Review of Winchester (2018) by Joseph D — 02 Feb 2018

Ready! Aim!!

WINCHESTER.

Finally, after years of hearing the story of the Winchester mystery house, we're gettin' a movie! Let's hope it hasn't aimed too high.

The story is a classic American legend; a guy makes one of the greatest rifles in US history, but the spirits of those killed by it have cursed the family, taking all but Mrs Sarah Winchester & a couple others. She asks a psychic for help (just go with it), & she gets one response: build a house for the ghosts to get lost in.

At 1 hour, 39 minuets, it's definitely a slow burn, but the time is well spent, getting to know our characters, building suspense; it never felt like it wasn't going somewhere.

The cast was great. Helen Mirren was made to be Mrs Winchester. The way she carried herself, the gravity in her words & actions. This was a woman who commanded authority (in an era where it was exceedingly rare), but who also was in a constant struggle against the demons that plagued her. It's like the song said: she gets knocked down, but she gets up again, nothing was gonna keep her down. Jason Clarke as the doctor sent to assess Mrs W was a good match. He was not only a good foil/ally for the old bird, the way he wrestled with his demons as he learned the truth of the house was very convincing. The rest of the cast was well chosen. Mrs W's niece & great nephew really felt like they were just dropped into the family curse & were just trying to survive something they couldn't understand. The servants & workmen never felt out've place, & you even got to know some of them, so you cared if they were endangered. The ghosts really stole the show. They were never over or under used. They were always there, even when you couldn't see them.

The house itself was also a character. You just felt like you were inside a giant creature; one that did. Not. Like you. Instinct would compel you to sneak through, rather than just walk through. There were jump scares a plenty, but not only were they less predictable than the usual fare, they allowed the tension to build & ebb in order to lull you into a false sense of securety, & then BAM; they got me every time.

The Winchester mystery house is one of Americas most haunted places & best known legends. It's a tale of tragedy, & perseverance in a seemingly hopeless situation. And while this film does play things up a bit (sigh...Hollywood.), it honors the people & history that inspired it. This straight shooter of a film gets 3 & 3/4 stars outta 5 from this straight shooter of a reviewer!