There are some houses that will always be instantly recognisable due to their appearance in Hollywood blockbusters. Some were never real, but many are still lived in and attract a great deal of attention which can either be a blessing or a curse for the inhabitants of these movie mansions. Here we look at some of the most impressive and memorable from the world of movies:
The Money Pit
This 1986 comedy starring Tom Hanks was about a hilarious home renovation that just wouldn’t go to plan. The mansion is in Long Island and was owned by the publisher during the time of filming. The current occupiers bought the home in 2002 and have joked that their experiences of renovating the house are not too dissimilar from the 1986 movie plot! It looks a lot better these days and recently sold for $12.5 million.
Psycho
Not many movie houses have more of an impact than the incredibly creepy house of Norman Bates. This was never a real residence (thankfully) but the house does still stand to this day. It was built for the movie and can be seen on the Universal Studios Studio Tour.
Home Alone
This large stunning mansion is in a suburb of Chicago and sold for $1.5 million a couple years ago. The Georgian style home remained occupied during most of the 1990 filming that propelled Macaulay Culkin to instant fame.
www.atlasobscura.com
Top Gun
Kelly McGillis’ character in the movie lived in a gorgeous cottage right on the California coast. It’s actually one of the oldest beach homes in San Diego county and was built in 1887. The cottage has since been made a ‘historic’ property and recently renovated.
www.panoramio.com
Steel Magnolias
This beautiful 5,900 square foot home is found in Louisiana and was a bed and breakfast business until 2012. It has an interesting history and served as a Civil War hospital after being built in 1840. Anyone would be lucky to live here, with its six bedrooms, pool, period brick columns and very own guest house.
www.natchitoches.net
The Lake House
This stunning property was constructed purely for the movie starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. It was built on Maple Lake, Chicago and made entirely out of glass, it offered amazing views over the lake. After the movie, producers were inundated with people wanting to buy the house but sadly it was taken apart and is no more.
www.hookedonhouses.net
Pride & Prejudice
The 2005 movie used Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England for Jane Austen’s Pemberley Estate. This was the house that had inspired the author and where the exterior scenes were filmed. Most of the interior shots were taken at Wilton House in Wiltshire – an equally quaint and beautiful period home.
Mrs Doubtfire
Located on one of San Francisco’s many hills, this gorgeous home is still very much inhabited. Upon the sad and untimely death of Robin Williams, the house has become a shrine to fans and those wishing to pay their respects. The current owner appears to accept this with good grace.
www.sfgate.com
Marley & Me
A superb farmhouse in the countryside of Pennsylvania is where the characters of Marley & Me move into. Built in the 1830s, both the inside and outside of the home were used in filming. Not many changes needed to be made as the property had recently been renovated and the film even includes the owner’s actual furniture!
www.hookedonhouses.net
Diamonds Are Forever
There have been countless impressive villain lairs in the James Bond franchise but the bad guy’s pad in Diamonds Are Forever was a stunner. Constructed in 1968, Elrod House in Los Angeles has also appeared in Playboy shoots. There’s a roof deck, a huge swimming pool and a car port for four cars, yours for a cool $13.9 million!
www.ocregister.com
Great Expectations
This 1998 movie based on the Dickens classic takes the story and moves it to modern day America. The character of Nora lives in a glorious but run down estate which is actually a real residence in Sarasota, Florida. The Venetian-style mansion was built in 1924 but had fallen into a poor state and it’s this poor state you see in the movie itself.
Sleeper
Woody Allen’s 1973 movie Sleeper featured this unusual home probably due to its sci-fi appearance. Shaped like a shell, this futuristic looking house was designed by Charles Deaton and sits upon Genesee Mountain. It still looks modern even though it was built in the 1960s and features a column of glass windows and a quirky elevator.
Under the Tuscan Sun
This 2003 movie may have inspired many people to dream of travelling to Italy and purchasing a beautiful villa. The dilapidated villa once renovated is the stuff of dreams and this villa is real. Since becoming famous in this film, it has been lovingly restored and is now available to rent.
www.hookedonhouses.net
The Notebook
The whole film was a romantic renovation project to win back true love and we all fell in love with the house with its beautiful porch and classic shutters. It is a real home, which we can all feel jealous of, and can be found at Martin’s Point Plantation in South Carolina. It wasn’t that rundown when filming so the crew had to roughen it up a bit which is pretty amazing for a house built in the 1770s.
www.ratedpeople.com
Father of the Bride
This movie was probably responsible for a huge surge on backyard weddings such was the beauty of this location. In reality, the 1991 movie used two houses – the interior and front was a home in Pasadena, California while the backyard was classic colonial property in Alhambra. The property used for the backyard nuptials recently sold for $1.2 million.
www.abcnews.go.com
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