Narrated by Jason Lee, Tommy Avallone’s documentary The House From is equal parts nostalgia-fueled documentary and HGTV. The premise is simple: visiting the houses of all your favorite movies and TV shows. But what would life be like if you lived in the house from Home Alone, seeing hundreds of fans every day, or if fans were throwing pizzas on your roof like in Breaking Bad? What’s life like when everyone knows your house? Tommy Avallone seeks to answer those questions in this cross-country trek to tour Hollywood’s most famous homes.
The House From follows two primary themes: the fandom surrounding each iconic home and the lives of the homeowners embracing or rejecting the fanbase. Avallone and his crew go to great lengths to ensure every house is represented, from the fabulous mansion of Home Alone to the terrifying house from Halloween, the pop culture museums of A Christmas Story and The Outsiders to the modern AirBnB of the house from Twilight. Avallone takes equal measures to ensure homeowners and fans from across the spectrum are represented, ranging from fans recreating their favorite horror movie houses to angry homeowners at war with a fanbase. The result is an insightful documentary, gleaming with pop culture resonance.
“…visiting the houses of all your favorite movies and TV shows.“
Writers Tommy Avallone and Ryan Petrillo skillfully weave personal memories of homeowners and nostalgic throwbacks of fans throughout the documentary. The emphasis on the homeowners gives The House From a street-level insight unique to the realm of pop culture documentaries. Some moments in the film drag, or chapters overstay their runtime. However, the majority of interviews are engaging, personal stories behind the scenes of classic movie moments. Scenes at The Goonies house bring the narrative full circle, giving the film a worthy climax. Interviews at each Halloween house will leave horror fans eager for a road trip to Michael Myer’s residence.
The audience for The House From is planted purely in nostalgia. But the film never tries to be anything less than a fun, nostalgic look at the houses that audiences love. Avallone discusses the positives and negatives of fandom in the 2020s but ultimately leaves the viewer ready to embrace and respect the homes of the silver screen. Houses from Halloween, Full House, and Home Alone are major highlights, and each interview with Danny Boy of House of Pain gushing about The Outsiders is delightful. It’s a heartfelt love letter to pop culture primed for fans of The Last Blockbuster or the days of Blockbuster.
"…equal parts nostalgia-fueled documentary and HGTV."
