Winifred Meeks (2021) User Reviews

Oh dear lord, the boredom. The boredom....

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 13 May 2021]

As I sat down to watch the 2021 horror movie "Winifred Meeks" from writer and director Jason Figgis, then I was expecting to see a horror movie, as it was labeled as a horror movie here on IMDb. But instead I was in for a movie of absolute boredom and something being really remote from being a horror movie.

Well, unless you consider a whole movie of virtually nothing happening as horror, then by all means "Winifred Meeks" is pure horror.

The storyline told in "Winifred Meeks", as written by Jason Figgis definitely sounded good on its descriptive synopsis, but wow, translated to the screen it was pure torment to sit through. This movie was so uneventful that you could watch the first 5 minutes, leave, and then come back for the last 5 minutes and you wouldn't have missed a single thing of the movie.

And I must admit paired with the synopsis, then the movie's cover and the fact that it had Lara Belmont in the lead role were good selling points to the movie, and it definitely had set up some expectations to the movie. And director Jason Figgis just delivered 1 hour and 28 minutes of nothing.

I do enjoy horror movies and have seen more than my share, but "Winifred Meeks" is definitely a top contender for being a pointless and boring horror movie. If you are a fan of the horror genre, then you must do yourself a favor and stay well clear of this 2021 train wreck of a movie.

This is a movie that could potentially be used in studies to cure insomnia. Talk about being boring. It was just uncanny.

My rating of Jason Figgis's "Winifred Meeks" lands on a generous two out of ten stars, based solely on the production value of the movie.

Atmosphere is one thing, but OMG

[zamboni-36633 · 2/10 · 23 March 2022]

This movie is slow and plodding to the point of being stagnant. The constant radio chatter drove me insane. A woman goes there to complete her next crime novel and is barely haunted by a weeping presence. The woman looks up the history of the home she's staying in and finds the disturbing tale of the couple who lived there many years before. It's sad, but not overly shocking. The film ends abruptly with no real conclusion. Skip this one. Seriously. Two stars for the lovely scenery.

the key word is ominous...

[ops-52535 · 3/10 · 10 May 2021]

In britain every house older than one generation more or less has some kind of ghost attached to it, the brits are good at that, why so happens is still a mystery, as the mystery we follow in this slow burning ,very small casted called winifreed meeks.

Its a sexually betrayed woman author, that needs a change of space to get harmsway by her beloved one, to try to write and finish a book asap according to her publisher. Dad takes the job as a house seeker, and comes to find a house near the coast i guess southeastshores of england..the woman do get her writing done, but do sense that there are some omnity in the premises. She starts searching local sources , libraries and the web to find the prehistory of the house..

its a slowburning one womans show, not particularly scary, and the storyline must be some of the easiest every foreign interprette job ever done, the acting is realistic, non panicking british, the film hold itself at boyancy do to good, but not overly great filmography. And ominous sound and music follows you all the time as an ambient poltergeist, the locations and the house she lives in is just amazing, seems like a large bed and breakfast hired at a low cost due to pandemic lockdown, 7 or 8 bedrooms there is for sure.

So its a ghost film, is it a friendly ghost i wont tell, just let yourself into the tale, though without the grumpy old mans recommendations. Recommendations.

Too much

[browndaniel-52639 · 5/10 · 9 May 2021]

I had high hopes when I read about this film, being a fan of Lara Belmont and the supernatural genre. I settled down last week to watch it hoping to be entertained by a good tale and I was. To a point.

The acting was great and there was a good eerie atmosphere throughout the film.

Unfortunately I felt the film would have worked better as a 45 minute one off TV drama. I'm sorry to say I just felt there was a lot of time where nothing happened. I also sadly didn't like the films ending..

Dreadful

[andysmoore · 1/10 · 23 September 2021]

The worst thing I've ever seen. There's nothing good to say about this film. An hour and half of suspenseful piano music and a bit of screaming. Nothing scary, no storyline. Terrible. I'd give it a zero if it was possible.

Atmospheric slow burn

[ianjones-05625 · 5/10 · 30 June 2023]

I kind of liked the atmosphere of the movie, which had a slow burn, eery feel.

