A Bay Area tourist landmark hits the big screen Thursday. The movie “Winchester” is based on the life of Sarah Winchester, an American heiress who amassed great wealth after her husband William Wirt Winchester, from the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, died.
From the rifles to the décor, movie producers say they worked very hard to get the Winchester Mystery House details right.
Helen Mirren will play Sarah Winchester alongside Bay Area locals.
“I got called back a few days after,” said Homero Lopez, a tour guide at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. “They were interested in using me as an extra, as a carpenter.”
With the movie set for wide release, some critics are already knocking Hollywood for taking liberties with the Winchester legend.
Employees say they’re not fazed as they say not much is known about Sarah’s story so much will be a mystery. They will, however, be looking for accuracy.
“I’ll know which scenes were filmed here in San Jose, and which were scenes filmed in Australia,” said Lopez. “So I'll be looking out for that."
