A fledgling actress is lured to a remote mansion for a screen-test, soon discovering she is actually a prisoner in the middle of a blackmail plot.
Sextuplets star Marlon Wayans takes cues from Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor to transform into an entire fictional family.
Related News
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Donald Ray Wallace Jr. murdered family of four in a botched home invasion — Dead of Winter spotlights the case
21 February 2019 | Monsters and Critics -
Murders of widows Virginia Johannessen and Mary Jill Oberweis spotlighted on Dead of Winter
31 January 2019 | Monsters and Critics -
Murder of bartender Robbie Schmidt spotlighted on Dead of Winter
24 January 2019 | Monsters and Critics
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Title: Dead of Winter (1987)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Mary Steenburgen | ... | Julie Rose / Katie McGovern / Evelyn | |
| Roddy McDowall | ... | Mr. Murray | |
| Jan Rubes | ... | Dr. Joseph Lewis | |
| William Russ | ... | Rob Sweeney | |
| Ken Pogue | ... | Officer Mullavy | |
| Wayne Robson | ... | Officer Huntley | |
 |
Mark Malone | ... | Roland McGovern |
| Michael Copeman | ... | Highway Patrolman | |
|
|
Sam Malkin | ... | Gas Jock |
|
|
Pamela Moller | ... | Woman at Audition |
|
|
Dwayne McLean | ... | Killer |
|
|
Paul Welsh | ... | New Year's Eve Reveler |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Katie McGovern is a struggling actress living with her husband and her student brother, who is visiting. She attends an audition that she found in the paper and is selected to shoot a short video which will be sent to the director for his approval. Mr. Murray, the man holding the audition, picks Katie up and takes her to a remote mansion where they shoot the video. Katie is selected to replace the previous lead in the film who looks remarkably like her. Soon, however, things begin to look as if they are not what they seem. Katie soon realizes she is in danger and attempts escape. Written by Brian D. Switzer <bswitzer@uoguelph.ca>
Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
6 February 1987 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dead of Winter See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$2,413,427Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby StereoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This film reunites Mary Steenburgen, Jan Rubes and Wayne Robson from Disney's One Magic Christmas (1985). See more »Goofs
[All goofs for this title are spoilers.] See more »On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
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Once upon a time (1945 to be exact) there was a B-film from Columbia called MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS starring Nina Foch, Dame May Witty and George Macready. It caused quite a stir even though it played the lower half of double bills and lasted a mere 65 minutes.
DEAD OF WINTER is rather transparent in borrowing from MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (the heroine's name is Julie Rose, for example), and it has taken the original material, expanded it with some clever additional plot lines, taken the Cornwall atmosphere and transported it to wintry New England for a weather-beaten effect, and turned out a smart little thriller that will give you plenty of winter chills no matter what the temperature is outside.
It's another one of those tales where nothing is what it seems. A pretty young actress (MARY STEENBURGEN) is a down on her luck gal who accepts the offer of a film test from a producer (RODDY McDOWALL) who invites her to his secluded mansion where the test will take place. Sure, it's an unbelievable plot contrivance, but that's part of the fun. Nothing is to be taken too seriously from this point on.
When a series of rather unpleasant incidents take place, the woman realizes she is in a trap, but neither she nor the audience understands why she is there and what the purpose is of keeping her prisoner.
STEENBURGEN is excellent as the frightened woman (who should have had more common sense than accepting such an offer), and McDOWALL's polite cat-and-mouse game with her is fascinating as it unfolds. It's a creepy film, filled with authentically wintry atmosphere and it builds toward a surprising and violent climax.
Under Arthur Penn's direction, this expanded version of the B-film is every bit as cleverly plotted and written, no matter what some of the other commentators here have said. It's an atmospheric mystery that's guaranteed to give you some satisfying wintry chills--and then some.