Filmmaker Statement

In the tradition of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and DAWN OF THE DEAD, THE DEAD OF WINTER addresses contemporary social concerns through the heightened reality of the horror genre. A reinterpretation of the classic ghost story, it tackles themes of privilege, social responsibility, guilt, and the “fear of the other,” through a modern interpretation of the classic ghost story. The film addresses the current homelessness crisis and the plight of rough sleepers. It was therefore important to me that the ghostly Figure that haunts the protagonist is never depicted as being actively malevolent. It could be a prophetic harbinger, in the manner of the ghostly child from THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, or a manifestation of the protagonist's own fear and guilt (indeed, in the script it's always "the Figure" and never "the ghost"). THE DEAD OF WINTER draws on the stories of Charles Dickens, M.R. James and Henry James, featuring a protagonist who is supernaturally punished for breaking the social