Is The House That Ghosts Built Based On a True Story?

Tritone — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 07:14:08 +0000

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

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.

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Is Rose Red Based On a True Story?

Tritone — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 04:41:51 +0000

Is the Movie Rose Red a Real Story?

How Real is the Rose Red Movie?

The very interesting road to filming the haunted house horror movie Rose Red is a special one. The idea started out as a way to combine Stephen King and Steven Spielberg to make “the scariest haunted house movie ever made,” however, the two simply could not see eye-to-eye, and parted ways with King purchasing the full rights to the movie from Spielberg. It is a good thing he did (no offense to Spielberg), as King is better suited for the cerebral type of horror…which is exactly what Rose Red turned out to be: a psychological horror masterpiece. So how real is Rose Red? Is it truly based upon a real story, as its $200,000 promotional marketing campaign implied? And if so, where is the “real Rose Red”? Let’s break it down a little, as the mansion is pretty big after all!

Is Rose Red based upon a real story?

The short answer is: YES, Rose Red is based upon a true story, however, there are plenty of embellishments and Stephen King combined multiple inspirations to achieve the end product that is the Rose Red movie we all know and love.

Where is the Real Rose Red?

Rose Red was filmed in a house known as the Thornewood Castle in Tacoma, Washington. However, the film was inspired by the story of the Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California.

The Winchester Mystery House [aka Winchester Mansion]

While there are many horror movies about haunted houses, and many movies about ghosts, Rose Red still strikes a uniquely creepy vibe. This is probably because Stephen King’s primary inspiration for the film came from the Winchester Mystery House story. King first heard the story in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not comic book as a kid. The story goes a little something like this…

Sarah Winchester was the wife of William Wirt Winchester, one of the most important originals of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Winchester company was responsible for developing the weapon that revolutionized weaponry. The Winchester rifles would kill so many people, that lore would ultimately spawn the tale behind the mansion itself. Sarah Wichester was a huge believer of the paranormal and life beyond living, thus naturally succumbing to a number of psychics and paranormal investigators in her area. The most notable of all spiritualists who would be hired by Sarah was Adam Coons…who supposedly explained to her that her family was cursed by the spirits of those killed by the family’s prominent invention. Furthermore, Coons suggested she should move west and construct a home for the spirits and herself to reside.

Located in San Jose California, the Winchester Mystery House started out a smaller mansion in 1884, being built up with the massive inheritance Sarah Winchester was left after her husbands death. In fact, it was only an eight room farm house at the time she purchased it. After she purchased the property, construction began nearly immediately, first starting with renovations and then the additions of rooms. It has been said that construction continued in the property from the time she purchased it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year…for more than 38 years! By the time of her death, the Winchester House had grown to a massive 160 rooms making up 24,000 square feet. Much of her staff required a map in order to navigate the home, despite working there every single day. The sheer size of the mansion created a natural uneasiness which fostered the development of the best ghost stories!

Fun Fact: There are 47 fireplaces, 40 stairways, 6 kitchens and 3 elevators in the Winchester Mystery House. It is obvious as to why the Winchester Mansion was the perfect inspiration for Rose Red!

Is the Winchester Mansion Really Haunted Like Rose Red?

In real life, the Winchester Mansion does not expand indefinitely like the haunted mansion portrayed in Rose Red. The idea of an ever expanding house that was bigger on the inside than the outside did come from the Winchester Mansion story. And the house itself was believed to be haunted by Sarah Winchester, and many others (even still to this day). Additionally, the sound of hammers and construction being heard from within Rose Red does come from tales reported from within the Winchester Mansion…as many guests have reported such audible anomalies. The house currently serves as a historic tourist attraction at 525 South Winchester Blvd (and yes, it’s still located in San Jose, California!). Unfortunately there have been some exploits of the Winchester house, such as modifications to the home to include the number “13” more prominently to back up a suspected-false rumor that Sarah was obsessed with the number 13. There are scattered reports of several construction workers and laborers (carpenters, electricians, engineers, etc), who claim to have been paid to modify the property after her death (chandeliers, bathrooms, windows, etc) to increase the frequency of the number 13 throughout the house.

Stephen King and his crew did explore the Winchester Mystery House prior to selecting a filming location with the intention of possibly using the Winchester Mansion itself. Ultimately, however, the rooms proved to be too small for filming high quality footage, and Thornewood Castle was selected.

Additional Inspirations

The rest of the inspirations for Rose Red either came from Stephen King’s impressively twisted mind, or from the 1959 book “The Haunting.” The Haunting would be turned into a movie in itself in 1963 and showcased a professor with an interest in the supernatural recruiting a group of psychics specifically to investigate a haunted house for proof of paranormal activity. Stephen King wanted a hands-on type of professor, and portrayed Joyce Reardon as a more aggressive character, rather than simply an inquisitive one. Stephen King also turns to a variety of other horror tactics to put the character of the house, Rose Red itself, into physical terms. King gives Rose Red the ability to grow more powerful and manifest real, “in the flesh” types of anomalies…even summoning back its victims as zombies to haunt the rest of the living!

It turns out, additionally, that Thornewood Castle (the place Rose Red was filmed within, not based upon), also has its own sets of scares and ghost tales! While none of the crew or cast have reported any strange occurrences while filming, many guests and tourists most certainly have. Many staff members have reported seeing apparitions and other spiritual inhabitants…and guests report seeing the figure of a woman in a mirror throughout the castle. Thornewood Castle is an English Tudor in a gothic style built for Chester Thorne in 1911. Although no where near the size of the Winchester Mansion, it possesses a respectable 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. And the castle itself was a most obvious choice for the film Rose Red, given the intense level of detail paid within the architecture. Even the famous red brick facing seen in the movie was imported straight from Wales!

Final Words About Rose Red

Rose Red is one of the most creative horror movies of all time, despite being about a cliché haunted house. There are psychological thrills to be found in nearly every scene, riddled among just the right amount of paranormal action and phenomena. Probably one of the most critical parts of the suspense buildup is the heavy peppering of the house’s creepy history. Unfortunately, most of the history of the actual house itself was made up, though we have to give Stephen King props where deserved…as its one hell of a story!

Huge Rose Red Fan? Check out some Rose Red Trivia, Behind the Scenes and Fun Facts!