Spooky Houses: The Victorian Era

• Neighborhoods and News
• October 30, 2017

It’s no surprise that we often associate Victorian homes with creepiness and hauntings. Hollywood has constantly used Victorian homes for famous horror films or TV shows: American Horror Story’s “Murder House” season, Psycho, and Disney’s own Haunted Mansion.

The many details of a Victorian home make it creepy to look at. We can never say how, but we know. Realtor.com reminds us of the long and vertical details of the exterior: doors, windows, trim. What does it remind you of? Think of the painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. The long and vertical details have a direct relationship to a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

Despite the details, the Victorian era itself had an effect on the way we look at these homes.

Victorians were inherently “dark”

The Victorian era is said to begin with the reign of Queen Victoria, who took the thrown in 1837. American architecture officially dubs the era of the Victorian home at 1860 to about 1900. The influence for the architecture came from the Gothic Revival, Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Second Empire styles. False fronts and chimneys, tall towers, dormer windows, and gables are all particular aspects that a Victorian home incorporates. They were notable for the overwrought furniture, dark interiors, and heavy draperies.

More often than not, a Victorian home can be found at the top of a hill because the Victorians wanted to be looking down on those less fortunate. The Victorian standards of personal morality were important to them, where the working classes were looking down upon for the cohabitation without marriage and illegitimate births.

Moving toward the Modern era

Victorian homes of America were caught in the middle of the civil war and the turn of the century. The movement toward the Modern era left homes empty and decrepit. The downfall is believed to have been after the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair where people from around the world and country were able to experience the sleek, white appearance of the building in the “White City”.

As the elderly passed away, the children let the houses fall in disrepair for the rusted, molded houses we see hidden away on a hill.

Victorian Revival?

In places like San Francisco, there has been a preservation blitz in recent decades to restore these homes to their former glory. Restoring all the old exterior characteristics, people have revamped the interiors to a more modern feel.

Victorian homes have an aging population of historic homes that are the token home in the neighborhood that deteriorated after the crazy old man that lived there died.

For more about the Victorian era and the characteristics of a spooky home, visit Realtor.com.