Winchester (2018) / Diary Entry

The period production design, always magnetic Helen Mirren as Sara Winchester (who believes she's cursed because of her company's production of a weapon of death, with the house a product of that), Clarke's tormented addict as a therapist hired to determine Sara's mental health (trying to overcome his wife's death), and incredible attention to detail, with that house such a marvel reconstructed for us to experience ourselves as Clarke's Eric did really provide enough satisfaction to at least appreciate the presentation. The way the building continues construction into the night and how Mirren moves about like some dark-shrouded phantom, with Clarke very much anxious inside the maddening structure, did compel and captivate me. But, I dunno, this came during a number of haunted house period pieces like "The Woman in Black" and "Crimson Peak". You could see how they sort of follow certain similar beats, with a sound design that pounds between your ears with great thunder and impact.

Something I thought was really well done was Clarke's connection to the phantoms of the house and his own past death when shot (dead for three minutes). How Mirren has great interest in Clarke's "touch of death" and the afterlife, her own "guided artistic hand" by the spirits of that damned gun...there is some emotional story here.