Winchester
(2018)Terror is building.
Helen Mirren is haunted firearm heiress Sarah Winchester in this mystery thriller from the Speirig brothers (Jigsaw, Predestination).... More
Sarah Winchester (Mirren) is convinced that she is haunted by the souls killed at the hands of the Winchester repeating rifle. After the sudden deaths of her husband and child, she throws herself into the construction of an enormous mansion designed to keep the evil spirits at bay. But when skeptical San Francisco psychiatrist Eric Price (Jason Clarke, Everest) is dispatched to the estate to evaluate her state of mind, he discovers that her obsession may not be so insane after all.Hide
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Directed by Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Starring Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Angus Sampson, Laura Brent, Tyler Coppin, Emm Wiseman, Finn Scicluna-O'Prey
Written by Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig (based on an earlier script by Tom Vaughan)
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 7 providers
Flicks Review
BY Aaron Yap Flicks Writer
In retrospect, the brief spark of ingenuity that the Spierig Brothers exhibited in 2014’s lovably loopy Predestination probably had more to do with the conceptual ballsiness of Robert A. Heinlein’s source text than anything. With a recent lacklustre attempt at franchise revival in Jigsaw, and now this goofy ghost thriller, it’s become even clearer that they’re the undistinguished genre travellers that they’ve always been: clearly big, avid fans of sci-fi and horror, with little of consummate craft nor consistent vision of their heroes.... More
Winchester is based on a true story of such bizarre circumstance it’s hard not to be somewhat curious. An eccentric rifle heiress with a connection to the spirit world. A haunted, maze-like Victorian mansion she kept renovating and constructing for nearly four decades. The combination of architectural weirdness and a mystifying historical character, delivered in a hot-button firearms-themed narrative, should’ve made for a unique, even potent, supernatural period piece. But Winchester is largely pedestrian, a things-go-bump-fest that’s milder than a trip to Spookers.
Jason Clarke, more comfortable as burly, square-jawed, militaristic men, feels ill-suited to playing Sarah Winchester’s booze-breathed psychiatrist, who unfortunately gets a substantial, and awfully dull, share of the plot. Where she pops up, Helen Mirren lends an air of respectability and a welcome dose of camp to the warmed-over material. Sidelining her might not have been such an issue if the Spierigs had done justice to the film’s next best asset: the house itself. Budgetary constraints aside, the labyrinthine geography of the mansion is poorly communicated, sapping much allure from its bounty of potentially atmospheric spaces.Hide
The Peoples' Reviews
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Winchester
BY Alissa-Warren superstar
BY Bayly lister
Like Most 'Insidious' Movies Winchester is not that enjoyable for Horror Lovers (Like Me).
But It does Bring Some Good Jump scares to the Silver Screen.
BY SweetP nobody
but sadly Winchester was like that staircase: it went nowhere. Interesting that it was based on true events and now I would like to know more about the Winchester house. Helen Mirren as always was great.
BY Hugo-Burns superstar
Having the sound drown out then explode into a jumpscare isn't frightening in the slightest and is lazily exploiting a natural human reaction and masquerading as 'horror'. Couple that with Jason Clarke who amazingly is able to match Jai Courtney and Sam Worthington in terms of blandness and a story that doesn't surprise or intrigue and what you get is a 90 minute thrill ride with out the thrills and feels about 3 hours. Sarah Snook does her best.
Showing 5 of 35 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
Sarah may not be crazy, but the film seems slightly nuts. Full Review
Winchester draws on a fascinating true story but then simplifies and sensationalises it to fit creaky, clunky horror conventions. Full Review
Despite an intriguing premise, Winchester misses the mark. Its anti-gun message is a shot in the right direction, but lazy fright tactics and a contradictory ending leave it firing blanks. Full Review
There's a great film to be made out of the Winchester story, but sadly this isn't it. Full Review
A staggeringly pointless supernatural non-chiller featuring some very tiresome jump scares. Full Review
Having laid out an unusually intricate and politically charged puzzle, "Winchester" proceeds to solve it in the clunkiest, most perfunctory way imaginable. Full Review
Ho-hum apparitions appear and disappear without a trace. Ms. Mirren and her representatives are probably hoping the movie will do likewise. Full Review
It shouldn't happen to anyone, much less a Dame - not a movie of such barreling awfulness that it strands the great Helen Mirren in a gothic house of cards that collapses on actors and audiences alike. Full Review
The Exorcist this ain't. Full Review
You’d think this was a surefire success. Sadly, you’d be wrong. Full Review
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