10 Horror Movies That Squandered HUGE Potential
4. Winchester
Haunted house movies are a dime a dozen, but Winchester had quite the unique hook, given that it takes place within the very real Winchester Mystery House - an architecturally peculiar mansion which was the home of weapons heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren).
The house's maze-like design is perfect for a horror movie, and the fact that Winchester ends up being haunted by the victims of the Winchester rifles her family's empire was built on is just the icing on the cake.
Yet despite having all this and Helen Mirren going for it, Winchester is a deathly dull, airless affair bogged down by endless reams of expository dialogue, tired jump scares you'll see coming a mile away, and an uncommonly naff American accent from the usually reliable Mirren.
On top of that, the likes of Sarah Snook and Jason Clarke are given very little to do. For everything working in its favour on paper, it's maddening just how utterly forgettable Winchester actually is.