I Watched The Movie That Inspired Black Phone 2’s Ice-Skating Grabber Scene, And WTF Even Was That?

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Be careful! The following contains minor spoilers for both Black Phone 2 and the 1983 horror film Curtains. If you haven’t watched either movie, you might want to avoid reading further.

While not as intensely frightening as the first movie, Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone 2 is still a genuinely creepy and effective thriller. Ethan Hawke returns as the terrifying villain, The Grabber, finding new ways to torment Finney, played by Mason Thames, even after his death. Critics generally enjoyed the film, and it performed well at the box office, proving Derrickson made a good decision by revisiting this story.

The trailers hinted at a truly unforgettable scene: a masked monster on ice skates, eerily gliding across a frozen surface. It’s a strangely playful image that remains captivating even when you know the full story, especially with the vintage look of 8mm film. I recently discovered this shot was inspired by a little-known Canadian horror movie from the early 1980s called Curtains, which I hadn’t seen before. Let’s take a closer look.

Black Phone 2’s Ice-Skating Grabber Is Indeed A Direct Nod To A Scene In The Movie Curtains

Despite being a big horror fan, I had no idea where the imagery in Black Phone 2 came from when I saw it at Fantastic Fest 2025. I just thought it was odd that the villain was so elegant. I was really interested to learn during the Q&A that director Scott Derrickson based the skating scenes on the 1983 slasher Curtains. I’d only ever seen the movie’s cover art before and knew it was often mentioned alongside cult classics like Sleepaway Camp.

It’s clear Black Phone 2 draws heavily from classic horror films, especially the later Nightmare on Elm Street movies. But the film’s masked killer, who uses ice skates and a weapon, is more than just a nod to those influences. When the weather in Texas finally got cold enough that I didn’t even need to move to feel chilly, it seemed like the ideal time to watch it.

I Watched Curtains, But I Still Don’t Know WTF I Watched

At first glance, Curtains seems like a film about insanity and inflated egos, but it’s much more than that. The story revolves around a group of actresses competing for a role in a new movie, all while staying at the home of a controlling director. He directs by intentionally stressing out his actors, mimicking the styles of filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. However, things take a dark turn when people start dying in unexpected and unpredictable ways, going beyond typical slasher film tropes.

Here are a few of my quick observations:

  • “Stryker” is without a doubt a kickass name for a main character, but a weird one for everyone to use when talking to a movie director.
  • John Vernon sounds uncannily like Leslie Nielsen, and with his name being Stryker, it make me want to rewatch Airplane!
  • The women in this movie scream uncomfortably loudly for an uncomfortably long amount of time. If I’d hear this movie coming through a neighbor’s window, I’d think someone inside that house was overdramatizing their own murder.
  • Stryker telling Samantha to seduce him while wearing the hag mask is one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in a movie this year, or any year.
  • People getting shot to death in a slasher movie always feels a little like genre blasphemy.
  • I cannot believe after the doll stuff earlier in the movie that the climax takes place in a room full of mannequins.
  • I halfway suspected one of Curtains‘ reveals but did NOT expect such an odd double twist.

Honestly, most of the time I was either confused or distracted by what was happening on screen. But despite being a bit messy and unconventional, Curtains is surprisingly enjoyable as a slasher film. It’s not something I’d watch all the time, but I’d definitely watch it again when I’m in the mood.

The Movie’s Behind-The-Scenes Problems Were Definitely To Blame (Or Champion) For Its Uneven Charms

I won’t get into all the specifics, but making the movie Curtains was quite a challenge. The writer, Robert Guza Jr., and producer, Peter R. Simpson, originally aimed for a similar feel to the popular film Prom Night. However, the director, Richard Ciupka, had a different idea – he envisioned something more like the stylish Italian thriller films known as giallo, which often feature dramatic and suspenseful imagery, including a lot of close-ups of hands – sometimes gloved.

Conflicts of interest like this happen often, but in this situation, Ciupka felt compelled to leave the project mid-filming. His name in the credits was eventually replaced with the character name, Jonathan Stryker. Over the following two years, Simpson and the team went through numerous script revisions and additional filming to rework existing scenes and complete the movie.

When Curtains first came out, most people didn’t like it, but it’s gained a surprisingly loyal following – even Black Phone 2 director Scott Derrickson is a fan. I can now say I’m one of them too, although I’m terrible at ice skating!

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2025-10-31 01:12