Screams of a Winter Night

Last updated
Screams of a Winter Night
Screams of Winter Night.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byJames L. Wilson
Screenplay byRichard H. Wadsack
Produced by
  • Richard H. Wadsack
  • James L. Wilson
  • S. Mark Lovell
Starring
  • Matt Borel
  • Gil Glasgow
  • Patrick Byers
  • Mary Agen Cox
CinematographyRobert E. Rogers
Edited by
  • Gary Ganote
  • Craig Mayers
Music byDon Zimmers
Production
company
Full Moon Pictures
Distributed by Dimension Pictures
Release dates
  • January 26, 1979 (1979-01-26)(Shreveport, Louisiana) [1]
  • July 13, 1979 (1979-07-13)(U.S.) [2]
Running time
91 minutes
Country United States
LanguageEnglish

Screams of a Winter Night is a 1979 American anthology horror film directed by James L. Wilson and starring Matt Borel, Gil Glasgow, and Mary Agen Cox. [3] Its plot focuses on a group of college students staying in a cabin who tell various scary stories to one another.

Contents

Plot

During winter, a college student named John drives nine of his friends for a weekend trip to Lake Durand. Arriving at John's family's ramshackle cabin, the group begin to settle in. Elaine tells her boyfriend, Alan, that she wished they had not gone on the trip. John meanwhile shows Cal the nearby graves of the Durand family, who were mysteriously killed at the cabin, their bodies found scattered across the property. Police surmised a gas explosion as the cause, though Native American locals believed that a powerful spirit called "Shataba," which roams the woods in winter, caused their deaths.

That night, the friends start a fire in the hearth and begin telling scary stories. John tells the tale of the "Moss Point Man," a dwarf-like creature that terrorized a local couple on a date: After running out of gasoline on a country road, Roger left his girlfriend in the car while he walked toward a station. Some time later, she heard scraping on the roof of the car, and discovered Roger hanging dead from a tree. The following morning, the woman was found alive, with human teeth marks on her ankles.

After finishing the story, John shows Cal a newspaper clipping about a bizarre accident that happened at Lake Durand in the 1940s. Next, Steve tells the group the story of the "Green Light," in which three fraternity pledges were instructed to spend the night in a supposedly haunted, abandoned hotel. The three men were warned not to venture to the upper levels of the building, but ultimately did so while investigating a noise; in the morning, the fraternity found the three men in a trance-like state, two of them bleeding, and the third driven mad.

After Steve's story, one of the women, Jookie, becomes unnerved and wishes to leave the cabin. Outside, a howling wind begins to increase in frequency. John and Steve say they are going to town to purchase more oil for the lamps, and instead terrify Sally and Liz by posing in a grotesque gorilla mask in the kitchen window. The aloof Elaine decides to share a story that supposedly happened at her high school: It involves a timid woman named Annie who suffered a date rape attempt, in which she stabbed the attacker to death. Annie claimed a madman had attacked her and her date, absolving her of public guilt, though she grew mentally unbalanced after the incident. Later, in college, a withdrawn Annie brutally murders her dormitory roommate for wearing Annie's shawl without her permission.

Jookie, horrified by Elaine's story, grows frantic. Her boyfriend Harper tries to calm her, and the group contemplate whether they should leave. The wind increasingly rattles the cabin, howling violently. Fearing that the Shataba legend John told him might be true, Cal departs with his girlfriend, Lauri. Suddenly, the wind shatters the living room window, and Elaine is killed by shards of glass. Cal, Lauri, Harper, and Jookie flee into the woods as the cabin collapses from the force of the wind, killing their friends. In the woods at the edge of a precipice, the four survivors hear a growl approaching them.

Cast

Production

Filming

Screams of a Winter Night was shot on location in Natchitoches, Louisiana. [4] Director James L. Wilson had been inspired to direct the film based on the success of several other local filmmakers, such as Charles B. Pierce and Joy Houck. [4] The film's producer, Mark Lovell, was a real estate agent with no background in filmmaking. [4] [1] It was distributed by Dimension Pictures. [5] The special effects in the film were supplied by William T. Cherry III, a local resident of Shreveport. [1]

Excised scene

A fourth story included in the original cut of the film was excised for its theatrical release; this story featured two young men who are chased by a supernatural entity in a graveyard. [6]

Release

The film premiered in several U.S. cities on July 13, 1979, including Atlanta, Seattle, and New Orleans. [2]

Critical response

Writing in The Shreveport Times , Joe Leydon deemed the film "sluggish in spots," concluding: "There is a great deal more atmosphere than sense to be found in Screams of a Winter Night." [7] He also compared elements of the film to the 1945 British anthology film Dead of Night . [7] Richard Labonté of the Ottawa Citizen was critical of the film, noting that "none of the stories is the least bit scary...  It's enough to induce a good snooze." [8]

Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times felt the film's direction was "stiff," but overall deemed it "scary, with gruesome, bloody effects." [9]

Home media

The film was released on VHS in the 1980s, but has never received an official DVD release. The independent home media label Code Red released a Blu-ray edition of the film, the first 200 copies of which were made available for sale on February 8, 2019. [10] These copies sold out within around 30 minutes. [10] The Blu-ray features an extended 121-minute cut of the film, which includes an additional story excised from the theatrical version. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Scary Movie</i> 2000 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.