Lara Belmont's reserved performance does a good job of making the beautiful setting feel strained and like something isn't quite right.

The off-kilter setup hums along with weird audio recordings and radio shows that Anna listens to - apparently to help her write her book.

If you're expecting a shocking trade off for your 90 minutes or so, then you might be disappointed. Otherwise, Anna and Seaview House are pleasant company for an eery hour and a half. I found this movie made was a seductive meditation on solitude, even if the scares aren't really there.

Don't waste your time.

[grammakhill · 1/10 · 7 February 2022]

I thought this was supposed to be a psychological thriller. It's plays like a bad script written by an elementary school student. I don't know what was more irritating, the dialogue coming out of the radio or the phone calls from her parents that talk to her like she is a kid instead of the actress playing the part that clearly looks like she is atleast thirty years old.

Uneventful ...

[parry_na · 4/10 · 9 April 2022]

This begins with a kind of Universal films tribute - the opening credits come complete with Hans J. Salter's familiar 1940s music suite, and our heroine Anna James is listening to a Universal Sherlock Holmes soundtrack in the opening scenes (1946's 'Terror by Night', as it goes). Before much else happens, she settles down to watch 'Nosferatu' and Vincent Price in further classic old films. It seems that a deliberate decision has been made that identifying these vintage icons is far more interesting than anything else going on here - because for some considerable time, nothing else *is* going on here.

Anna (Lara Belmont) wanders around the big isolated house she has rented. She sits down, stands up, arranges her laptop on a desk, walks around, and has a cuppa. Sometimes she is in daylight, other times in the dark. It is scintillating stuff. There are nice views of the rolling countryside, often with a blue filter over them. All to the strains of melancholy piano music reassuring us all this meandering is deliberate. This is the film.

I very rarely watch a film and get the feeling I am having the mickey taken out of me, but this is the case much of the time here - how long can I watch someone doing nothing? I like slow-burning, atmospheric stories, and there is a remote ambience here; there are also a handful of genuinely eerie moments, but you really have to wait far too long for them. My score is 4 out of 10.

Nice to fall asleep too

[rtipping68 · 1/10 · 5 June 2022]

Totally boring. I know some reviewers state people these days are always wanting instant gratification when it comes to horror. They then go on to defend this movie as if they are somehow more sophisticated. I'm all for a good atmospheric slow burn but this totally boring. Endless piano in the back ground, TV and radio playing in the background watching the main character fall asleep not to mention endless landscapes. It is as if they are trying to calm you down ready for bed.

The building of atmosphere is about setting a scene making you feel on edge but here it is the whole movie.

Honestly I'd say give it a miss. I grow increasingly frustrated at the amount of amateurish or low budget dross that appear on Amazon. Sometimes you get a diamond in the rough but this is not it.

Boring

[icocleric · 2/10 · 22 May 2022]

Honestly it was boring, and slow moving. There was hardly any dialogue, and instead there was a lot of silence filled with radio chatter, or the TV in the background.

I think it tried to build up an atmosphere, but because it didn't really seem to focus on anything else it fell flat. The parts with the ghost weren't even scary, they were just there.

Moody Artful Menace

[kathrynbakken · 10/10 · 3 August 2021]

This is not your usual horror film. Jason Figgis directs with an artful flair often cutting to dramatic skies and raging oceans during dialogue. You'll hear an old TV show or audio book in the background - something many of us use to keep ourselves company. As the tension builds and our heroine loses herself in her solitude we feel ourselves surrendering to its darkness. Solitude is a comforting space where we can confront our own ghosts and terrors but we don't always win the fight. Surrender to this film and enjoy the slow burn horrors it offers.

Too much negativity.

[midnightmosesuk · 6/10 · 29 May 2022]

I suppose it's a sign of the times. People are so used to instant gratification in their films, if there's no gore or masked psycho, there's no interest. Winifred Meeks is very slow burn and builds its atmosphere gradually over the course of the film to a very tense and frightening end. No jump scares or cheap tricks needed.

Though I have no idea why it was compared to "Don't Look Now" I can very much see the comparison to M. R. James. James had a great love for the English coast and used it often in his writings. Like James this film makes excellent use of the bleak English coastline, with it's dark brooding sky and feel of out-of-season isolation.

