Winchester appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The transfer presented the film in a generally appealing manner.
Sharpness looked good for the most part, but some inconsistency materialized. Occasional shots looked softer than expected, but these remained infrequent, so the majority of the flick showed fine clarity and accuracy.
Jaggies and shimmering failed to distract, and edge haloes remained absent. The movie also lacked any source flaws and was consistently clean.
In terms of colors, Winchester went with standard orange and teal most of the time. The hues never stood out as memorable, but they were fine for this story’s choices.
Blacks were pretty deep, and shadows were well-depicted – an important factor given the potentially murky interior settings. The image offered a “B” presentation.
As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it lacked a ton of ambition, though I didn’t view that as a flaw. A story like this came heavy on ambience and light on opportunities for fireworks, so the absence of showy sequences failed to become a problem.
When the action heated up, however, the mix reflected that and used the spectrum well. Music filled the various channels in a satisfying manner, and effects fleshed out the spectrum in a logical way. Nothing dazzled but the mix seemed suitable for the material.
Audio quality pleased. Speech was concise and natural, while effects remained accurate and full-bodied.
Music was vibrant and dynamic. While this was never an especially memorable track, it worked for the story.
Called Driven By the Spirits: The Making of Winchester, a featurette goes for 22 minutes, 14 seconds. It includes comments from writers/directors Michael and Peter Spierig, producers Tim McGahan and Brett Tomberlin, co-writer Tom Vaughan, costume designer Wendy Cork, production designer Matthew Putland, and actors Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Angus Sampson, and Eamon Farren.
“Driven” looks at historical elements, story and characters, cast and performances, costumes and period details, sets/locations, the logistics of a production with two directors, stunts and effects. While not the deepest program I’ve seen, “Driven” works pretty well, especially when it looks at attempts to recapture the historical components.
The disc opens with ads for The Commuter, American Assassin, Patriots Day, and Flight 7500. No trailer for Winchester shows up here.
Even with talents like Helen Mirren involved, Winchester stands as nothing more than a trite, predictable haunted house tale. It uses all the old tropes and fails to create a fresh horror experience. The Blu-ray brings us generally good picture and audio along with minor bonus materials. The movie fails to engage.