I love finding the perfect movie for the current season, and when that movie happens to be a thriller (my favorite genre), all the better. With the January winter weather biting, I turned to 2025’s overlooked psychological thriller “Dead of Winter” for some seasonal-appropriate entertainment. And it turned out to be the perfect snowy-escape from the miserable month of January.
- Streaming on: Amazon and Apple (PVOD)
- Genre: Mystery thriller
- Starring: Emma Thompson
- The hook: A grieving widow’s trip to frozen Minnesota turns into a basement survival battle.
- The highlight: Emma Thompson delivers a masterclass performance in a rare, gritty thriller role.
- The vibe: Best watched with a blanket and a candle; it's a seasonal thriller that uses the winter setting to build isolation.
Now, just to clarify, “Dead of Winter” is certainly not a perfect movie. It gets stuck in the skid during a repetitive middle portion. However, with an unexpected twist that makes its villainous antagonists surprisingly sympathetic and a strong lead performance from Emma Thompson, there’s still a whole lot to enjoy about this Minnesota-set psychological thriller.
If you want to watch “Dead of Winter” for yourself, it’s currently streaming on PVOD platforms like Amazon and Apple (though you will have to cough up a rental/purchase fee). But if you’re not yet convinced it’s a wintry thriller worth your limited watching time, here’s everything you need to know.
Plot: What is ‘Dead of Winter’ about?
Barb (Emma Thompson) is a grieving widow who travels to the frozen-over Lake Hilda in Minnesota to fulfil her recently-deceased husband’s last request of having his ashes spread in the area. The spot is of special significance to the couple as it was the location of their ice-fishing first date.
On the way to the lake, she gets lost on the icy roads and finds herself at a remote cabin. Meeting two strangers (Marc Menchaca and Judy Greer), her suspicions are raised by their shifty behaviour and a trail of blood in the snow. These two are clearly up to no good.
When she discovers the strangers, revealed to be a husband-and-wife couple, are holding a young woman hostage in the cabin’s dark basement, Barb is forced into a desperate battle for survival.
My verdict: ‘Dead of Winter’ is a suitably seasonal thriller
“Dead of Winter” is most effective when watched during a cold winter's evening, with a few candles lit for added atmosphere (not that I ever need an excuse to break out an oversized Yankee Candle). Its Minnesota setting doesn’t just add pretty scenery to the mix, but also aids the tension as Barb is effectively cut off from the rest of the world, unable to call for assistance.
Emma Thompson isn’t exactly known for starring in dark thrillers, but does an excellent job anchoring this one. Barb is an easy protagonist to root for. While she’s not an action heroine, she’s resourceful and doesn’t for a moment consider leaving the kidnapped girl, Leah (Laurel Marsden), to her grim fate. The flashbacks to Barb and her husband's first date also add to the overall emotional stakes. Even if these glimpses into the past can be heavy-handed.
“Dead of Winter” does fall into a repetitive groove in its second act. Numerous mid-movie sequences see Barb and the villainous couple trek between the cabin and the nearby lake. Barb is trying to evade detection, and the couple is acting as hunters. It’s a predictable cat-and-mouse setup, and the drama is soon chipped away by a sense that the movie is spinning its wheels.
Fortunately, the momentum picks up as the movie enters its finale, and things get particularly intriguing when the villains, who remain nameless throughout, are revealed to have more sympathetic motivations than I expected. While their desperation doesn’t justify kidnapping an innocent girl, it’s certainly a more interesting narrative development than their actions being tied to revenge or financial extortion. This twist comes at the right time.
Overall, “Dead of Winter” might not be the most groundbreaking thriller you’ll watch this year, but it’s got enough tension to keep you hooked, and its bittersweet conclusion sends you into the credits on a high note. Plus, with the winter season in full swing, now is the perfect time to stream it.
Looking for more top picks? Here’s a guide to all the new movies arriving on streaming this week, or you can check out our round-up of what’s new on Netflix this week, if you want to watch something without having to worry about paying a premium rental fee.
Watch "Dead of Winter" on Amazon or Apple (buy/rent) now
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