Winchester

 2.5/4

Starring: Jason Clarke, Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Finn Scicluna-O'Prey

Rated PG-13 for Violence, Disturbing Images, Drug Content, Some Sexual Material and Thematic Elements

Sarah Winchester was an heiress to and majority owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.  She was infamous for having constant construction on her house, the Winchester mansion, for the remainder of her life.  Allegedly, this was due to her belief that it was inhabited by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles.

This is a great start to a movie, veracity be damned.  After all, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" used a real incident and people as a jumping off point for a swashbuckler monster movie.  Alas, "Winchester" isn't anywhere near in the same league.  The screenplay isn't as ambitious, nor is it as well written.  The film has its share of spooky moments that will get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up, but those who are looking for a coherent narrative or an appealing lead character will be disappointed.

Dr. Eric Price (Clarke) is a former psychiatrist who turned to laudanum after the death of his wife.  He has been given an extraordinary assignment.  The board of directors at Winchester are concerned about the eccentric behavior of the majority shareholder, Sarah Winchester (Mirren), whose spiritualist beliefs and interests in diversifying the company have them on edge.  His job is to assess her mental state and see if she is fit to run the company.  As an avowed skeptic of the supernatural, Price seems to be the ideal man for the job.  That is until he gets to the Winchester house.

It's hard to imagine a worse protagonist for a horror movie than Eric Price.  Horror movies depend on the audience caring about the protagonists, but that's impossible to do for this jerk.  Eric is a nasty piece of work; he's a drunk and a burned out addict, sleeps with anyone possessing the correct body parts, and is so pompous and arrogant that he is impossible to be around.  Strangely, neither Sarah nor anyone else notices this.  Maybe it's the way that Jason Clarke plays him.  Clarke is something of a rising star, but he is better suited to playing villains and lacks the magnetism needed to lead a film.  Helen Mirren is one of those actresses who's always good even when she is stuck in a terrible movie and not trying (and she certainly isn't trying here).  The one bright spot is Australian actress Sarah Snook, who despite being saddled with a thankless role, outacts her more experienced co-stars.

"Winchester" was directed by the Spierig brothers, Michael and Peter.  They were behind the intriguing vampire movie "Daybreakers" from 2009.  This is not a move forward for them.  They have talent; anyone who sees "Daybreakers" can tell you that.  But the screenplay for "Winchester" is all over the place.  A movie like this needs a strong narrative, however derivative it may be, to get the audience from beginning to the end.  This movie does not have that.  It keeps getting distracted and what should be a gradual build up of tension fades out too quickly and too frequently.

On a technical level, the film looks and feels great.  Ben Nott's cinematography is nice without being too ostentatious, and there are a number of solid scares to be found here.  It's just that the foundation they are built on is weak, and that limits their effectiveness.

"Winchester" has its moments, to be sure, but it isn't a full course meal.

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