Dead of Winter 1987

As midnight tolls on New Year’s Eve, a shadowy figure absconds with a satchel brimming with cash from a train station locker, driving into a hauntingly deserted parking lot. There, a tense phone conversation unfolds, where she urgently reassures the caller of her imminent departure. Yet, before she can make her escape, a man lurking in the backseat lunges at her, his grip akin to a constricting snake coiling around her neck. The confrontation takes a gruesome turn when her left ring finger is forcefully severed, leaving her traumatized and marked for life.

In the heart of Manhattan’s bustling streets, we meet the aspiring actress Katie McGovern (played by Mary Steenburgen) and her unemployed husband, Rob Sweeney. As financial troubles mount and their rent looms over them like a dark cloud, Katie desperately strives to land an acting role that could shift their fortunes.

Her golden opportunity arrives unexpectedly when she’s invited to audition for the cryptic Mr. Murray. Almost immediately, he offers her the role, insisting they set off into a raging snowstorm to reach the isolated estate of Dr. Joseph Lewis, a paraplegic bound to a wheelchair. Upon arrival, Katie’s attempt to call for help is thwarted by a lifeless phone line, forcing her to assume the storm has caused the disruption.

Settling down for the night, Dr. Lewis explains to Katie that she’s replacing Julie Rose, an actress who succumbed to a nervous breakdown during filming. The plot twist: Katie’s striking resemblance to Julie allows them to cleverly integrate her new footage with the existing content of Julie’s work. The following day, Mr. Murray transforms Katie’s hairstyle to mirror that of the ill-fated starlet.

However, as the hours pass, Katie stumbles upon a horrifying notebook filled with Polaroids that detail the gruesome demise of Julie Rose. Confronting Dr. Lewis, she learns that not only did Julie’s breakdown lead to her tragic end but the house’s unsettling atmosphere grows heavier as Katie discovers her own driver’s license burning in the fireplace, reducing her sense of self to ashes.

The storm outside intensifies, and in a moment of panic, Katie escapes the estate without a coat, only to collide with none other than Mr. Murray. Back at the mansion, Dr. Lewis dismisses her fears as mere hysteria, not realizing that he had drugged her earlier that night.

As she dozes off in her room, Katie barricades herself, only to be awakened by Mr. Murray’s menacing presence behind a mirror. The eerily lit room reveals the haunting reality as she unveils the bandages around her hand, shocked to discover her ring finger gone. The chilling realization sends her screams racing through the darkened halls.

When she finally breaks free from her barricade, Katie gains access to a hidden phone in the attic, frantically alerting Rob of the danger she faces. As she struggles to remember her whereabouts, she picks up a faint recollection of their journey, just as 911 is dialed in desperation. Her world crumbles further when she finds the lifeless form of Julie Rose laying before her.

Dr. Lewis tries to placate her with tales of Julie’s troubled past, laden with family conflict and radical therapy tactics that spiraled out of control. However, before any resolution can manifest, police respond to Katie’s call. Yet, the sedative’s lingering effects leave her unable to convey her situation, leading Dr. Lewis to manipulate the officers into believing she is simply a patient under his care.

Meanwhile, Rob and Katie’s brother Roland embark on a harrowing mission upstate, tracing even the most obscure clues in hopes of rescuing her. Just when it seems all hope is lost, Evelyn, Julie’s sister, arrives, and Dr. Lewis presents Katie as evidence of Julie’s survival, further complicating the web of deceit.

In a moment of desperation, Katie feigns an escape, luring both Dr. Lewis and Mr. Murray away from the house. With Evelyn’s entrance, she implores her sister for help, but is met with the belief that she is Julie, leading to a ferocious confrontation. In a struggle for her life, Katie retaliates, killing Evelyn in a desperate quest for liberation.

As chaos reigns, Mr. Murray uncovers Katie’s ruse, and in a desperate act of survival, she incapacitates him. The menacing Dr. Lewis, undeterred by her survival instincts, chases her to the attic, where their showdown reaches a deadly climax. Just when it appears the odds are stacked against her, Rob and Roland burst onto the scene, accompanied by the authorities, urging them to reconsider their earlier judgment and ensure that justice is finally served.