"Dead of Winter" follows an aspiring actress who leaves New York City for a purported acting job at a rural mansion upstate. Little does she know, a doctor and his casting director have different plans.
Loosely based on the 1940s thriller "My Name is Julia Ross," this Arthur Penn-directed thriller is campy, but not necessarily in a good way. The premise seems promising, and the first thirty minutes or so are decent, but the film seems to unravel as it clunks toward its climax. Atmospherically, there is a lot of potential here, but Penn unfortunately does not even wring the wintry setting for what it's worth.
Narratively speaking, the film poses situation after situation that feels wholly unrealistic, while Steenburgen's character in and of herself registers as intuitive to an extent, but wholly unaware of herself. Steenburgen's performance is also remarkably uneven here, which is odd given that she has done some fantastic work both before and since; her ability to emote in this role is virtually non-existent. Roddy McDowall and Jan Rubes are decent enough here, though their roles as the film's antagonists also come across as non-threatening, which further detracts from the proceedings.
The film's last act is comparatively better than everything before it, but it again feels hokey and dull where it could have at least been hokey and amusing. As a conventional thriller, "Dead of Winter" ticks all the boxes, but it does so in a way that is rote and uninspired. Moreover, it is frankly just dull, and I find it surprising the amount of respect it has from genre fans. 4/10.
Loosely based on the 1940s thriller "My Name is Julia Ross," this Arthur Penn-directed thriller is campy, but not necessarily in a good way. The premise seems promising, and the first thirty minutes or so are decent, but the film seems to unravel as it clunks toward its climax. Atmospherically, there is a lot of potential here, but Penn unfortunately does not even wring the wintry setting for what it's worth.
Narratively speaking, the film poses situation after situation that feels wholly unrealistic, while Steenburgen's character in and of herself registers as intuitive to an extent, but wholly unaware of herself. Steenburgen's performance is also remarkably uneven here, which is odd given that she has done some fantastic work both before and since; her ability to emote in this role is virtually non-existent. Roddy McDowall and Jan Rubes are decent enough here, though their roles as the film's antagonists also come across as non-threatening, which further detracts from the proceedings.
The film's last act is comparatively better than everything before it, but it again feels hokey and dull where it could have at least been hokey and amusing. As a conventional thriller, "Dead of Winter" ticks all the boxes, but it does so in a way that is rote and uninspired. Moreover, it is frankly just dull, and I find it surprising the amount of respect it has from genre fans. 4/10.