I think this films biggest influence is James' "Whistle and I'll Come to You". Like that film the supernatural threat gradually grows, with the coast adding an ominous backdrop to the psychological drama unfolding on the screen until the unfortunate protagonist suffers a collapse, both physically and mentally.

It's not a classic by any means and what it does, it does competently. It's not a film for everyone though, you need to be patient with it to get the full experience.

It's like the Shining.

[M85ALIVE · 1/10 · 24 September 2022]

This film is like the Shining. I went completely mad watching this and really wanted to grab and axe and chop the living hell out of it. I couild only last thirty minutes of this and in that time there is literally no horror elements to it at all, even some terrible Horror movies I've seen can pull that off, establish the genre within the first ten minutes, this is so bland, i began to wander off in my mind and wonder what circumstances led to this lead actress agreeing to audition for this and accept to commit to the shooting. I felt sorry for her and I zoned out of the second phone call of her and her father whilst stock footage played.

Hate, hate, hate loud piano music.

[song_of_rainbow · 1/10 · 16 September 2022]

I read reviews about this movie and it sounded interesting, a mix of drama and supernatural, something I used to like about British movies when I was a lot younger. First there was the radio drama, playing loudly during a car ride to where she was staying. Why? I'm guessing to cover up the very loud piano music that did not cese playing after. I got the part of "and a happy new year" which played over and over. Why? I do not care if a movie will eventually end up being great, I care about my sanity having to here someone playing bad Chistmas music that has zero to do with anything. Made it to 12 minutes and 22 seconds. Not the first movie with some ego maniac playing loud piano music, is that an insane new movie genre?

Glacially slow production with zero to interest anyone

[drbengreen · 1/10 · 6 July 2023]

Almost no plot in this film and what there was of a plot was spun out at a glacially slow pace. Indescribably and cripplingly dull.

The absence of plot is inhabited by characters who, if not almost as tedious, are of zero interest. The viewer is given nothing and no one to care about and merely waits - in vain- to see if anything of interest will happen. It doesn't.

The photographic production and ambience of the film is quite good - if only the crew had been given a decent story to work with.

A shame that everyone involved in this production wasted their opportunity to create something of merit.

Not a ghost of a chance if scaring you

[martingray1 · 1/10 · 27 May 2023]

Oh dear, the rating said this was frightening, with violence. It wasn't frightening and there wasn't any violence, unless you count the violent waves which featured in one of the several hundred stock shots inserted with no narrative motivation. They didn't add mood, they just seemed to be an attempt at scenic typage.

We lasted to the end because we're very charitable/gullible... we thought SOMEthing had to happen. Nothing did.

Cliche watch: Victorian dolls on a chair, a monkey on a desk (sadly, the chair didn't rock and the monkey held no cymbals)... in terms of originality, we do have Chekhov's inhaler.

The fact that the cast list is replete with 'guest stars' and 'featuring' and 'introducing' is hilarious, all we had was the lead actress, the ghost and the whimpering spook. Every other voice was on the phone.

Basically, this film is about as scary as Peppa Pig, don't bother.

Life wasted

[carlatkinson-14538 · 1/10 · 18 April 2023]

Please don't waste your time, this is a truly dreadful movie!

Acting was terrible, music was terrible, storyline was very basic and boring.

I was too lazy to turn it off so unfortunately I endured the full delight of this borefest, if I wasn't so lazy this wouldn't have lasted more than 5 minutes.

When I saw this listed on Amazon it gave comparisons to the shining.

I'm not sure on what planet the person whom wrote that description is living or whether they were heavily under the influence when writing it but the shining this is not!

This is a b movie at best and that is being generous!!!!!!!!

Dear director, please fix your white balance.

[DanneJojanson · 1/10 · 13 October 2021]

17 minutes in, and we've seen more of other, better films than this due to the constant insert shots of the TV.

This was shot with some old Canon DSLR by someone who's not very good at handling one, and it shows. Blown-out highlights, DSLR shake, indoor shots where the white balance is clearly set for outdoor light, and shots that are completely out of focus. The editing is similarily amateurish, and the writing is atrocious.

