A group of college students are spending a weekend away at a remote cabin. To pass the time, they decide to tell scary stories to one another. The first story focuses on a couple being terrorized by a Bigfoot-like creature while in the woods. The second story follows a group of fraternity brothers who spend the night in an abandoned hospital reputed to be haunted, while the third story concerns a young woman who begins to lose her grip on reality after experiencing an attempted rape. After telling their stories, they discuss an alleged wind spirit who haunts the lake near the cabin in which they are staying which becomes the most terrifying story of them all. Now watch this film from a 2K scan of the original 16mm A/B roll camera negative, that includes the legendary thought-to-be-lost fourth story involving a creepy tree witch!

For thoughts on Screams Of A Winter Night, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/f6KQXYwpn7Q?t=3890]

Video Quality

Screams Of A Winter Night comes to Blu-Ray from Kino Classics and Code Red with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 from a 2K scan of the original 16mm A/B roll camera negative of the unrated cut of the film. While the film may look more than a bit rough in spots, it looks miraculous compared to the unrestored theatrical cut also included. The presentation is a bit weak throughout the runtime with image stability and delineation being a little shaky. Instances of print damage pop up pretty consistently and sometimes very obviously. Overall clarity and detail is lacking but not nonexistent. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation, but some of it appears a bit clumpy. The picture has a general softness, but colors are well saturated in a visually pleasing way. Black levels are a bit weak when it comes to crush and artifacts. The elements for this one are simply not in great shape, but by and large this presentation delivers a fine experience.

Audio Quality

This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix which has similar shortcomings to the video side of things. Dialogue is one of the stronger elements of this one, coming through clearly even if it is not the most crisp experience. At least it does not get stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated satisfactorily such as the wind cutting through the trees and screams. Music can occasionally struggle with fidelity, but it is not a huge issue. The track presents some age related wear and tear and distortion. This track does the best it can with the condition of the source. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Uncut Director’s Edition (1:58:44 – 2K Scan HD) and Theatrical Cut (1:31:29 – Not Restored)

Introduction: A minute-long intro plays before the Uncut Director’s Edition with star Gil Glasgow.

Interview with Star Gil Glasgow: A new 22-minute interview with Glasgow in which he discusses how he got involved with the project, memories of the creative team, bonding with his co-stars, stretching his acting skills with the different stories, the shooting locations, the cameo of the film in Times Square, the legacy of the film and more.

Trailers: A 30-second spot for Screams Of A Winter Night is provided here. There are also trailers for Blackout, The Fifth Floor, Street Law, The Dark and Conquest. .

Final Thoughts

Screams Of A Winter Night is typical of storytelling films in that you have some stories with some unsettling elements and others that mostly miss the mark. The balance shakes out to provide more good than bad, but given the length of the director’s edition even the good stuff can feel not worth the effort. The performers are a bit cheesy and typical of the time, but no one is outright grating. Kino Classics and Code Red have released a new Blu-Ray featuring a passable A/V presentation and a few special features. This has not been the most widely available film, especially in its uncut form, so if it sounds interesting to you it might be worth sampling.

Screams Of A Winter Night is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics and Code Red have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.