Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a “famous” home that has been transformed from a simple abode into an on-screen icon?
Would you enjoy the notoriety of living in a house that appeared in a popular movie or TV show? Would the relentless throng of tourists cause pleasure or pain? Would it raise or lower the property value? And most importantly, how could you cash in on it?
Well, an intriguing new documentary, titled “The House From…,” sets out to answer all of those questions—revealing the very complicated reality of living inside a familiar on-screen property.
Directed by Tommy Avallone, the newly released film takes viewers inside a slew of very recognizable homes that have popped up in a wide number of movies and TV series over the years, including “Full House,” “The Golden Girls,” “Breaking Bad,” “Twilight,” “Home Alone,” “Friday,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “Old School,” “Roseanne,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Family Matters,” “The Goonies,” “A Christmas Story,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Halloween.”
These homes—and their notoriety—have long fascinated Avallone, who said of the inspiration behind the project: “Visiting these houses was something that I have been doing for years. Asking to come inside with a camera was just the logical next step.”
Why are we so obsessed by these famous-location homes?
The “Christmas Story” homeowner has the spirit that seems to work best for the most iconic homes. But why are people so drawn to them?
Avallone attempted to answer that question by interviewing Villanova pop culture professor Susan Mackey-Kallis.
“I think pop culture has replaced religion, particularly for a lot of young people who are no longer religiously affiliated,” she says. “It is their world. As a culture, we are much more secular, and people are not going to places of worship the way their parents and their grandparents did. But that impulse doesn’t go away.
“The idea that there’s something bigger. I think pop culture has replaced churches or synagogues as places of worship for them. That draw is still there, they just fulfill it in different ways.”
You can catch “The House From…” on Fubo or Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Channel on Oct. 27, and also on VOD platforms.