I bought this blind because of some of the pull quotes on the cover (referencing M. R. James and The Shining), and I now feel cheated. Don't let that happen to you. Don't spend your money or your precious time, on this first-year filmstudent production.

Will Put You To Sleep

[vengeance20 · 2/10 · 6 September 2022]

Finally got around to watching this film & the fact that it took me long to get around to watching, should've said something as it was far from even ok, never mind mediocre...

The film sees a woman who is a book writer on retreat to an old manor house in the country. It is then she starts to experience supernatural goings on & finds herself losing track of reality & fantasy the more intense the hauntings get.

I found the film to be mostly boring. At 84 minutes, it's pretty long winded for what it is, even the first 30-40 minutes drags with little to nothing happening. The story is pretty tame as with the characters. The supernatural goings on were good, but didn't make up for the rest of the film which was pretty naff.

The only reason I'm giving this a 2 star rating is for the creepy visuals & that's it. The film won't hold your attention & will bore you to tears. The ending is out there & abrupt.

Overall, it's an 84 minute borefest. Aside from the brief creepy visuals & few supernatural goings on, you're not missing much at all. Spare yourself from this borefest & watch something else that'll be worth your time & attention.

2/10.

No spoiler alert

[Braderz65 · 1/10 · 23 October 2022]

Nothing to spoil. Did the film makers get a sense of achievement dear oh dear. My 9 year could and probably has written better an more scarier storys. Nothing to spoil. Did the film makers get a sense of achievement dear oh dear. My 9 year could and probably has written better an more scarier storys. Nothing to spoil. Did the film makers get a sense of achievement dear oh dear. My 9 year could and probably has written better an more scarier storys. Nothing to spoil. Did the film makers get a sense of achievement dear oh dear. My 9 year could and probably has written better an more scarier storys.

A Classic Haunting

[whythisfilmpodcast · 10/10 · 3 August 2021]

Beautifully shot and incredibly atmospheric, Winnifred Meeks is a slow burning classic horror. The build up leads to genuinely chilling scares that stay with you long after the film has ended.

Interesting film but very baffling

[dudleytyrrell · 1/10 · 4 December 2023]

I've watched this quite a few times and I'm still baffled, one who was the guy who dropped her off at the house if it was David her boyfriend then why did he text later to find out if she got there safely??? And why was the ghost dressed in modern day clothing and not clothes from the Victorian era she was supposed to be from and the confusion just goes on and on, filming and acting was quite classy though, shame the script let it down, it also came with a warning of alcohol use and violence, I saw her drink a glass of wine but I couldn't for the life of me find any violence anywhere in the film which made it even more baffling.

What in the GCSE drama is this?

[pinkynat-07504 · 1/10 · 22 July 2023]

A waste of over 84 minutes I'll never get back. Nothing happens in this film. It's storyline is weak and dull and it feels like it was written for a school drama lesson. The acting is so bad, especially when it comes to the really false and awkward sounding phone calls. And the really annoying music and background noise is just a bit overdone. Why on earth this was likened to The Shining I don't know as there is zero comparison. Avoid unless you need to cure your insomnia as it could easily help put you to sleep.

The camera work is even really off and feels like it was filmed on mobile phones. All in all, I can't think of a single good part besides the credits rolling.

I didn't believe the poor reviews and I was right

[jakarta-32320 · 8/10 · 14 November 2021]

I could not believe they put 4/10 for this cinematic universe. This is more that meets the eye, a smart horror film which is more like a moving paintings. You will not realise until the end of the movie that those paintings actually belong to someone else, the viewpoints are not of the main character. I also love the way the director used dialogues and scenes from vintage horrors to narrate the story and explained the scenes. Well done. Many viewers can easily relate to the event the main character experiences.

Classic British horror

[wesy1989 · 8/10 · 8 September 2021]

I'll keep it short, the film in its entirety was decent some slow parts I will admit but it had non stop tension building from start to finish, Lara did amazing as did Jason with his great eye for detail, cinematography was incredible some fantastic shots throughout!

Well worth a watch...unless you're scared? :)