“Dread of Winter” Series at the Brattle Theatre — Evil Is Best Served Cold
By Peg Aloi
There’s always a fair bit of horror in the mix, as well as thrillers and dramas. Each entry has a chilly darkness at its core — these are stories that often abound with themes of cruelty, grief, terror, and dread.
I can’t really recall how long it’s been since the Brattle Theatre first started doing their “Dead of Winter” series, a midwinter film program designed to both emulate and soothe the dreary vibe of our coldest, darkest days. Perhaps it began in 2017 with the memorable program “Dead of Winter: Cinema of the Occult,” which I was privileged to take part in as discussion moderator with Northeast luminaries Peter Bebergal, Janaka Stucky, and Pam Grossman, who helped curate the series. Other juicy themes followed, like “Tales of the Beast” in 2019. It’s always a high quality lineup, carefully curated to feature a slate of films, mixing eras, genres, and nationalities, all with story elements that are anything but light and cheerful. There’s always a fair bit of horror in the mix, as well as thrillers and dramas, all of them with a chilly darkness at their core, stories that often abound with themes of cruelty, grief, terror, and dread.
This year’s name change to “Dread of Winter” features a slate of fine films I admire and at least one that has haunted me for decades. It’s a rare treat to see some of these on the big screen (the program includes four screenings in 35mm). If you’re feeling anywhere near the level of existential angst that I am at the moment, perhaps immersing yourself in one or more of these films exploring the shadow side of humanity might help subjugate your own murky mood. Or kindle a flicker of redemption as we crawl toward spring.

A scene from The Ice Storm. Shown from left: Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood
The series starts off (appropriately, given the brutal Northeast weather of the last few weeks) with Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm (1997), which is set in 1973 in an affluent suburban neighborhood. This Taiwanese director’s talent for pulling off soaring, visionary cinematic statements is well known: Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to name a few. With a stellar cast, he crafts an intricate inspection of a small Connecticut community, a place where lies, manipulation, loneliness, and desperate sadness hover just beneath a glossy surface marked by aspirational comfort and world weary sophistication. The title’s life-altering weather event is stunningly rendered, a striking metaphor conveying life’s fragility and treachery. (Screens February 5 at 8 p.m. in 35mm)
February 6 pairs two intense and excellent crime dramas. Bong joon-ho’s Memories of Murder (2003) is based on a true story of a Korean serial killer and the three police officers trying to apprehend him. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure (1997) is set in Japan and centers on the hunt for a serial killer. (Memories of Murder screens at 4:30 and 9:30 p.m., Cure screens at 7:15 p.m.)
Next comes Roman Polanski’s dizzying thriller Repulsion (1965), starring French legend Catherine Deneuve as a woman living alone in London who suddenly finds her mental health cracking under various pressures. It’s part of a double feature, alongside the Brattle Theatre’s debut screening of Outrage (1950) Ida Lupino’s controversial (for its time) look at the trials of a woman who survives a brutal attack — only to be treated poorly by her entire community. (Repulsion screens February 7 at 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. in 35mm, with Outrage screening at 7:45 p.m.)
George Sluizer’s 1988 French-Dutch film The Vanishing was remade by the director as an English language film in 1993. The remake is well done, but I prefer the original. At its center is a brief but haunting performance by Johanne ter Steeke as a young woman who, after arguing with her boyfriend on a road trip, disappears at a gas station and is never seen again. Her boyfriend remains obsessed with finding out what happened to her and he eventually becomes entangled with the man responsible for her disappearance. This is not your typical thriller; it is a work of breathtaking subtlety, intensity, and creeping horror. It’s a double feature with Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of the 1997 Norwegian crime thriller Insomnia. I prefer the original, but Al Pacino is very good in the role originated by Stellan Skarsgård. (The Vanishing screens February 8 at 4 and 8:45 p.m. and Insomnia screens at 6:15 p.m. in 35mm.)

A scene from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Sunday brings a rare 35mm screening of David Lynch’s stunning, terrifying film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), a prequel to the series that changed television forever. Scheduled before Lynch’s untimely passing in January, this is a fine opportunity to honor a legendary filmmaker who was a friend to the Brattle Theatre, and a founding member of its advisory board. (Screens in 35mm at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. on February 9.)
Count me as a huge fan of Richard Ayoade’s 2010 film Submarine, a British coming-of-age story that is dark, absurd, and wholly original. 2013’s The Double is another iconoclastic film by this writer-director, though it is more in the horror vein, starring Jesse Eisenberg as a shy man whose confident doppelganger (also played by Eisenberg) shows up at his workplace and upends his life. It’s part of a double feature with Denis Villeneuve’s The Enemy (2014). This suspenseful, well-acted thriller is a similar take on the idea of a darker shadow self, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. (The Double screens at 5 and 9 p.m. on February 10; The Enemy at 7 p.m.)
Before 2023’s Saltburn, there was 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, both films featuring Barry Keoghan as a smooth psychopath… or is he merely a troubled outsider? This disturbing drama from the king of disturbing drama, Yorgos Lanthimos, features a great cast and is quietly creepy from start to finish. (Screens February 11 at 8:30 p.m.)

A scene from High Life.
The finale of this excellent program takes place on February 12 with a fantastic double feature that contains two of the most frightening films of recent memory. Jonathan Glazer’s brilliantly inscrutable, alluring Under the Skin (2014) stars Scarlett Johansson as a (very, very) mysterious woman who lures men to an untimely demise. High Life (2018) from Claire Denis is a disturbingly erotic postapocalyptic space thriller featuring a high-octane cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth, André 3000, and Juliette Binoche. The plot: ill-fated people are trapped in an exploitative experiment that is doomed to fail. (High Life screens at 4 and 8:45 p.m.; Under the Skin screens at 6:30 p.m.)
Peg Aloi is a former film critic for the Boston Phoenix and member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Alliance for Women Film Journalists. She taught film studies in Boston for over a decade. She has written on film, TV, and culture for web publications like Time, Vice, Polygon, Bustle, Dread Central, Mic, Orlando Weekly, Refinery29, and Bloody Disgusting. Her blog “The Witching Hour” can be found on substack.
Peg Aloi’s writing style combines deep analysis with a keen ability to convey cinematic atmospheres, making this article more than just a review; it is a true invitation for film enthusiasts to explore the dark side of human nature through the big screen.
Thank you, Peg Aloi, for this insightful piece!