Dead of Winter

R

1986

1 hr. 40 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

77%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Struggling actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) is approached by the mysterious Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall) and invited to an upstate New York mansion to film a screen test. There she meets Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes), who is eager to hire Katie as a replacement for an actress who's suffered a nervous breakdown. But the film shoot takes a sordid turn as Katie begins to understand that her role is simply a pawn in Lewis' twisted blackmail games.

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Elle W

Excellent acting all the way around. Great thriller for a snowbound day.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What does it take to be a movie star? Well even in the dead of winter you might actually end up dead Mary Steenburgen and the late Roddy McDowell star in a seasonal thriller Katie McGovern wants to be an actress and leave her medial life in the city behind, she's then approached by Mr. Murray to stay at a mansion in upstate NY They are looking for a young woman for a particular role She's hired as a replacement after the last person suffered a nervous breakdown But as time goes on they start to make Katie feel more paranoid as her belongings go missing and some shady behavior by the owner and Murray starts to show itself She's caught in a big web of lies and blackmail Can she escape their mind games? The movie takes time to unfold it's darker nature but the suspense is very well composed Some intense music to go with An outstanding performance by Steenburgen and McDowell The wintery setting gives it that isolated 'Misery'-like quality Director Arthur Penn has some good set pieces with this mansion and despite the amount of exposition it's a good pay off The actors are enjoying the material which acts as a throwback to classic thrillers

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

marco b

Mary Steenburgen plays Katie, a struggling actress gets a part for an out-of-town production, only to be caught up in a kidnapping plot, where she may become the victim to a group of men, who have trapped her in a house. Decent acting, though at times an unbelievable script.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

robert p

Not really a great movie, sub par at best. I admit Mary and Roddy McDowell were great, but too many plot holes for my taste. Who was the third girl that Mary played that had the cut finger. Also never explained why the third Lady was there and what was she doing? Maybe I missed a little but thats only because the film was hastily put together.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I watched this ages ago as a teenager and recently again. I still really like this movie. Dated for sure but pretty good thriller.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/20

Full Review

Audience Member

An actress accepts a mysterious job from a peculiar group of strangers that have her go up to a desolate house in the "dead of winter" and audition. Before she knows it she finds herself in the middle of a nightmare where dark secrets are unveiled and horrible things begin to happen to her. The movie is packed with twists and the more complex it gets the less scary it is. Not to say it's not creepy because there are some really dark chilling moments. And the performances from Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowell are both solid. The pacing is a bit slow but it's a solid film even if they try just a bit too much with the culmination.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Arthur Penn

Director

Mary Steenburgen

Julie Rose

Roddy McDowall

Mr. Murray

Jan Rubes

Dr. Joseph Lewis

William Russ

Rob Sweeney

Ken Pogue

Officer Mullavy

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59%

34%

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58%

47%

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82%

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

An hour's worth of exposition is a long wait, and if the payoff isn't quite worth it, it is fun.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The movie itself is finally just an exercise in silliness -- great effort to little avail -- but the actors have fun with it, the sets work and there are one or two moments with perfect surprises.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Ángel Fernández-Santos

El Pais (Spain)

The film is a monstrosity. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jun 3, 2020

Full Review

Neil Cohen

Echo Magazine

A chilly, creepy throwback to classic thrillers.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 29, 2007

Full Review

Michael A. Smith

Nolan's Pop Culture Review

An outstanding thriller. Penn at the top of his game.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 14, 2006

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 9, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Struggling actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) is approached by the mysterious Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall) and invited to an upstate New York mansion to film a screen test. There she meets Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes), who is eager to hire Katie as a replacement for an actress who's suffered a nervous breakdown. But the film shoot takes a sordid turn as Katie begins to understand that her role is simply a pawn in Lewis' twisted blackmail games.

Director: Arthur Penn
Screenwriter: Marc Shmuger, Mark Malone
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Sound Mix: Surround

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