CBS has snatched up the rights to Winchester, starring Dame Helen Mirren. The film, directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig and co-written with Tom Vaughan, follows Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester fortune. After her husband and daughter died suddenly, she became convinced that she is cursed and haunted by spirits killed by “the gun that won the west”., the Winchester Repeating Rifle.
We were immediately obsessed with the Spierig brothers’ intelligent and twisted take on a great American legend and could not be more excited to be working with the Spierig brothers and Dame Helen Mirren to bring this film to audiences.” said Scott Shooman, EVP Acquisition and Co-Productions at CBS Films.
Michael and Peter Spierig added, “We were impressed by CBS Films’ experience with the genre and their passion for and understanding of the material and know that they are the perfect U.S. Distribution partner for this film.
The real Sarah Winchester consulted a medium after her family died and the paranormal activity started. The medium told her that as long as she purchased a new home and construction continued it, she would be safe from the spirits. She began construction on “The Winchester Mystery House“, located 525 South Winchester Blvd. in San Jose, California, in 1884. After 38 years of construction, the 7-story, 24,000-square-foot home had a staggering 160-rooms, and 10,000 windows ( I bet the spend a fortune on Windex), which will actually be featured in the film.
One of the most famous paranormal locations in the U.S., the Winchester house has been investigated by paranormal series such as Ghost Adventures (episode below) and Ghost Hunters. It is also open for tours to the general public. The sprawling mansion is famous for its strange architecture, with stairs that lead nowhere, doors that don’t open, and hidden passages, all ordered by the Sarah Winchester in hopes of confusing the spirits. The construction finally stopped on the day she passed away. Take a look at the Travel Channel Clip of The Winchester Mystery House that ranks at #2 of their Creepy Places list (below) and the Ghost Adventures investigation (below).
Sarah Winchester