<i>House on Haunted Hill</i> (1999 film) 1999 American supernatural horror film

House on Haunted Hill is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by William Malone and starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan. The plot follows a group of strangers who are invited to a party at an abandoned insane asylum, where they are offered $1 million each by an amusement park mogul if they are able to survive the night. Produced by Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver, it is a remake of the 1959 film of the same title directed by William Castle, and features special effects by famed make-up artists Gregory Nicotero and Dick Smith.

<i>Halloween II</i> (1981 film) Film by Rick Rosenthal

Halloween II is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and is a continuation sequel to Halloween (1978). The plot picks up directly after the cliffhanger ending of the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.

<i>When a Stranger Calls</i> (1979 film) 1979 American psychological thriller film by Fred Walton

When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 American psychological horror film written and directed by Fred Walton, co-written by Steve Feke, and starring Charles Durning, Carol Kane, Colleen Dewhurst and Tony Beckley. Its plot follows Jill Johnson, a young woman being terrorized by a psychopathic killer while babysitting, the killer's stalking of another woman, his returning to torment Jill years later, and a detective's trying to find him. Rachel Roberts, Ron O'Neal, Carmen Argenziano, and Rutanya Alda appear in supporting roles. The film derives its story from the folk legend of "the babysitter and the man upstairs".

<i>The Parent Trap</i> (1998 film) 1998 romantic comedy film directed by Nancy Meyers

The Parent Trap is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers in her feature directorial debut, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It is a remake of the 1961 film of the same name and an adaptation of Erich Kästner's 1949 German novel Lisa and Lottie.

<i>The Last Horror Film</i> 1982 film by David Winters

The Last Horror Film is a 1982 American horror comedy film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. Its plot follows a delusional middle-aged New York City taxi driver who, fixated on the idea of being a film director, visits the Cannes Film Festival where he begins stalking an actress he is obsessed with.

<i>Terror Train</i> 1980 Canadian film by Roger Spottiswoode

Terror Train is a 1980 slasher film directed by Roger Spottiswoode in his directorial debut and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and Hart Bochner. Set aboard a moving train on New Year's Eve, the film follows a group of pre-medical school students holding a costume party who are targeted by a killer who steals their costumes. It features supporting performances from Sandee Currie, Anthony Sherwood, and David Copperfield.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2</i> 1987 film by Lee Harry

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a 1987 American slasher film edited, co-written with Joseph H. Earle, and directed by Lee Harry. It is the sequel to 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night, and was followed by Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! in 1989. Its plot focuses on Ricky Caldwell, the brother of Billy Chapman, and his own trauma regarding his parents' Christmas Eve murders, which triggers his own killing spree. The film relies heavily on flashbacks, utilizing approximately 30 minutes of stock footage from the original film.

<i>Ghost Story</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by John Irvin

Ghost Story is a 1981 American supernatural horror film directed by John Irvin and starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, Craig Wasson, and Alice Krige. Based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Peter Straub, it follows a group of elderly businessmen in New England who gather to recount their involvement in a woman's death decades prior when one of them suspects her ghost has been haunting him.

<i>Hell Night</i> 1981 American slasher film by Tom DeSimone

Hell Night is a 1981 American supernatural slasher film directed by Tom DeSimone, and starring Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Kevin Brophy, and Peter Barton. The film depicts a night of fraternity hazing set in an old manor—the site of a familial mass murder—during which a deformed killer terrorizes and murders many of the college students. The plot blends elements of slasher films and Gothic haunted house films. Filmmaker Chuck Russell served as an executive producer, while his long-time collaborator Frank Darabont served as a production assistant.

<i>Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers</i> 1988 American black comedy slasher film by Michael A. Simpson

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers is a 1988 American slasher film written by Fritz Gordon and directed by Michael A. Simpson. It is the second installment in the Sleepaway Camp film series, and stars Pamela Springsteen as Angela, and Renée Estevez. The film takes place five years after the events of the original, and features serial killer Angela, working as a counselor, murdering misbehaving teenagers at another summer camp.

