13 Scariest Horror Movie Moments, #10

#10: The Old Hag Ice Skates in Curtains

I saw Curtains when I was 10 years old, and I couldn’t sleep that night. Which was weird, because even then, I was more inclined to think gore and terror were cool rather than scary. But there’s just something about that mask.

A bunch of desperate actresses gather at a spooky mansion to compete for the role of a lifetime. As if all those egos under one roof weren’t scary enough, there’s also a killer on the loose!

There’s a lot going for this movie: neat premise, chilling atmosphere, a head in a toilet, and glorious overacting. But there’s one scene that really got to me…

Pretty actress Christie (in a turmoil because she just slept with the grody director to improve her chances) decides to go ice skating to calm her nerves. Too bad it doesn’t work.

When the music on her radio abruptly stops, she goes over to investigate and finds a doll in the snow, with blood on its dress. To make matters worse, this is the same doll that recently appeared in a nightmare and attacked its victim with freaky long doll-nails.

But that’s not the scary part. Just then, there’s the sound of blades against the ice, and we see a figure in a long black dress and old hag mask, skating towards Christie, brandishing a scythe! Christie tries to escape but she doesn’t have a chance.

Okay, here’s the thing. The scene took place in bright sunlight, in a gorgeous setting, with an ice skating killer. It should have been ridiculous. But it wasn’t, because of that mask. For months, I was convinced that scary old lady was hiding in my closet.