Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gun violence, jump scares in disappointing ghost story.
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Winchester
What's the Story?
In WINCHESTER, it's 1906, and rifle heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren) lives with her niece (Sarah Snook) in a wild, rambling San Jose, California, mansion that's continually being expanded, day and night. The board of the Winchester Rifle Co. hires Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke) to evaluate Sarah's psychological state and determine whether she can hold on to her 51 percent of the profitable company -- or whether that ownership should revert to the board. A regular user of the opiate drug laudanum, Price goes to the mansion and immediately starts seeing ghosts. His interviews with Sarah show that she's clever and canny; she questions him as much as he questions her. He discovers that she talks to spirits -- supposedly victims of Winchester guns -- and builds rooms on the house to help them with with their unfinished business. Before long, an extra-powerful ghost arrives, and Price must decide what he believes in before he can help set things right.
Is It Any Good?
This movie offered the chance to combine a fascinating real-life story with high-class horror, but despite some positives, it loses focus on its main character and turns bafflingly routine. The directors -- Australian twins Michael and Peter Spierig -- previously made the moody, fun Daybreakers and the excellent sci-fi thriller Predestination, but little of that talent is on display here. Winchester starts well enough, filling in some of the details of Sarah Winchester's life and offering a fine, frosty performance by Mirren. But before long, the ghosts appear, and they're represented by terribly unimaginative visual effects and crushingly ordinary jump scares. (These are supposed to be "real-life" ghosts! Couldn't they be less movie-ish?)
As chaos ensues, the movie forgets its characters, especially Sarah's niece, played by the wonderful Snook, who gave such an extraordinary performance in Predestination. It even seems to forget whether its story is about ghosts, gun violence, or Sarah Winchester. Indeed, the movie's ultimate focus seems to be on the supervillain, the highly powerful ghost, who couldn't be duller. More than anything, and with so much potential, Winchester is just a huge disappointment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Winchester's violence. What role do guns play in the story? How does the movie view them? Are they a tool for evil? Do they have benefits?
Is the movie scary? Does it seem scarier -- or less scary -- than other thriller/horror movies because it's based on fact?
How are drugs and drinking depicted? Is the doctor an addict? What are the consequences?
Is Sarah Winchester a strong role model? Why or why not?
How much did you learn about Sarah Winchester from this movie? What do you think might have been changed for storytelling purposes? Would you be interested in researching to learn more?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 2, 2018
- On DVD or streaming : May 1, 2018
- Cast : Helen Mirren , Sarah Snook , Jason Clarke
- Directors : Michael Spierig , Peter Spierig
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : CBS Films
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, disturbing images, drug content, some sexual material and thematic elements
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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