Winchester *** (2018, Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Finn Scicluna-O’Prey) – Movie Review

Dressed in black widow’s gown and veil, Helen Mirren relishes her weird role as the crazily eccentric firearms-manufacturer heiress Sarah Winchester, who believes that she and her mansion are haunted by the souls of people killed by the family’s Winchester repeating rifle. Sarah is haunted too, as a widow still grieving the loss of a child.

Mirren has plenty to do, and does it interestingly, intriguingly and borderline involvingly, in an enjoyable campy, hammy turn, though probably there will be no Oscar nominations for this one.

However, the film’s main role belongs to Jason Clarke, who plays Dr Eric Price, a clever shrink sent in by the greedy bad guy lawyers to try to show that the evidently dotty Sarah is actually bonkers, and unsuitable to be heading up the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Naturally, the tippling, tormented, laudanum-addicted Eric has terrifying ghosts and demons of his own. Obviously, we are going to find out why. Clarke is unusual casting in the hero role, but he is a very good actor, and his class shows. He’s got talent to spare to draw on when he needs it.

It is 1906, and there is going to be earthquake trouble in the San Francisco area where Sarah has been frenzily building on a remote patch in San Jose what may be the most haunted house in the world – a massive mansion with well over 100 rooms and seven storeys. Sarah is building the house to contain the hundreds of vengeful ghosts with scores to settle.

The other important character is Sarah’s almost robotic niece Marian (Sarah Snook), who welcomes – if that is the word – Eric to the mansion, telling him what he must and must not do. Eric complies politely but sullenly. The one other main character is Sarah’s great nephew Henry (Finn Scicluna-O’Prey), son of her niece Marian. The boy is apparently the target of the ghosts, cue flying bodies, bullets and glass.

So what we have is a slightly creaky old-style horror movie, inspired by true events and written by Tom Vaughan, with re-writes by the Australian brother directors Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig. A few more re-writes might have smartened up the dialogue and narrative drive. But, even so, faults and all, Winchester is quite fun, with a polished veneer that effectively covers what is probably a lowish budget.

If you aren’t expecting too much, it is not at all bad for this kind of thing, and it is easy to draw a Mirren-style veil over its shortcomings. I might even put it down as a guilty pleasure. Some people might find it a bit trashy but I thought it was quite fun.

Since 2015, the real-life Winchester Mystery House has offered overnight stays in its 160 rooms.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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