Winchester (2018)

Ensconced in her sprawling California mansion, eccentric firearm heiress Sarah Winchester believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.

Directors:

Michael Spierig (as The Spierig Brothers), Peter Spierig (as The Spierig Brothers)

Writers:

Tom Vaughan, Michael Spierig (as The Spierig Brothers)

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Finn Scicluna-O'Prey

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Mirren	...	Sarah Winchester
Sarah Snook	...	Marion Marriott
Finn Scicluna-O'Prey	...	Henry Marriott
Jason Clarke	...	Dr. Eric Price
Emm Wiseman	...	Nancy
Alana Fagan	...	Partially Dressed Lady #1
Rebecca Makar	...	Partially Dressed Lady #2
Tyler Coppin	...	Arthur Gates
Michael Carman	...	Frank
Angus Sampson	...	John Hansen
Alice Chaston	...	Clara
Eamon Farren	...	Ben Block
Laura Brent	...	Ruby Price
Adam Bowes	...	Farmer Amputee
Bruce Spence	...	Augustine

Storyline

Inspired by true events. On an isolated stretch of land 50 miles outside of San Francisco sits the most haunted house in the world. Built by Sarah Winchester, (Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren) heiress to the Winchester fortune, it is a house that knows no end. Constructed in an incessant twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week mania for decades, it stands seven stories tall and contains hundreds of rooms. To the outsider it looks like a monstrous monument to a disturbed woman's madness. But Sarah is not building for herself, for her niece (Sarah Snook) or for the brilliant Doctor Eric Price (Jason Clarke) whom she has summoned to the house. She is building a prison, an asylum for hundreds of vengeful ghosts, and the most terrifying among them have a score to settle with the Winchesters.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | winchester house | garden house | widower | nailing door shut | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by True Events at the Most Haunted House in History.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, drug content, some sexual material and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official Site [Japan]

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 13th Hour

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,307,626, 4 February 2018

Gross USA:

$25,091,816

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,019,588

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blacklab Entertainment, Imagination Design Works

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah Winchester and her house are given their own chapter discussion in "Ghostland: an American history in haunted places" written by Colin Dickey in 2016. Historically, Sarah Winchester was living in a time that was uncommon and unusual for women to pursue architecture. She was never licensed. Instead, she practiced and experimented on her own house. When one project would prove to not work out or she would lose interest a new project would be started. Even the projects that were completed will have an off-kilter appearance due to space constraints. It is easier to continue building and expanding the size of various parts of the house and within the house than to tear it out to start over.

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Goofs

When the mansion's exterior is first shown in daylight, the sun is depicted as coming from the right side of the frame when the camera is facing the mansion's front facade. This is impossible, as the mansion's front facade faces due east, and the right side of the frame would be north. In San Jose, California, which is in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, the sun cannot shine on the north side of the mansion.

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Quotes

Dr. Eric Price: Pointless in the end, our fear, isn't it? .

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Dame Helen Mirren/Liam Neeson/Jamie Dornan/Sigrid (2018)

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Soundtracks

My Wild Irish Rose
Written by Chauncey Olcott (as C. Olcott)
Performed by John McCormack
Courtesy of Essential Media Group LLC

User Reviews

More fun than scary

From the commercials, I didn't set my hopes too high. The film seemed very average, but it surprised me.

Be forewarned this is more of a supernatural drama, like The Lady in Black, than a straight-up balls-to-the-wall horror film. Not to say there aren't any genuine scares in this. There are two really creepy scenes here. It's just that the film focuses on the story behind the characters and it sometimes takes too much time between scares. Still, I appreciate the emphasis on characters and plot in this. The film feels fully realized and it has a strong cast.

Credit should also be given to the set, costumes, and props; a lot of detail and color. This film looks like the directors did their research and wanted the film to look historically accurate.

ALright, this may not be the best scary movie, but it is a good movie.