Curtains for Christmas DVD Review (Silver Spotlight Films)

Curtains for Christmas is a 2024 holiday horror comedy film co-written, shot, produced, and directed by Steve Rudzinski (CarousHELL Trilogy, Amityville Christmas Vacation, Shingles: The Movie, Meowy franchise, Red Christmas, and Basic Slaughter). It was co-written and produced by Aleen Isley (CarousHELL Trilogy). Holly (played by: Aleen Isley from Head Case, Shingles: The Movie, Amityville Christmas Vacation, and Everyone Must Die!) is obsessed with Christmas movies. She wants her life to be perfect just like those classic moments but it just hasn’t happened yet. She meets Jay (played by: Steve Rudzinski from Slaughter Drive, Dinogore, Super Task Force One, and Scream Park) and she notices that he is very similar to her but he’s not available. Holly does whatever it takes to make their connection a reality. She has a dark past and some brutal secrets but she finally feels like everything is working out for her. Thieves Belle (played by: Jessa Flux from Murdercise, Bigfoot Exorcist, Shark Exorcist 2, XXX-Mas, Debbie Does Demons, Space Babes from Outer Space, Only Fangs, and Cannibal Hookers) and Claire (played by: Jess Uhler from Wolf Hollow, Godless Children, Shingles: The Movie, and The Boonies) interrupt her dream holiday. Her sanity is slipping away again. Who will survive this not so silent night???? Curtains for Christmas is a unique take for the Christmas Horror sub-genre. Director Steve Rudzinski uses his lower budget wisely here so it looks bigger than what it actually is. The highlight for Curtains for Christmas is the special fx from artist Cody Ruch (CarousHELL Trilogy, Placid Park, Phantom Fun-World, The Mill, 13 Slays Till X-Mas, 10/31 Part 2, and Shingles: The Movie). It has a good bloody amount of gore to satisfy any horror fan during it’s gruesome moments. I don’t think it was made this way but it has lots of slasher tendencies in it so kinda fits that category. The Leatherface homage scene was funny because it was so obvious that this psychopath was wearing human flesh trying to disguise herself. The script has a solid horror and comedy balance. You have to have a really silly sense of humor for the comedy to work for Curtains for Christmas. It’s slapstick and it doesn’t care how awkward it can be. I’m still not sure how much I liked the talking animals addition in this. Like I said above, it stands out from other Christmas Horror projects so I guess something like that helps it be that way. Christmas cinema lovers will appreciate all the references. I enjoyed the atmosphere, it feels like a normal holiday feature but then it flips into something really dark. Aleen Isley as Holly is the unhinged lead that’s motivated by Christmas. Her holiday spirit is violent and she goes on a little killing spree. Steve Rudzinski as Jay is the unlucky guy that meets the wrong woman at the wrong time. He’s just very passionate about the holiday but it sparks something in the crazed Holly. Please never cry again on screen Steve. I want to say it was so over the top for comedy purposes but it really killed the vibe during it to be honest. The two leads have decent chemistry, that’s no surprise because they are frequently working together on a various projects. Jessa Flux as Belle steals the show in her smaller role. She has the best performance in Curtains for Christmas. I enjoyed her little robbery subplot here, it made the finale more interesting. It doesn’t hurt that she always looks amazing. The rest of the supporting cast includes Jess Uhler, Michael Varrati (Model Hunger), Katy Grant (Bodies), Andrew Gordon (Amityville Karen), David Dietz (Indemnity), Sarah Brunner (The Campaign for Camelot), Michael Barnett (Beginnings), Melissa Sapienza (Killer Camp Out Part II), and Drew Marvick (Pool Party Massacre). The actors knew what type of movie they are making when it comes to Curtains for Christmas. This twisted rom-com nailed it for that over the top and Hallmark holiday vibe. This independent production delivers quality in all it’s departments when it comes to behind the scenes. I think Curtains for Christmas has something for everyone, it doesn’t focus on just one genre. It’s a fun Xmas feature and it has some entertaining wild scenes with a short running time so it has a good flow to it. I can see this being added to some future Xmas lists because it’s not like most of it’s competition. Make sure you stay around after the credits for this one. Let’s discuss the special features from Silver Spotlight Films on this DVD home video release! It has an “Audio Commentary” with Steve Rudzinski and Aleen Isley. They chat about taking your typical Christmas B-Roll footage and using it just like all the other Xmas features. They talk about the cast and crew. They bring up adding cliches for these type of holiday movies but putting a different spin on them. They point out some easter eggs and references including ones that’s connected to Steve’s previous features. They break down the scenes and discuss their thoughts on what’s going on at the time. They share some stories from the low budget production and drop plenty of detailed information about Curtains for Christmas. It has a little over 2 minutes of “Bloopers” from the set. It has a variety of “Trailers” for Curtains for Christmas, CarousHELL trilogy, Shingles: The Movie from Silver Spotlight. It’s a professionally made M.O.D DVD-R. It comes with it’s own Christmas card. It’s available directly from Silver Spotlight Films or you can view it on the SteveBuster app, CHECK IT OUT!!!!