CURTAINS/PSYCHO II - 1983 DOUBLE FEATURE!!!

HORROR 101 with Dr. AC

CURTAINS (1983) d. Richard Ciupka/Peter Simpson (Canada) PSYCHO II (1983) d. Richard Franklin (USA) Tonight we're jetting back to 1983 to discuss a couple of undersung gems from the heyday of the slasher boom, one a belated sequel to a groundbreaking masterpiece, the other a curious Canadian feature made all the more appealing by its troubled production, release, and subsequent obscurity. In PSYCHO II, Norman Bates (once again played by Anthony Perkins) has finally been released from the mental institution where he’s been incarcerated since he was discovered running around in Mother’s housedress 22 years earlier. Despite trepidations about returning to the house on the hill, Norman’s future seems hopeful. But then he starts seeing a certain female shape in the window, receiving ominous phone calls, and before long, the bodies start piling up. With a clever, knowing script by Tom Holland, assured directing from Richard Franklin, and a stellar performance from Perkins, Psycho II is much, much better than it has any right or need to be. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, CURTAINS centers on tyrannical director Jonathan Stryker (played by John Vernon) as he auditions six female candidates for the lead role in his upcoming film project at his secluded mountain cabin getaway. However, this is a role that people would kill for, and well, they start doing just that. Containing a curious and disjointed narrative, several stylish set-pieces, one creepy frowning doll, and a hag-mask-wearing, sickle-wielding killer, Curtains remains surprisingly watchable, especially when its troubled genesis is taken into account. Join AC and his fantastic panel of guests (John McDevitt, Nicola McCafferty, Ian Simmons, Barry Kaufman, Matthew Amador) as they discuss this unusual double feature of suspense and strangeness, discovering strange and unexpected parallels within! ----------------------------------------------- NICOLA MCCAFFTERY is a PhD candidate in the department of Radio, Television, and Film at Northwestern University whose current research focuses on how screen representations of nonhuman women (think mannequins, cyborgs, and humanoid aliens) help us gain insights into the categories of both humanity and femininity. Outside of her at times all-consuming grad school pursuits, Nicola runs an Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/vvitchroom), where she sells enamel pins, stickers, and prints inspired by horror and cult films from the 1960s to today. BARRY KAUFMAN is busy programming awesome cinematic events like Facets Cinematek's recent HORROR-RAMA in Chicago (featuring three nights of lesser-celebrated genre efforts) and sharing his wares at various horror conventions throughout the country. Find him at http://houseofmoviemonsters.net MATTHEW AMADOR is an Actor and Psychotherapist. Check out his recent efforts on Station Eleven (streaming on Max) or http://www.MatadorChicago.com. IAN SIMMONS runs the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel on which he posts movie reviews, interviews, and critics round tables. He is also a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and has conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person. https://www.youtube.com/@KickingtheSeat JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who currently works as Community Engagement Manager at FACETS and programs Fetish Film Forum at the Leather Archives & Museum. (https://leatherarchives.org/) John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer. -------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!!