Curtain (Aka The Gateway) (2015)
28/3/2016
Curtain (Aka The Gateway) (2015)  Very often, there's a move comes onto your radar thanks in no small part to its central premise. And, with a trailer that looked nothing shy of bonkers, Curtain was just that – a horror movie all about a shower curtain. And it was obvious this was nor ridiculous B-movie in the vein of The Refrigerator – Curtain looked extremely promising, and I couldn't wait to get stuck into what I hoped would be a bizarre horror gem. So, come and peer behind the curtain with us.... The story here follows Danni, freshly moved into an apartment in a less than salubrious part of town. She works for an organisation called 'Save the Whales', which is where she grows acquainted with her best friend Tim. But Danni has a more immediate problem than preserving the largest mammals in the sea – she starts to think that something might be very wrong in her apartment, because not one but two shower curtains simply go missing in her bathroom. No explanation, no reason, simply vanished. The super – who provides a fair bit of comedy value – provides a few alarming details of past events in said bathroom, which just redoubles her determination. Add to that a series of bizarre dreams and Danni is truly neck deep in the strangeness unfolding around her. She enlists Tim to provide some help, and by filming the bathroom she finally ascertains what is happening – the curtain disappears into some kind of portal in the bathroom wall, sucked into an alternate dimension. When they finally figure out a way to track the curtain once it has gone through the gateway, things begin to get even weirder for the intrepid amateur sleuths... I honestly don't want to say too much more about the plot than that, because providing any spoilers would be a crime in this instance. This is a movie that deserves to be enjoyed with a minimum of preparation, a pleasure and privilege that I was able to enjoy. Curtain is truly something else – it's not perfect, by any stretch, but every concept is pulled off with such an infectious energy and wry sense of humour that it's impossible not to like this movie. It has darker elements, but also plenty of levity without any of the comedy feeling forced. The pace is pretty much unrelenting, and there's plenty of interesting elements that will keep you guessing all the way to the finale. I came to the end of this wishing there was much more horror like this – as I say, it's not without a few flaws, but there was something here that was infectious. The movie is made with a genuine enthusiasm, it bounds along with a pace and style all its own, and there's a heap of originality that is all too often sorely missing in the genre. This one also treads a great line, as the comedy is enough to make it great fun but there are also enough serious elements to keep your hooked on viewing. RATING: 8/10. A review that I have kept deliberately short, because saying too much on the plotline would detract from the pleasure of this one. Curtain is a movie that is perhaps a bit messy in places, but I'd rather see a movie with too many ideas that too few. Besides which, the movie has a great tone, likeable performances and a nice natural touch of humour, built in part by the lead and also by some absurd cameos. Well worth a look for any fan of horror that is a bit more out there, this one wraps with a ringing (get it? Shower curtain? Shower Ring? Oh, forget it...) endorsement at 8/10 Purchase a copy from Amazon ALEX DAVIS |
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