Walter Gilman

**Walter Gilman** is a character in Netflix's *Cabinet of Curiosities*, appearing in "Dreams in the Witch House." He is portrayed by Rupert Grint and also by Gavin MacIver-Wright as a younger version of the character.

## Profile

As a young boy, Walter witnessed the tragic death of his sister, Epperley to illness, then her becoming a ghost and being drawn away. He has since spent his life as a member of the Spiritualist Society, seeking for a way to make contact with the other side.

## History

### The boy and his sister

As a young boy, Walter plays music on the piano for his sister, Epperley. She enjoys the performance, singing along, though she is clearly not well. He tells her that he will protect her, but she slips away into death. She then appears behind him, a ghost. As the two realizes what is happening, a storm starts up outside and she is dragged out the door and into a portal containing a mysterious forest. Walter is left alone, shocked.

Desperate to be reunited with sister, Walter devotes his life to the cause, becoming a researcher for the Massachusetts Spiritualist Society. He attends various events such as a performance by a medium, hoping to find someone who truly has the power to contact the other side, but keeps encountering only charlatans. He is often joined by his friend and fellow researcher, Frank Elwood. Frank, however, is growing tired of the perpetual poverty. He gets a job working for *Time* magazine and suggests that Walter do the same, but Walter will have none of it, wanting only to be reunited with his sister.

Walter goes to the head of the Massachusetts office, Mr. Labuschagne, asking for traveling funds to visit two promising out-of-state mediums. The man, however, denies his request, telling him that the Massachusetts office is facing financial pressure and possible closure. He tells him that they are putting a hold on all paid fieldwork.

### Other dimensions

Walter heads to the bar where he has a second job. There, he overhears two men discussing "other dimensions." He asks what they are talking about and one of them, a Native American, offers to tell him more outside. At first, he is suspicious of Walter, believing him to be another white man that wants Native American secrets, but Walter explains that he is trying to reunite with his sister. The man introduces to him a substance called "liquid gold" that he claims can take him to the other dimension that he desires, but he warns him to not leave any ripples.

Walter downs the substance and finds himself in the forest, reunited with his sister, but is pulled away by a vine shortly after meeting her. He wakes up and goes to Frank, but Frank is disbelieving of his claim that he saw his sister and chastises him for using drugs. Walter goes back and takes more of the liquid gold, once again finding his sister. This time, they are able to speak for longer. She asks him if he achieved his dream of playing in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, but he tells her that he's devoted his life to looking for her. He is once again pulled away and grabs at her dress as he does so. When he wakes up, he finds himself holding the scrap of cloth he pulled from her dress.

Excited by his discovery, Walter pursues a plan to try to bring Epperley back to life. He finds an old book which discusses a woman named Keziah Mason who was executed as a witch and supposedly had the power to travel to other dimensions. When he learns of her old home, the "Witch House," he visits Mr. Labuschagne, trying to get traveling funds, but Mr. Labuschagne chastises him for taking drugs and revokes his membership until he gets cleaned up. Undeterred, Walter then learns that there is a small room for rent at the Witch House and takes up residence there.

### Keziah and Jenkins

Walter has a strange dream in which he is examined by Keziah Mason and a rat with a human face who calls himself Jenkins Brown. During the dream, the rat asks Keziah if Walter might be the one that they have been waiting for. After waking up, Walter discovers strange inscriptions on the wall that lead him to believe that the fact that he and Epperley are twins is the key to unlocking the portal to other dimensions. He uses more of the liquid gold to return to the forest, but ends up being pursued by both Keziah and Mason. He and Epperley manage to shake them off and the two both return to the real world. Epperley is a ghost, but is glowing and insubstantial. She tells him that it is wrong and just then Jenkin Browns emerges from a rat hole. The two flee to Walter's neighbor, a woman named Mariana. "You opened a door?" she asks. She explains that the spirit of Keziah compels her to paint her visions and that in the past she's painted both Epperely and Walter. Her paintings show that Walter must die for Epperley to live.

The group flees to a nearby church where Keziah pleads the nun in charge of the church, Sister Lucretia, for sanctuary. Lucretia at first does not want anything whatsoever to do with Keziah, but eventually relents. She warns, however, that Walter has unleashed something that even she may not be able to protect them against. Not long after, Walter's colleague, Frank, arrives. He pleads for Walter to come with him to a hospital, but the others tell him that a hospital will not do Walter any good.

### A new life

Keziah begins her assault. They try to hold out against her, but ultimately Walter finds himself compelled to go to her. She seizes Walter, drags him back to the Witch House and makes to stab out his eye. Just then, however, Epperley appears and pulls Keziah away, taking the dagger and stabbing her in the eye instead. Epperley then tells Walter that she's finally free and that he has to let her go before fading away.

Walter collapses and is put to bed by Mariana and Frank. They are relieved at his survival, but it turns out not to be over. In the attic, they discover a box containing the corporal remains of Jenkins Brown and Keziah. Downstairs, Walter shouts that something's in him. They race down to discover the rat emerging from his chest.

They try to smash it, but it skitters away. Frank shouts to get a doctor, but Mariana tells him that it's too late, that her paintings never lie. After they leave, however, Walter wakes up. The rat returns, telling him that he told him he couldn't escape him. He crawls back into the opening in his body and takes control. He then heads out into the world, Jenkins Brown returned to life in the body of Walter Gilman.