Director/s
The Spierig Brothers
(PREDESTINATION and JIGSAW)

Stars
Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook

What an apt time to have a horror movie whose central premise is that those who profit from guns are doomed to be haunted by the carnage they create.  The latest offering from the Spierig Brothers (Jigsaw and Predestination) is an interesting idea that doesn’t quite materialise the way it could have.

Set in San Jose, California in 1906 and supposedly based on true events, Winchester tells the story of Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren), the heiress to the Winchester gun fortune, and her endless construction of the (now named) Winchester Mystery House, in an attempt to appease the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke) is summoned by Winchester at the behest of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. to assess her psychological state in order to determine her ability to maintain majority control of the company. What ensues is a parade of supernatural frights that would be a lot more effective if you couldn’t see them coming from a mile away.

The premise of this story had so much going for it and supernatural period-horror is such an enticing prospect; when done well it is arguably the most truly frightening of all horror sub-genres. The whole idea of people being cursed due to their profiting from firearms is a fascinating if not topical concept. However the way that these themes play out leaves a lot to be desired.

Not surprisingly with a film like this, there are plenty of frightening jolts and things that go bump in the night, but what the writers didn’t do was build the suspense in order to allow these moments their full effect.  From the opening scene we’re presented with our first ‘fright’ and it doesn’t really stop until the half way point of the film. The directors seem more focused on cramming in as many scares as they can and the storyline is an afterthought. When your setting is a real life house of intrigue, and you have actors such as Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke (Mudbound and Zero Dark Thirty) and Sarah Snook (The Dressmaker) at your disposal, the makings are all there for an incredible film. The only way to ruin that is a poor script and lazy film making. The movie feels more like a student film with a big budget, where horror cliché’s are traipsed out one by one until the checklist is complete;   spooky possessed kid…check, ghost in the mirror…check, Lurch-like manservant’s…check. There simply isn’t anything original on offer which takes away from the potential of the film. When you know exactly what’s going to happen before it does, it’s more laughable than frightening.

The actors all do an amazing job to be convincing, which only adds to the disappointment in the script. The amount of local actors is heartening to see (due to the films interior scenes being shot at Melbourne’s Docklands studios) and for once the majority actually had decent American accents. Jason Clarke is quickly becoming one of our finer acting exports, after his efforts in the acclaimed Netflix production Mudbound and leading exploits such as this, his star is only getting brighter.  In the few times that the writers do try to be creative and meaningful with their script, it comes across as contrived and missing the mark. Where other films have twists that leave your mouth agape, this one is more of a mild bend that gives you as much satisfaction as a ride on the Melbourne Star.

Despite its lack of originality, the presence of the above mentioned actors and the effects used throughout the film are enough to make it a worthwhile watch, especially for lovers of supernatural horror. But for now, I’ll be stuck thinking about what could have been if this film had have been entrusted to a different Australian like James Wan *sighs*.

3 stars

Trailer
WINCHESTER

Follow @Movie_Maven_Oz on Twitter

Moviedoc thanks Asha Holmes Publicity for the invite to the screening of this film.