other actresses in an effort to get the part, before killing Samantha in retaliation for the murder of Stryker, destroying any chance she had to play the role.]]

* CollidingCriminalConspiracies: [[spoiler:Samantha's]] murderous revenge plot against [[spoiler:Stryker]] ends up conflicting with the even more unhinged [[spoiler:Patti's]] own efforts to kill the other contenders for the part in ''Audra'' and anyone else who stands in her way, making [[EvilerThanThou the former an additional target of the latter]].

* RedHerring: The audience is led to believe that Samantha is the killer, having returned to take revenge on Stryker for [[spoiler: having abandoned her in an asylum.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Patti, desperate to break into more dramatic work, is the killer]].

''Curtains'' is a 1983 Canadian horror film directed by Richard Ciupka ([[AlanSmithee credited as]] "Jonathan Stryker") and starring Creator/SamanthaEggar, Creator/JohnVernon, and Creator/LindaThorson.

''Curtains'' is a 1983 Canadian horror film directed by Richard Ciupka ([[AlanSmithee credited as]] "Jonathan Stryker") and starring Samantha Eggar, Creator/JohnVernon, and Creator/LindaThorson.

* DeathBySex: Averted, then played straight. While Tara is shown having sex with Matthew in the jacuzzi early in the film, she is the actress who survives the longest. However, Brooke and Stryker are quickly dispatched by a gun-toting [[spoiler: Samantha]] after having sex.

* DecoyProtagonist: Samantha is introduced as the protagonist, before switching over to Amanda, an inexperienced actress and one of the hopefuls for the role of Audra, [[spoiler: only to be murdered in her apartment by Patti.]] The film then frequently delights in focusing on each actress, rather than just one of them. By the climax, only [[spoiler: Tara]] is left.

* FinalGirl: Subverted, then averted. Tara, who is sexually active, appears as though she is going to fulfill this role, discovering the bodies of her fellow actresses and fighting off the killer more than once, before [[spoiler: Patti brutally murders her with an axe.]] The climax of the film suggests [[spoiler: Samantha is the killer and Patti will survive, only to reveal Patti murdered the other hopefuls, before killing Samantha with a kitchen knife.]]

* DecoyProtagonist: Samantha is introduced as the protagonist, before switching over to Amanda, an inexperienced actress and one of the hopefuls for the role of Audra, [[spoiler: only to be murdered in her apartment by Patti.]] The film then frequently delights in focusing on each actress, rather than just one of them.

* HopeSpot: Tara is chased into the props warehouse by the killer, where they play cat-and-mouse. After incapacitating the killer three times, Tara appears to be in the clear and it seems like she will fulfill the role of the [[FinalGirl]], but is soon hacked to death with an axe.

* TooDumbToLive: Instead of running for the road after discovering numerous dead bodies, Tara decides to take refuge in Stryker's expansive props warehouse, where she is forced to play a game of cat-and-mouse with the killer.