Character Relationship Map: Curtains

Characters

• Jonathan Stryker (played by John Vernon) — protagonist

  A film director who coerces his muse Samantha into an asylum to audition younger actresses. He assaults Christie, humiliates Samantha, seduces Brooke, and is ultimately killed alongside Brooke by an u...

• Samantha Sherwood (played by Samantha Eggar) — supporting

  An actress who fakes mental illness to prepare for a role but escapes to seek revenge. She confesses to killing Stryker and Brooke before being cornered and murdered by Patti.

• Brooke Parsons (played by Linda Thorson) — supporting

  A veteran actress who discovers Christie's severed head. After being seduced by Stryker, she is shot dead alongside him by a figure in a robe.

• Patti O'Connor (played by Lynne Griffin) — supporting

  A stand-up comedian humiliated by Stryker. She kills the other actresses to eliminate competition, reveals her crimes to Samantha, and murders her with a butcher knife before being incarcerated.

• Tara DeMillo (played by Sandee Currie) — supporting

  A musician who sleeps with Matthew. She discovers multiple bodies, hides in the prop shed, fights off the killer, but is ultimately pulled from a vent and murdered with an axe.

• Laurian Summers (played by Anne Ditchburn) — supporting

  A ballet dancer auditioning for the lead role. She is secretly followed by the masked killer and stabbed to death in her room, later found in the prop shed.

• Amanda Teuther (played by Deborah Burgess) — supporting

  A fledgling actress whose nightmare precedes her murder. She is stabbed to death by a killer in a hag mask on her doorstep, and her doll is stolen.

• Christie Burns (played by Lesleh Donaldson) — supporting

  A professional ice skater assaulted by Stryker. While investigating a doll in the snow, she is attacked, wounds the killer, but is eventually decapitated in the woods.

• Matthew (played by Michael Wincott) — supporting

  The mansion's caretaker who sleeps with Tara. He leaves to search for Christie on a snowmobile and is later found dead among the other victims.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Tara DeMillo → Matthew (Romantic Sexual Partners) — Their encounter briefly connects Tara to the mansion's caretaker.

  Tara has sex with Matthew in a jacuzzi during the first night at the mansion.

• Jonathan Stryker → Patti O'Connor (Professional Audition Authority) — Stryker's authority over the casting process humiliates Patti.

  Stryker gives Patti an impromptu audition and mocks her ability to act without allowing her to begin.

• Jonathan Stryker → Brooke Parsons (Romantic Seducer And Target) — Stryker uses intimacy to manipulate Brooke after frightening her.

  After Brooke reports seeing Christie's severed head, Stryker exploits her vulnerability and seduces her.

• Jonathan Stryker → Samantha Sherwood (Professional Director And Muse) — Their professional bond becomes exploitative and drives Samantha's revenge.

  Samantha is described as Jonathan Stryker's actress and muse. He coerces her into committing herself to an asylum so he can audition younger actresses...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Samantha Sherwood → Brooke Parsons (Conflict Avenger And Target) — Brooke is also caught in Samantha's retaliatory violence.

  Samantha admits to Patti that she killed both Stryker and Brooke out of rage.

• Patti O'Connor → Samantha Sherwood (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Their final confrontation ends with Patti killing Samantha.

  After confessing her killings, Patti corners Samantha in the kitchen and stabs her to death with a butcher knife.

• Patti O'Connor → Tara DeMillo (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Tara becomes another victim of Patti's attempt to secure the role.

  Patti states that she killed the other women to remove her competition, and Tara is one of the actresses auditioning for Audra.

• Patti O'Connor → Laurian Summers (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Laurian is eliminated as part of Patti's competitive killing spree.

  Patti confesses that she murdered the other women to eliminate her competition, and Laurian is one of the competing actresses.

• Patti O'Connor → Amanda Teuther (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Patti treats Amanda as a rival in the deadly audition competition.

  Patti later reveals that she murdered the other women to eliminate her competition; Amanda is one of the actresses competing for the role.

• Matthew → Christie Burns (Alliance Searches For) — Matthew takes direct action to look for Christie after the attack.

  After Christie disappears, a drunk Matthew rides away on a snowmobile in search of her.

• Jonathan Stryker → Christie Burns (Conflict Sexual Aggressor) — Their interaction is abusive and directly contributes to the atmosphere of danger.

  During the first night at the mansion, the plot states that Stryker assaults Christie.

Story Analysis

A manipulated actress seeks revenge while a deadly audition competition exposes the destructive overlap between ambition, performance, and identity.

Plot Progression

1. The Betrayed Muse — Samantha commits herself to an asylum to prepare for Audra, only to discover that Stryker is using her absence to audition younger actresses. She escapes and begins pursuing revenge.
2. Snowbound Auditions — The competing actresses gather at Stryker's mansion while Amanda is murdered and Christie discovers the stolen doll. The isolated estate becomes increasingly threatening as Stryker abuses his authorit...
3. The House of Bodies — Christie is killed, Brooke finds a severed head, and Laurian is murdered. Stryker's manipulation of Brooke ends when both are shot by a robed figure.
4. The Prop Shed Trap — Tara discovers several bodies and becomes trapped on the snowbound property. She fights the killer and hides in a ventilation duct, but is ultimately killed with an axe.
5. The Final Confession — Samantha admits killing Stryker and Brooke, while Patti reveals that she killed the competing women. Patti murders Samantha and later performs Audra in a psychiatric hospital.