By BETHANY LAKE
Tales of horror have played a significant role in theatrical storytelling ever since Oedipus gouged his eyes out. Audiences throughout the centuries have packed theatres to see grim, blood-soaked portrayals of dismemberment and cannibalism (Titus Andronicus), public stabbings and self-mutilation (The Spanish Tragedy), and, in the John Ford play Tis Pity She’s a Whore, incest that culminates in one of the protagonists ripping someone’s heart out and waving it around on a knife. A straight line could even be drawn from Thomas Middleton’s 1606 play The Revenger’s Tragedy to what Jane keeps in the freezer in Lamberto Bava’s Macabre (1980). When it comes to horror, the Elizabethans and Jacobians would have given Argento or the Bavas a run for their money.
Because of the long-intertwined history between theatre and horror (and, subsequently, film and horror), it was only a matter of time before the stories that were told would extend beyond stage and screen and into the lives of those who performed them. Given the fierce competition in the performing arts world, some of the best horror tales center on thespians. The motif of competition and revenge among actors has been the subject of many horror films, including Dario Argento’s Opera (1987), Theatre of Blood (1973) and 1983’s CURTAINS. Following her iconic role as Clare Harrison in Black Christmas, Lynne Griffin made a second appearance in the horror genre as Patti O’Connor in this Canadian-made slasher.
Under the full knowledge of director Jonathan Stryker (played by John Vernon), actress Samantha Sherwood (Samantha Eggar) checks herself into a mental asylum to prepare for a highly coveted role. Instead of checking her out later (as per their agreement), Stryker bails on Sherwood and abandons her in the asylum while going ahead with auditions with six other actresses at his house in the country, including Patti O’Connor, a young comedian with aspirations to become a serious actress (Griffin). When Sherwood catches wind of this, she breaks out of the asylum and shows up at his place. Soon, the cut-throat competition of the acting world goes literal, and everyone at Stryker’s house learns that all’s fair in love, war and auditions.
RUE MORGUE caught up with Lynne Griffin to chat about the making of the slasher classic CURTAINS and to discuss her upcoming film.
After Black Christmas, were you purposely looking to get involved in another horror film, or did CURTAINS come your way by chance?
I did not see myself pursuing a career in horror. At the time, I was working at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, being a very committed, serious young theatre ingenue. I was cast more often in realistic projects where I was continually playing victims, but they weren’t horror films.
The comedy routine that your character, Patti, performs onstage in the early part of the film was shot in front of a live audience at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto. What can you tell us about the day that was filmed?
I was very nervous; I had never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be doing a stand-up comedy routine in front of a live audience. It was the place where Jim Carrey had his early beginnings! And they had asked me to write my own material!
In the famous skating scene at the pond, the person under the old hag mask is Lesleh Donaldson’s stunt double. Were you ever under the hag mask yourself in any of the scenes?
No, I was not. However, I wish I’d had the wherewithal to just secretly pop that mask into my purse when we wrapped! There is someone online who has contacted me who has made a replica of it. And I always expect someone to show up at my door on Halloween wearing one!
BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)
In Black Christmas, your character was the first to die. How much fun was it to get to play the killer this time in CURTAINS?
In a lot of my early film work, I was playing the victim, so it was an absolute treat! So, the particular pathology of Patti was particularly pleasing! And also, her sense of humour added a lot to the character. And it certainly diverted the audience from thinking that I could be the killer. Also, “six actresses up for the same part, and one of them willing to kill for it” was a very believable concept to me!
An alternate ending was shot with Patti performing her comedy routine, standing onstage in a theatre, surrounded by all the corpses of the people she killed. Which ending do you think is better: the one in the theatre or the one in the institution that ultimately made the final cut? What do you recall about shooting that alternate ending?
The one in the theatre was deliciously gruesome! It also hinted at the possibility that maybe she got away with it; she was never institutionalized, which would have led to a juicy sequel! As you may know, there were a lot of reshoots on CURTAINS that we did many months later, so quite a few things changed, including my added scene in the kitchen, wielding a knife at Samantha Eggar!
When CURTAINS was finally released, what did you think of the finished film?
On its initial release, it wasn’t very well received; in fact, I saw it initially in a sleazy New York film house, with an audience of some very suspicious-looking men in trench coats.
Until it was beautifully remastered, it was only available on a bootleg copy with a couple of other forgettable horror films. I’m delighted that it found an audience eventually!
Are you surprised by the fanbase that CURTAINS has gained, all these years later?
Yes and no. Black Christmas also surprised me in its growing fan base and longevity. I was glad, even though Richard Chupka had taken his name off the finished project, that people were able to see the quality of his work on the film. Overall, Canadian horror films from the ‘70’s and ‘80’s have all found a place in the history of the genre.
Have you kept in touch with anyone from the film?
Yes. Lesleh Donaldson and I are good friends – and dying to work together again. Maybe on a remake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. And Richard Chupka and I keep in touch on Facebook. I am delighted with the trajectory of Michael Wincott’s career as a serious character villain!
With Black Christmas and CURTAINS under your belt, you have solidified your place in horror history. Were you a fan of horror films before you started working on them?
Psychological horror films, yes. Like those of Alfred Hitchcock. When slasher horror movies became popular, I stayed away. However, I have worked with Eli Roth twice, both on Thanksgiving and on his upcoming feature, Ice Cream Man!
It was such a treat to see your recent appearance as Mrs. Cavanaugh in It: Welcome to Derry. Do you have any more projects coming up that you’re excited about?
My husband, Sean Sullivan, and I are in pre-production on his feature film, The Slaughter Brothers Dime Circus. It is a horror/revenge movie with a female hero. I am playing Daphne the Clown Mother, a mercurial and slightly menacing clown with a heart of gold. It is full of weird magic, body horror, mutations, parasitical insects, all taking place in a rundown circus. What’s not to like? We’d be more than happy to talk more about this project later! Additionally, there is a sequel (not one of the remakes) of Black Christmas, in which I appear, called It’s Me, Billy, which is available on YouTube.
CURTAINS is available on Shudder and on Blu-ray from Synapse Films.
