7 Movie Homes To Move Into
Swanky settings you’d love to live in…
It’s not every day you get to own a piece of film history, let alone live inside it.
But the owners of the glass-walled house (above)* from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – better known as home to Alan Ruck’s Cameron and his car-loving father – has now been put on sale at the reasonable price of $2.3 million.
Sadly, the price does not include a free Ferrari.
But that got our brains itching about the coolest homes featured on film and how great it would be to inhabit them.
Now, on to the homes!
*And remember kids: people in glass houses don’t throw orgies.[Page-break]
The Film: The Lake House (2006)
The House: The Lake House (because it’s on a lake, see?)
Location: Illinois, USA
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Estate Agent Listing: Situated on a beautiful location on stilts at the shore edge of Maple Lake in Cook County, this peaceful glass house is the perfect place for your Zen meditation.
Designed by a soulful, slightly emotionally detached architect, it’s isolated but still close enough to local amenities to be an ideal family home for people who can swim.
Oh, and did we mention it has a letterbox that lets you send messages THROUGH TIME? How cool would that be? You could play tricks on friends, avert disasters, and even fall in love.
Can you get it for real? Sadly no. It was built for the movie and was knocked down once the shoot was complete. You can still visit the lake, though…
Next: Back To The Future [Page-Break]
The Film: Back To The Future (1985)
The House: Doc Brown’s 1955 home
Location: Hill Valley, California
Estate Agent Listing: Houses don’t come much more eclectic than this beautifully designed houses on a quiet Hill Valley Street.
Inside you’ll find a wide variety a labour-saving devices and more than one clock, since the property was owned by a scientist who has fallen on hard times and now lives in a garage.
Can you get it for real? Well, it definitely exists. But it’s a national landmark and architectural museum in Pasadena, north of Los Angeles.
The only people who get to live there are students from the University of Southern California’s architecture school – two different occupants are chosen from the class each year. So you could always apply…
Next: Iron Man [Page-break]
The Film: Iron Man (2008)
The House: Tony Stark’s Malibu Bachelor pad
Location: Point Dume, Malibu, California
Estate Agent Listing: For the discreet gentleman who needs to be up to date on the latest gadgets, a dream home.
Sitting on a picturesque point overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this palatial, yet modern structure boasts lots of underground storage space, the latest in high tec entertainment and several half-dressed ladies that got lost wandering around the place.
Please note: price dropped due to unexplained but easily repairable rocket thrust damage.
Can you get it for real? Unfortunately not. The exterior is entirely CG, situated in the local national park.
The insides were built at the Playa Vista Stages in West Los Angeles. At the time of writing, they’re probably back up, being used to shoot the Iron Man sequel, so you could always try and sneak in to live there.
But Jon Favreau won’t be pleased.
Next: House On Haunted Hill [Page-break]
The Film: House On Haunted Hill (1959)
The House: A flashy home rented by Millionaire Fredrick Loren.
Location: Unknown
Estate Agent Listing: For the thrill-seekers among you, why not give a thought to this unique property, which boasts a rich and full history entirely free of brutal, bloody murders.
Scandalous and frankly slanderous reports have been bandied about regarding seven entirely natural, if vague gruesome deaths, plus a few more.
But we think that just adds to the ambience!
Can you get it for real? The house used by director William Castle, located on Glendower Avenue in Los Angeles.
Designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1920s it fell into serious disrepair following the film and was damaged by a hefty 1994 earthquake.
It’s now being restored to its former glory – but as a display house, not a workable home.
Next: Notting Hill [Page-break]
The Film: Notting Hill (1999)
The House: William Thatcher’s flat
Location: Notting Hill, London
Estate Agent Listing: A compact, well-located small home, likely to appear to singles or those who don’t require too much space.
The biggest selling point here is the prime address, since it can be found in the heart of London’s attractive Notting Hill area, home to a multicultural mix and some beautiful architecture.
Comes complete with sweaty, underwear-baring Welsh lodger.
Can you get it for real? You could see if the current owners will sell it, yes.
But be prepared to shell out several million since it’s not actually the cramped, yet sexy flat from the film, but a beautiful home with a big garden that used to belong to Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis.
Oh, and the door isn’t blue anymore. It’s black – the blue door got auctioned for charity.
Next: Panic Room [Page-break]
The Film: Panic Room (2002)
T he House: Meg Altman’s New York brownstone
Location: New York City, USA
Estate Agent Listing: Situated in one of New York’s finest locales, this gorgeous, spacious several-level home was once owned by an elderly rich gentleman who customised it for his use.
You will find real elegance, austere charm and a solid, steel-lined panic room ideal for those occasions when pesky thieves break in to the house.
Not that that ever happens, you understand. This is an exclusive district, of course.
Can you get it for real? The house is real – well, the outside, anyway. It can be found at 38 West 94th Street, in New York’s trendy, expensive Upper West Side.
We can’t speak to whether there’s a panic room there - the interior sets were built and shot in Los Angeles.
Next: You Only Live Twice [Page-break]
The Film: You Only Live Twice (1967)
The House: SPECTRE’s Volcano lair
Location: An unknown island off the coast of Japan
Estate Agent Listing: For the gentleman who requires a little more room to plan the destruction of the free world, or who requires a convenient launching pad for rockets, look no further.
There is plentiful room for the accommodation of many hench… er… employees and adequate tunnels that British Secret Ag… er… visitors can explore.
Can you get it for real? It’s a hollowed-out volcano. In a Bond movie. What do you think?
Exterior shot stand-in Mount Shinmoe-dake definitely exists, but it’s not home to a secret organisation’s nefarious plans unless there’s something the Japanese government isn’t telling the world.
Next, you’ll be demanding sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.
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James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine.
