By Amanda Berry
Staff Writer

With the start of the new year there has been a lineup of new horror movies being released. Some of these movies were more raved about than others, but the new horror film “Winchester” may surprise many with how it plays out.

The trailers for the movie were captivating, giving off the appearance that this was actually a horror movie. Once you’ve seen it for yourself, you’ll agree it is more a suspenseful thriller than horror.

The story follows the life of a woman named Sarah Winchester, owner of the family company that sells and makes rifles and other Winchester guns. She believes that her family is cursed because of all the killings brought by the Winchester guns.

Sarah believes that the only way to escape the curse is to constantly build her house to get away from the spirits.

A psychologist is brought in to see if Sarah is still fit to run the company because of her erratic behavior and the changes she has been making to her home.

At this point in the film the scares got predictable and are at times cheesy.

The story line is still interesting, because it differs slightly from the true account of the Winchester home, but the scares in the movie are not what is promised from the trailers.

The psychologist who visits her is of course skeptical when Sarah tells him she is cursed and haunted by spirits, but ultimately believes and supports her after he himself sees the ghosts in the home.

Sarah also lives with her niece and grandnephew, which makes things plenty more interesting.

Her grandnephew is often a target for the spirits, and this ends up being a ploy to help trap and free those coming to haunt her.

Overall, as far as scariness the movie was not at all scary. There was a lot of good suspense scenes as well as some that make watchers think a bit.

If you are still curious about “Winchester” I would recommend seeing it for $5 on Tuesdays at Cinemark in Stroud Mall.

Email Amanda at:
aberry1@live.esu.edu