FAQ

This film was based on the real account of the Fall River double homicide of Andrew and Abby Borden on August 4, 1892. Andrew's daughter Lizzie was tried and acquitted of the murders in a public trial in June 1893, and the courtroom testimony in the film is drawn from the actual transcripts of that trial. However, no one has ever conclusively proven who murdered the Bordens, and the scenario presented in the film is only one possibility.

Soon after the trial, the sisters bought a larger home in a more fashionable section of town. After several disagreements over Lizzie's extravagant lifestyle, Emma moved away. Lizzie continued to live in her new home until her death, from natural causes, in 1927. Emma died, of unrelated natural causes, nine days after her sister. Until their deaths, the sisters were hounded by continued suspicion of the townfolks and the curiosity of outsiders.

No. The Borden house (which still exists) is a very tight residence made of many small rooms, which would make filming at the time very difficult. However, the set of the film is very closely modeled on the layout of rooms in the real house (for example, it is possible to see the spot where Abby was murdered by standing near the top of the front stair, just as the movie shows).

Visitors to the Borden house today can see an actual dress, worn by Elizabeth Montgomery, on display in the foyer, just inside the front door.

Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden were sixth cousins by a common ancestor.

Traditionally, she is portrayed in media as a redhead, but her passport, dated 1890 (two years before the murders), states that her hair was "light brown."