Winter Kill (1974)

A sniper is killing residents at a winter resort. Who will die next? And why?

Director:

Jud Taylor

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (teleplay), David Karp (story)

Stars:

Andy Griffith, John Larch, Tim O'Connor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Griffith	...	Sheriff Sam McNeill
John Larch	...	Dr. Bill Hammond
Tim O'Connor	...	Bill Carter
Lawrence Pressman	...	Peter Lockhard
Eugene Roche	...	Mayor Clinton Bickford
Charles Tyner	...	Charley Eastman
Joyce Van Patten	...	Grace Lockhard
Sheree North	...	Betty
John Calvin	...	Deputy Jerry Troy
Louise Latham	...	Doris
Robert F. Simon	...	Harvey
Nick Nolte	...	Dave Michaels
Ruth McDevitt	...	Mildred Young
Walter Brooke	...	Ben
Devra Korwin	...	Elaine Carter

Storyline

Someone is shooting the residents of a mountain resort town. Sheriff McNeill (Andy Griffith) must figure out the connection that links the victims and find the sniper before he (or she) kills again, and before the town council relieves him of duty.

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Plot Keywords:

sniper | resort town | spray paint | winter | flashback | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

McNeill

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Andy Griffith Enterprises, MGM Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

This unsold television series pilot was inspired by the film They Only Kill Their Masters, starring James Garner.

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Connections

Spin-off Adams of Eagle Lake (1975)

User Reviews

An ok TV thriller

Clearly done on a rather low budget, the TV movie Winter Kill is not a great piece of film making by any stretch, but it might be worth a view.

The plot revolves around the search for a serial killer in a small ski resort town. So ok, some of the supporting actors are not very good, and the first part of the movie is meandering and slow enough to test the patience of a few viewers. However, when the movie got into gear in the second part, it managed to be entertaining and well-thought, if not rightdown tense, and the resolution left me pretty satisfied.

Andy Griffith is convincing as the Sheriff. Between the supporting cast, a young Nick Nolte in one of his first screen appearances.