DVD Review: Something Strange Is Going On In The Bathroom With The Quirky CURTAIN

Sometimes the simple ideas are the best. Take Curtain (aka The Gateway) by Jaron Henrie-McCrea, a sci-fi-horror  that sees Danni (Danni Smith), a nurse move into a New York apartment only to discover that her shower curtain keeps going missing. She begins to investigate the strange occurrence with the help of her friend (Tom Lueke) and they learn the curtains are being sucked-through a strange portal in the wall and landing in New Jersey. Their curiosity continues to get the better of them and they want to find out who or what is causing this mysterious phenomenon.

Curtain is a low budget effort and the lack of cash obviously means that things have to be kept simple – and that works in the film’s favour. At 74 minutes, it feels like an extended episode of The Outer Limits, keeping the curiosity levels high across the running time. The film introduces a lot of curious plot threads that give it a nice off-beat vibe and you get an interesting ending to boot .

Shot on real locations (sometimes without permits), Jaron Henrie-McCrea attempts to add some visual panache to proceedings and this makes sure the things don’t get stale. That’s no easy feat considering the film is mostly two people discussing shower curtains and a hole in the wall for the majority of its running time. Smith and Lueke sell their roles and they make the film’s far-fetched plot feel plausible and real – there’s a nice mix of comedy and drama that gives the duo a lot of shades to play with;

Curtain is a quirky little film, made-up of a nice blend of horror and science fiction. It’s well paced, original and entertaining –  and you couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

Special Features

This Frightfest Presents release comes with an introduction from Alan Jones and Paul McAvoy, a quirky and oddly comprehensive making of and a commentary.