Winchester is an upcoming film by Aussie directors the Spierig brothers and stars Academy Award Winner Helen Mirren and fellow Aussie Jason Clarke.
Mirren plays Sarah Winchester, the widow to her late husband and gun magnate William Wirt Winchester, as she begins to believe her extraordinary mansion is haunted by ghosts of victims that have fallen at the hands of Winchester rifles.
In comes Jason Clarke’s character Dr. Eric Price to assess Winchester’s mental health, only to find that the mansion is in fact, haunted.
I like the premise of Winchester losing her mind and beginning to see ghosts of the victims her husband’s gun empire had spawned (which would have been countless numbers), especially when you consider the film is based on actual events and the Winchester Mystery House is a real thing.
What I’m not sold on quite yet is the scare-factor of this one, as what is shown in the trailer appears to be typically reminiscent of most other mainstream horror films, and it doesn’t look like it will push any boundaries.
What this film does have going for it though is its period-setting, which always adds an extra level of creepiness, but more than anything its cast and directors make for a potentially promising film.
It almost seems that a film like this would be beneath Helen Mirren, but she must see something in it to have taken the role, which is good enough for me.
Jason Clarke is always a reliable pick in any film, and directors the Spierig brothers are beginning to make their mark in Hollywood, having previously directed the outstanding 2014 film Predestination, and their new film Jigsaw is just around the corner.
Joining Mirren and Clarke are Sarah Snook and Angus Sampson in supporting roles, with the film due for release on 22 February 2018.
Check out the first look trailer for Winchester below, and drop a line with your thoughts in the comments.
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