Winchester

WINCHESTER

(A.K.A WINCHESTER - THE HOUSE THAT GHOSTS BUILT)

Directors : The Spierig Brothers
Year : 2018
Genre : Horror
Rating : *1/2

Despite its lavish production design and high calibre of cast, The Spierig Brothers' ghostly chiller 'Winchester' is yet another entry in the 'quiet-BANG!' subgenre of horror that has all but drained modern  supernatural shockers of their creativity, effectiveness and critical standing. Set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, the film (supposedly based on "real" events) tells the story of Dr. Eric Price (a miscast Jason Clarke), a drug-addled psychiatrist who is sent to psychoanalyse the wealthy yet reclusive weapons heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren making her horror debut) who has gradually turned her palacial home into a sanctuary for the spirits of those killed by the rifles that bear her accursed name.

For all of it's problems, 'Winchester' looks marvellous, with the Spierigs (helmsmen of both the 2008 vampire gem 'Daybreakers' and last years mildly entertaining horror reboot 'Jigsaw') sparing no expense in creating a genuinely beautiful yet undeniably creepy environment. With its candle lit hallways, Byzantine interiors and ever-expanding rooms, the gigantic house becomes just as much of a character as the humans traversing it and while the performances from the cast range from good to awful, what remains consistent throughout the film is its simply gorgeous visual palette. Nice too is Peter Spierig's atmospheric unscoring which helps to amplify the very real sense of dread created by the sumptuous settings and Ben Nott's effective cinematography.

But as much as the movie looks the part, the story and, most importantly, the scares really don't live up to the effort. Jason Clarke is a fine actor but he seems dreadfully out of place here as the stumbling Doctor Price while Dame Helen Mirren has a lot of fun but is surprisingly hokey in the role of the Havisham-like Winchester. Easily the best performance is that of 'The Dressmaker's Sarah Snook whose engaging turn as Winchester's increasingly fragile niece Marion lends the picture a degree of emotional heft. However, even she can't save a by-the-numbers plot that simply reeks of convention and cliche.

But above all, the worst thing about 'Winchester' is that it is so painfully boring, with zero frights, monotonous dialogue, uninteresting direction and a running time that barely exceeds the 90 minute mark but feels twice as long. Horror newcomers may get a thrill from the many jumps scattered liberally throughout the film as well as the hilariously rubbish CGI-generated demons that haunt our lead protagonists. However, genre veterans will very quickly lose interest thanks to the Spierigs overuse of well-worn scare tactics and an overwhelming lack of tension or originality. Dull, tedious, overblown and annoyingly predictable, 'Winchester' is the first true cinematic stinker of 2018.