teressaf30-143-959952 I really liked this movie because it was based on actual events. I had seen the true story on "Primetime" a while back and immediately realized that is what this movie was about. I thought this movie was very, very accurate as to what actually happened with the couple in Nebraska in 2005. Only problem was the ending was absolutely fictional in the movie. In reality they both froze to death. All in all a good movie. I love stuff based on true events. I was a bit confused on which drugs were involved. I knew the actual drug was crystal meth. In the movie they snorted crystal meth and the guy at the party added something to their drink. It was later in the film that it was revealed that he had spiked their drink with LSD. Not sure that was the case in the actual event.

lovecraft231 Winter has proved time and again to be an effective season for genre films to take place. The best known examples of course, are "The Thing", "The Shining" and "30 Days of Night", though more low budget and foreign entries like "Screams of a Winter Night", "Cold Prey" and "The Last Winter" have taken the frozen, snow covered landscape of winter to try and convey a sense of menace and evil. Another entry into this field of frostbitten horror is veteran TV actor Brian McNamara's 2007 directorial effort "Dead of Winter." Kevin (Al Santos) and his girlfriend Tiffany (Sandra McCoy) are going to celebrate the 7th anniversary of their relationship. Fine and all, but it all leads to experimenting with Crystal Meth and Randy (Alex Boyd) slips LSD in their drinks. The couple decides to leave the party, only to start to see people and hear voices. To make matters worse, their car breaks down, leaving them in the middle of nowhere, thinking somebody is stalking them.While the premise sounds a bit like that of a slasher movie, "Dead of Winter" is anything but, as there's not much of a body count or any gore present. Instead, the film decides to use the winter wilderness and paranoia of the two leads to take over, thus creating a sense of dread and horror instead of what a lot of independent productions aim for. That's fine and all, as it works quite well at times (a scene in which Kevin is "chased" is particularly effective.) Hell, the acting is better than expected (smart move getting people that are real actors for a change) and it moves at a reasonable pace. So where does it go wrong? Well for one thing, the direction is hit and miss. McNamara does make some fine chances and knows how to conjure up a haunting atmosphere, but he also relies a bit too heavily on fast and slow motion techniques as times, which tends to become a bit distracting. Also, while the acting is fine, and while it is an independent production (albeit one released by Lionsgate), it at times feels a bit too much like something you'd find if you watched channels like Lifetime. This particularly shows in the party scene, which feels far too much like something out of a television movie. Then there's the conclusion, which not only explains what happened, but does so with an obligatory twist ending that feels insulting. It also doesn't help that the character of Kevin suddenly becomes a poor man's Jack Torrance in the last 10 minutes.At best, "Dead of Winter" is at least worth a Netflix streaming on a winter day when there's nothing else to do, but it ultimately ends up becoming a missed opportunity. Sure, it's nice to see an independent horror film that relies more on atmosphere and dread than it does buckets of blood, but the end result is so hit and miss that you'll just shake your head by the time it's over.

Ted Brown Dead of winter, also known as Lost Signal, follows Santos and McCoy, a young couple who are unknowingly slipped a high dosage of LSD at a New Years Eve party. As the drugs start to take effect, and the couple leaves the party, they start to become paranoid that someone is out to get them. After a car accident leaves them stranded in the woods, their trip continues gaining momentum as does their fear.I found this movie by total accident in the wee hours of the mourning. I was bored and needed some background noise while I was studying for finals. Before I knew it I was drawn in and hooked, not able to take my attention away from the movie. I've seen quite a few movies with the "Bad Trip" scenario, and hated most of them, but what makes this movie stand out from the rest is there is no madman, no monster, you are simply viewing two people who have no clue that they are having an extremely strong LSD trip. The actors who play the two mains do an excellent job of portraying this terrifying situation as well, both are very believable during the entire movie. I really had a good time watching this film. It turned out to be one of those random "it came from Netflix" gems I find now and then when sleep isn't an option. I highly recommend giving this movie a chance, it is very much atmosphere driven so don't expect ton's of story or over the top special effects. If it wasn't for the super cheesy special effects, that caused me many times to be reminded that what I was watching was only a movie due to how silly they were most of the time I would of given this film a bit higher of a score. But none the less I feel its worth your time.6/10 - Ritualistic The Liberal Dead http://liberaldead.blogspot.com

Day-Day Simply put, this is ridiculously bad. The film's first 15 minutes or so caused me to divide myself. Half of me was moaning "Boo! I've seen the slasher movies all before. Well, maybe this time it'll actually be scary" and the other half is screaming "Bring on the gore!" Neither is correct. Instead, I was treated to an unbelievably terrible movie that wanted to be something it most certainly is not. It's the psychological thriller version of a when a TV show tries to recreate a Hollywood disaster ... OK, I know that barely makes any sense but neither does the movie ... or the acting ... or the fact I wasted £3 on it. Maybe I should spend longer explaining my previous statement but that would mean giving the movie more of my time and I've wasted enough buying it, watching it and now trying in vain to make sure none of you decide to make the same mistake. You have been warned!