What Is The Inspiration Behind Winchester (2018)?
The haunted house horror movie Winchester (2018), draws its inspiration from a very real house, like many horror movies based on true events , that create an authentic horror story! The trailer is quite exhilarating. The cast includes Helen Mirren as Sarah Winchester and Jason Clarke as Eric Price, both excellent choices for the roles within the house. So, how real is the Winchester house story and to what extent is the new Winchester movie ‘based upon a true story’?
Here are some of the most authentic facts about the Winchester House which are clearly also referenced or used in the new 2018 movie about the haunted mansion.
Sarah Winchester
Sarah Winchester is a real person. She was the wife of one of the creators of the Winchester rifle, a gun used to kill a large number of people during war. She truly inherited the wealth of the Winchester estate upon her husband’s death.
Winchester Mystery House
The actual Winchester House itself exists and is now a historic site in San Jose, California. This house is referred to as the “Winchester Mystery House” in real life and truly was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester. The house was built after she inherited her wealth and after she began building the house, construction continued until her death.
Sarah’s Spiritual Torment
Sarah Winchester claimed to be tormented and haunted by the spirits…the ghosts of the people killed by the Winchester rifle. Adam Coons, self-proclaimed psychic, was responsible for guiding Sarah to build the house as a way to “trap” the ghosts in rooms and overcome the haunts. According to Coons, the curse was on the Winchester family. Sarah continued to build the rooms in the house to try and trap all of the spirits who were haunting her family.
Available to Tour
The Winchester Mystery House is so very real, that it can be toured. That’s right: it is possible to schedule and tour the mansion by the hour! In fact, they even do something special around Halloween time! Check out the official Winchester Mystery House tour!
Other Movies Like Winchester (2018) “The House That Ghosts Built”
Although this movie may seem like it is banking off of an original concept (and it may very well be the best one yet, its release will tell), but it actually is not the first movie to be made about the Winchester House. Rose Red (2002) is also (more loosely) based upon the Winchester mansion. The Rose Red story is fiction, however, involving name changes and plot changes…but Stephen King did actually consider shooting the film in the actual Winchester House. Had the rooms themselves not been so small, it very well likely would have been produced in that very house!
Nonetheless, the Winchester (aka The House That Ghosts Built) trailer release shows a very promising film…one that will give Rose Red and all haunted house horror movies a run for their money! Could we have a new ‘best horror movie about haunted houses’ after all? The movie’s official release date is February 2, 2018.
Fun Fact: The name “Dr Eric Price” given to Jason Clarke’s character, could be a tip of the hat to the Haunting of Hill house, The haunting, and the House on Haunted Hill…all of which have some connection to a ‘dr’ in the house, or a brilliant or otherwise wealthy male “Price” character. In all instances, the character is always summoned to the house for one reason or another. Similarly, Winchester (2018) summons Dr Eric Price to the haunted mansion.
Tritone’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. Tritone is a published author and continues to write and write about horror whenever possible.