Winchester Review: A Traditional,albeit Tamed, Ghost Story

When it comes to horror you can never go wrong with a good ghost story. The concept of haunted houses and the specters that dwell in them have played a vital role in the genre and continues to do so even to this day. Over the years there have been many types of ghost stories depicted on the silver screen, and among these tales are ones that are based on real haunted houses. The concept of a “Based on True Events” horror film can be effective by blending both fiction and reality; and the latest film to play with this idea is a movie called Winchester. Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, Winchester centers on the events that would turn a mansion into the famous Winchester Mystery House. On a dark and cold night I ventured to the theater to see this ghostly tale, and after enduring all the frights I found myself moderately pleased with Winchester.

Winchester centers on the Eric Price (Jason Clarke): a doctor who is tasked to go to a San Jose mansion in order to diagnose Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren). Once arriving at the mansion Price discovers the reason behind its construction and why it is called “The House That Ghosts Built”. As plots to horror movies go, the story of Winchester was pretty simple. The narrative was quite typical as it played with familiar elements such as a skeptic being haunted by unknown forces.  However the story was able to conjure up some merits as it did play with some interesting concepts. The idea of reality vs. illusions played a prominent part in the story as Doctor Pine’s addiction to drugs helped to create a sense of deniability behind the ghostly visions; and this was just one of the elements that created a manner of mystery within the plot and in doing so it made the story quite compelling. However what prevented these factors from flourishing was the movie’s fast paced structure. The pacing prevented the story from exploring its ideas while making moments such as climax feel rushed-which was upsetting as the conclusion had all the makings of being a great finale for a horror film.

Everest Review: Rocky Climb leads to Tense Adventure

Movies can take viewers on some wild adventures. Some of the most expansive blockbuster love to take moviegoers to new worlds and features out this world journeys. Yet sometimes the biggest adventures can take place right here in reality. Such is the case of the new fall blockbuster from Universal Pictures: Everest. Everest is based on the 1996 disaster where climber Rob Hall and others were caught in a freak storm on Mount Everest. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, this adventurous disaster film featured a massive ensemble as well as having a massive element of being featured large screens such as IMAX. Yet even with its major publicity, could Everest reach the top or does this thrilling drama have a hard time up the mountain?

As stated, this film based on the true events of Rob Hall (portrayed by Jason Clarke) and excavation of Adventure Consultant. Along with the group Mountain Madness led by Scott Fischer (portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal), Rob leads a group of climbers to the top of Mount Everest. After reaching their goal, tragedy strikes the group as a storm traps Rob and the other climbers on the top of Everest.