AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

gtylerpayne I was torn between giving a 6 or a 7. Really I would say this is about a 6.5. It's an entertaining movie, there is no doubt about that. It is suspenseful and has a nice pace. The score, acting, setting, camera work... all that is fine if not good.There is nothing really new here. I can't think of any other movies that have the exact same plot, but yet it all still seems very familiar. Reminds me of other better movies like The Shining. It has few nice little twists and turns and never gets boring, but it's also not terribly memorable.One thing that it suffers from, in my opinion, is the same problem I had with the first Friday The 13th movie, an old crippled man who can barely walk just isn't all that menacing. Just like in Friday the 13th when you find out the killer is an old grandma, it just becomes a bit less scary.It seems as though not many people have heard of this movie, and I suppose that is because there is nothing that really stands out about it, but if you like horror, suspense, mystery movies, then you will most likely enjoy this.

BloodTheTelepathicDog DEAD OF WINTER is a fine 1980s thriller with a solid, small cast. The plot centers on a naive actress, played well by Mary Steenburgen, who accepts a job on a rather hush-hush production. She is told that she is to replace a troubled actress who walked off set, however, she never quite makes the set. Instead, she is taken to an isolated mansion where eccentric millionaire Jan Rubes claims to be the film's producer. Mary does everything Rubes and his assistant, Roddy McDowell, ask of her because she views this as her big break.But things aren't what they seem in the mansion. With a blizzard raging outside, Steenburegn is essentially trapped indoors with two men she hardly knows who may or may not be working on a movie. Mary makes a few shocking discoveries while she wastes time in the mansion, locating photographs of a dead woman that Rubes claims to be the actress she is to replace. Mary and the deceased actress bare a striking resemblance and as time rolls along, she feels that their machinations are devious and that her life is in danger.STORY: $$$ (The story doesn't really offer anything new. There are a few moments when you'll ask why Mary's character does the things that she does, but all in all the script isn't too bad. The screenplay builds enough terror and offers jolts in the right places. Also, from the beginning of the film, we know Mary Steenburgen's character is desperate so her going along with the game seems justifiable).ACTING: $$$$ (Mary Steenburgen essentially plays three roles in this film: the main character, the murdered actress and the murdered actress' sister. She does a fine job in all three roles and effectively turns off the naive aspiring actress role when she has to play the calculating sister of the dead thespian. Roddy McDowell is a treat as always in his role as Jan Rubes' sidekick and Rubes, confound to a wheelchair, is exceptional is his role of eccentric man of means. When he chases Mary up the stairs, walking for the first time in years, he'll give you the willies).NUDITY: None

cstotlar-1 In terms of camera work, lighting, pace and direction in general, this is a fine piece of film-making. Penn knows all the bells and whistles as usual and Mary Steenburgen is quite amazing in her roles. I'm put off as I am so often by the many critics who look to film for verisimilitude (the "if it couldn't or wouldn't ordinarily happen in real life" brigade) that sets us so far behind our European counterparts. The film has a remarkable sense of entrapment and claustrophobia in the dead of winter in the middle of nowhere. As far as whether the events really could happen like that, I suppose I was more interested in the style, craftsmanship and general concept than of probabilities or even possibilities. The camera work and rhythm at the end of the film are magnificent. As for the "damsel in distress" nonsense, how many thousands of movies fall into that genre anyway? Are they all uniformly bad because they use a successful formula? This is the kind of movie where it's fun to sit back and enjoy the fireworks without bothering about split infinitives and the like. Curtis Stotlar

preppy-3 Out of work actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) takes a job that takes her from NYC to Canada. She is to replace an actress named Julie Rose who walked off the set of her movie. She finds herself in an isolated mansion with Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes) and sinister butler Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowell). She also discovers she's a pawn in a deadly blackmail scheme.I vaguely remember seeing this in Boston on opening night in 1987. I had just seen another bad thriller ("Black Widow") and thought this couldn't be as bad as that one was. I was right--it was worse! A VERY loose remake of "My Name is Julia Ross". That 1945 thriller didn't need to be remade...but when did that ever stop Hollywood? This is a slow and dull movie with a very mean streak--we almost see a woman's finger cut off in the first 15 minutes! It's hard to believe director Arthur Penn did this one. The plot becomes needlessly convoluted (and stupider) as the movie goes on. There are plot holes galore (the reaction of the two policemen was incredibly dumb) and the ending is truly laughable.Steenburgen, McDowell and Rubes are all good--but even their considerable acting talents can't save this. A career low point for all involved. This was (understandably) a big bomb. I give it a 3 for the acting, some good direction and beautiful scenery (shot on location in Canada).