A Cure for Wellness movie: The REAL evil doctor story who inspired horror film – Daily Star

WITH a bath full of eels and a horror spa with no escape you may be worried to discover A Cure for Wellness is based on a true story.

The horror film, directed by Gore Verbinski, is now in cinemas and features a terrifying hospital where people seek clean living.

But the highly-anticipated flick turns sinister very quickly when it becomes clear the doctor is performing terrifying experiments on patients.

You may not know that there was a real doctor who carried out similar atrocities.

Daily Star Online has previously revealed the true stories behind horror films Blair Witch, The Exorcist and the Bye Bye Man.

Back in the early 1900s, Linda Hazzards treatments led to the death of over 40 patients.

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I think she was a serial killer and a sadistic one at that

She founded a wellness spa in the US state of Washington where patients fasted for months on a skimpy diet of tomato and asparagus juice.

Wealthy punters from across the world flocked to the hospital to get treatment from the fasting specialist.

Hazzard believed eating fills the body with toxins and imbalances.

Two Brit daughters of an army officer, Claire and Dorothea Williamson, were taken in by the fake doctor.

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Arriving at the countryside spa in 1911, just two months in they both weighed only 5st.

Attempting to escape, Claire managed to crawl out of the house and down the hill but Hazzard stopped her in her tracks.

She later died weighing only 3.5st. Dora managed to get the message out of her terror and was rescued.

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Candice DeLong, a former FBI criminal profiler, told documentary Female Killers: I think she was a serial killer and a sadistic one at that.

You dont have to be a doctor to know if you are just fed diluted tomato juice you will die.

She knew this but she continued on with her experiment.

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She was convicted of manslaughter in 1912 and served 18 months in jail.

Bafflingly Hazzard died while using her own treatment.

She caught pneumonia and attempted to get better by starving herself for 25 days alas it did not end well.

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Crime writer Gregg Olsen said: The power of her mind and the power of her conviction was intoxicating for people.

People would listen to her and you could not help but believe what she was saying.

I believe she had something to prove and did everything for the cure.

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A Cure for Wellness movie: The REAL evil doctor story who inspired horror film - Daily Star