269. The Cup | Dead of Winter: Horror Theatre Festival (Review Roundup, 2026)

Welcome back to the 269th episode of The Cup which is our a weekly (give or take, TBD, these are unprecedented times) performing arts talk show presented by Cup of Hemlock Theatre. With the theatres on a come back we offer a mix of both reviews of live shows we've seen and continued reviews of prophet productions! For our 269th episode we bring you a Round-up Review of Dead of Winter, produced by Eldritch Theatre and Spindle Collective. Join Jillian Robinson and Mackenzie Horner, as they discuss 6 new spooky and gory stories, supported by ominous musicality, each highlighting fear through fantasy and reality. Dead of Winter was the first Toronto horror theatre festival and played at Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON.) from January 21-25, 2026. More information about the show can be found at: https://deadofwinterprogram.my.canva.site/This review contains SPOILERS. The episode will begin with a general non-spoiler review until the [07:47] mark, followed by a more in-depth/anything goes/spoiler-rich discussion. This iteration of the production has ended but if the production gets remounted in the future, we recommend you stop watching after that point, or at least proceed at your own risk.TIMESTAMP NAVIGATOR: 0:00 – Intro 2:49 – Festival Overview (Pre-Spoiler) 7:25 – SPOILERS from here on out 8:13 – spilleHOLLE 12:05 – The Matchmaker 16:52 – Musical Interlude: Andra Zlatescu 18:41 – The Hag of Bell Island 24:15 – Perfect Pains 29:08 – Jimmy 34:24 – Musical Interlude: Morgara 36:16 – Mercy of the Vampire 41:31 – Sign Off Follow our panelists:Jillian Robinson – Instagram: @jillian.robinson96 Mackenzie Horner – Instagram: (Before the Downbeat: A Musical Podcast) – Instagram/Facebook: @BeforetheDownbeatApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3aYbBeNSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3sAbjAuFollow Cup of Hemlock Theatre on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @cohtheatreIf you’d like us to review your upcoming show in Toronto, please send press invites/inquiries to [email protected].