<i>Prophecy</i> (film) 1979 American sci-fi horror film directed by John Frankenheimer

Prophecy is a 1979 American science fiction monster horror-thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and written by David Seltzer. It stars Robert Foxworth, Talia Shire and Armand Assante. Set along the Androscoggin or Ossipee River, the film follows an environmental agent and his wife filing a report on a paper mill in the river, not knowing that the paper mill's waste has polluted the river, causing mutations to man and beast alike. One of these animals, a local bear, runs amok in the wilderness.

<i>Madman</i> (film) 1982 film

Madman is a 1981 American slasher film written and directed by Joe Giannone and starring Gaylen Ross and Paul Ehlers. The plot focuses on an axe-wielding murderer named Madman Marz who, after accidentally being summoned by a group of campers during a campfire tale, begins to stalk and murder the young adults.

<i>Silent Scream</i> (1979 film) 1979 horror film

The Silent Scream, popularly released under the truncated title, Silent Scream, is a 1979 American slasher film directed by Denny Harris, and starring Rebecca Balding, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Steele and Yvonne De Carlo. The film follows a college student who finds rooming in a hilltop boarding house where a homicidal killer is on the loose.

<i>The Final Terror</i> 1983 American film

The Final Terror is a 1983 American slasher film directed by Andrew Davis, and starring John Friedrich, Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Adrian Zmed, Mark Metcalf, Akosua Busia, and Joe Pantoliano. Blending elements of the survival thriller and the slasher film, the story follows a group of campers in the Northern California wilderness who are forced to fight for their lives against a backwoods, feral killer hunting them as prey. The film was released internationally under the alternate titles Carnivore and Campsite Massacre.

<i>Halloween</i> (1978 film) Film by John Carpenter

Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed, co-written, and scored by John Carpenter. Starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis, with P. J. Soles and Nancy Loomis in supporting roles, the film is set mostly in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The plot centers on a mental patient, Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was a child. Fifteen years later, having escaped and returned to his hometown, he stalks teenage babysitter Laurie Strode and her friends while under pursuit by his psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis.

<i>The Flesh and Blood Show</i> 1972 British film by Pete Walker

The Flesh and Blood Show is a 1972 British horror slasher film directed and produced by Pete Walker, and starring Ray Brooks, Jenny Hanley, and Luan Peters. It follows a group of actors being stalked and murdered by an unseen assailant while rehearsing a play at a derelict seaside theatre.

<i>A Haunted House</i> 2013 film directed by Michael Tiddes

A Haunted House is a 2013 American satirical horror comedy film directed by Michael Tiddes, written by, produced by and starring Marlon Wayans. Although Wayans said the film was "not exactly a parody but rather a movie with funny characters doing the opposite of what typical people do in similar horror films," the film pokes fun at the "found footage" horror genre, such as Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside. It was released on January 11, 2013 and was panned by critics, but grossed $60 million against a budget of $2.5 million. A sequel, A Haunted House 2, was released on April 18, 2014.

<i>Fatal Games</i> 1984 American film

Fatal Games is a 1984 American slasher film written and directed by Michael Elliott and starring Sally Kirkland, Lynn Banashek, Sean Masterson, Michael O'Leary, Teal Roberts, and Spice Williams-Crosby. The film follows a mad slasher, wielding a javelin, killing off members of a high school gymnastics team.

<i>The House That Would Not Die</i> American TV series or program

The House That Would Not Die is a 1970 American made-for-television supernatural horror film starring Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Egan, Michael Anderson Jr. and Kitty Winn. It premiered as the ABC Movie of the Week on October 27, 1970.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Screams' run to begin here". The Times . Shreveport, Louisiana. January 24, 1979. p. 8-B via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Screams of a Winter Night". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Los Angeles: American Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019.
  3. "Screams of a Winter Night". Grindhouse Database. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Albright 2012, p. 217.
  5. Thrower 2007, p. 165.
  6. Screams of a Winter Night (Blu-ray). Code Red. 2018.
  7. 1 2 Leydon, Joe (February 1, 1979). "'Screams' film pacing found sluggish in spots". The Times . Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 11 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Labonté, Richard (April 25, 1981). "Cheap horror film induces yawns". Ottawa Citizen . Ottawa, Ontario. p. 38 via Newspapers.com.
  9. Gross, Linda (September 25, 1979). "Scare Features on Double Bill". Los Angeles Times . p. 20 via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "DARK FORCE IN THE AFTERMATH..." Facebook . Dark Force Entertainment. February 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019.
  11. "SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT! 121min version finally put together..." Facebook . Code Red DVD. January 5, 2017. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019.

Sources