Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Haunting of Winchester House Blu-ray Movie Review

Not bad...for The Asylum.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 10, 2010

The closed mind is a trap.

It's rip-off time in Asylumland. Today's victim: The Haunting in Connecticut, a semi-successful Spook picture though hardly one worthy of spawning a "mockbuster" follow-up, but far be it from The Asylum to leave any potential market segment without a cheap knock-off to accidentally pick up off the shelf. Their take on the Haunted House genre, Haunting of Winchester House, isn't a very good movie, but for The Asylum, the results are well above average. The film is littered with Asylum-typical cheap computer-generated visual effects, a sluggish pace, and no real rhyme or reason for its existence beyond making the studio a cheap buck or two. Who in their right mind would rent or buy this ahead of the Real McCoy, other than, of course, masochists, insomniacs, treasurers of low-grade cinematic rubbish, collection-padders, and movie reviewers? Nobody, but that's OK; those several niches probably bring in a fair haul. Enough to sustain even a low-rent studio like The Asylum? No, but factor in the mom with three kids under the age of five tugging at her legs and making a holy terror in the video store, and she just might pick up the wrong "Haunting" movie that her husband wanted to see. It's those markets and that rushed mom that are Asylum's bread-and-butter, and if they can make a few partially-dishonest dollars, then more power to them -- but pray for those that have to review these things on a semi-regular basis.

Onward to the Asylum!

A young couple -- father Drake (Michael Holmes) and mother Susan (Lira Kellerman) -- and their daughter Haley (Patty Roberts) agree to care for an old house, but little do they know that deadly secrets await their arrival. Their trip to the home is fraught with trials; they're run off the road on the way there, and they cannot access the gate with the provided key. Music players struggle to stay free of static, and telephones barely work. It's not long until more pressing and far more dangerous events occur. Haley becomes trapped in the basement and the family finds itself surrounded by ghosts. Enter Harrison Dent (Tomas Boykin), a best-selling author of several books on the paranormal; he believes that the family is in need of his help and expertise, and indeed, the mysterious events happening around the house seem right up his alley. As the family pieces together the mystery of Winchester House, they set themselves on a road to discovery that promises to shatter all they know about their lives and the history of the haunted house from which they cannot seem to escape.

Haunting at Winchester House is an awfully frustrating movie, even considering the lowered expectations that come with an Asylum title. The picture suffers through all the maladies associated with any film from the infamous studio (for those that haven't had the "pleasure" of watching one of these, they're pretty much on par with an average SyFy Channel movie in terms of acting, special effects, and production values), but it does manage to squeeze out a few legitimate scares and, occasionally, build up a fairly convincing and even frightening atmosphere. Unfortunately, the movie becomes so bogged down in formula that, most of the time, any positives end up for naught. Most of the movie sees the lead couple wandering around their house in the dark while searching for anything unusual. They sometimes bump into ghosts or wind up scaring one another, and for a brief amount of time, it works. However, when every scene for what seems like about two-thirds of the film plays out almost exactly the same as the one before it, though, the movie quickly loses its luster and will leave viewers checking their watches rather than losing themselves in the story.

Haunting of Winchester House scrounges together a few recycled elements from better movies (and from a couple of sources other than The Haunting in Connecticut, but listing their names would instantly reveal this film's surprises) and winds up delivering a decent story with an ending that genuinely comes as a surprise. The picture also houses some better-than-Asylum-average acting; the picture's lead characters are all portrayed adequately enough, but the real surprise comes from Tomas Boykin who turns in an honest and engaged performance as a paranormal investigator who, as it turns out, winds up playing a much larger role than his first appearance would seem to suggest. Hopefully he'll land a part in something with a bit more teeth than this. Otherwise, Haunting of Winchester House has "low budget" written all over it; whether some awful CGI shots of the house's exterior that look like they were rendered on an old Power Mac 8200 from 1996 or a terrible green-screen shot that sees the actors outlined with some harsh jagged halos, the movie's poor production values and the filmmakers' apparent lack of concern for spit-and-polish are evident throughout. It's a testament to the film's screenplay and acting that it manages to play as well as it does.

Haunting of Winchester House Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Haunting of Winchester House scares up a stable and, at times, good-looking 1080p transfer. Certainly, it's not going to look like some fresh-from-theaters big-budget Blu-ray release from a major studio, but Echo Bridge's presentation generally sports quality detailing even through the glossy and terribly flat video sheen and many darkened frames throughout the movie. Indeed, the transfer showcases some excellent textures on close-ups of both the house's weathered porch and various tree trunks around the property. Clothes showcase some fine details, and faces and skin, too, reveal a fair amount of lifelike information. Colors lean towards a dull gray tone, even in the daylight scenes, but that seems in-line with the picture's intended visual scheme. Blacks are never too problematic, though they certainly crush out a few details here and there. Other problems like banding and aliasing are kept to a minimum, and noise is never seen in abundance. All things considered, it's hard to complain too loudly about the quality of this release.

Haunting of Winchester House Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Haunting of Winchester House creeps onto Blu-ray with a lowly Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. This track is no great shakes, but it's also proficient at a base level, delivering most every element with satisfactory clarity. Of course, it wants for greater precision and realism, but never is the track below par for a cheap-o Asylum picture. The track finds something of an inconsistent and sloppy low end, but music is nevertheless smooth, accurate, and in the earlier scenes of the film, inviting. It's spacious enough, wandering around to the side speakers, giving the track a somewhat larger feel. Dialogue is consistently accurate and focused up the middle. Haunting of Winchester House's soundtrack isn't going to wow anyone in the audience, but listeners should at least be satisfied with this generic meat-and-potatoes presentation from Echo Bridge.

Haunting of Winchester House Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Haunting of Winchester House contains no special features.

Haunting of Winchester House Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Haunting of Winchester House looks like a typical Asylum movie, but dig a bit deeper and it's actually one of the studio's better films. That's not saying much, really, but it's so far ahead of garbage like War of the Worlds 2: Next Wave and Megafault that it looks far better than it really is. Still, Director Mark Atkins' film creates a decent enough atmosphere; delivers a few honest scare scenes; works off of a halfway decent script; and concludes with a stale, but still surprising, finale. Haunting of Winchester House is a low-budget clunker, but it's like finding an old Ford Festiva in drivable condition living amongst a bunch of rusted out Yugos with their seats and engines torn out. This Echo Bridge release of The Asylum's Haunting of Winchester House features a fairly nice 1080p transfer, a passable two-channel soundtrack, and no extras. If ever forced to watch a movie from The Asylum at gunpoint, this ranks among the best choices.