This House Looks Familiar

Imagine strangers dropping by to smoke weed in your yard, throw a pizza on your roof or pose on your porch with a pumpkin. That’s the reality for the residents of houses appearing in the movie comedy “Friday,” the AMC series “Breaking Bad” and the horror classic “Halloween.” These and other scenarios are explored in a new documentary called “The House From …”

Narrated by Jason Lee, whose pop culture credentials include the sitcom “My Name Is Earl” and several Kevin Smith movies, “The House From …” dramatizes the magnetic attraction of famous houses and the invigorating or enraging effect their popularity has on residents and neighbors. The documentary makes its debut on Friday at the SModcastle Film Festival, in Atlantic Highlands, N.J., an event hosted by Mr. Smith.

Tommy Avallone, 41, the film’s director and co-writer, knows a thing or two about fandom, having previously produced a documentary about “Ghostbusters” and directed one on Bill Murray. He spoke to The Times about how real estate in the real world can serve as a touch point for the movies and television shows we grow up loving.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired this documentary?

My wife and I at one point lived in Los Angeles, and when we first moved there, we’re, like, “Wait, we live 10 minutes from the ‘Wonder Years’ house? And we can drive to the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ house? That’s crazy.”

Visiting famous houses from pop culture was always a thing I did. If I was in Chicago, I’d go to the ‘Home Alone’ house, regardless. This project gave me an excuse to be able to actually talk to the owners and go inside. I’ve gotten to pee inside the “Full House” house, in San Francisco, which is a goal I never thought I had.