Thought I’d take a little break today from writing about New York filming locations as there is a movie house that Mike, from MovieShotsLA, and I stalked a few weeks back that I am just dying to blog about – Christina Applegate’s home from fave movie Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead! I swear, I’ve wanted to stalk that house for what seems like forever, but could never figure out its location. In fact, Mike and I had become convinced that the house wasn’t really a house at all, but a facade that had been built on a studio back lot somewhere. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to ask fellow stalker Owen for some help in either locating the house or getting a confirmation that it had been just a set. Well, not twenty-four hours later, Owen emailed me back . . . with an address!!!!!!!!!!!!! He had somehow managed to track down a crew member from the 1991 film who confirmed that the house was real. And while he didn’t remember its exact location, he said he had the address written down in one of his files and promised to look it up for us. So, later that day, the guy actually WENT THROUGH HIS FILES and found the address!!!! How incredibly nice is that????? And pretty much immediately after I had it, Mike and I were on our way to stalk the house.
Because the Don’t Tell Mom house had been at the very top of my Must-Stalk list for YEARS, I was practically bursting with excitement the entire car ride there! I’m actually surprised my head didn’t explode or something! LOL And I am very happy to report that, in person, the house did not disappoint! 🙂 Over eighteen years later and it still looks very much the same as it did in the movie. 🙂 The crew member had told Owen that they had roughed up the house a bit for the filming and dressed it to look dingier than it actually was. He also told Owen that, using camera angles, the house was made to look much smaller onscreen than it actually was in real life. Well, I really had to laugh when I heard that, because the one thing I’ve always remembered about the Don’t Tell Mom house was how absolutely HUGE it was. So, for the crew member to say that it was even bigger in person absolutely boggled my mind! Anyway, due to the behind-the-scenes info that Owen was told, I wasn’t really expecting the house to look at all the same in person as it did in the movie. So, you can imagine my surprise when Mike and I pulled up to the house and saw that it was still completely, one hundred percent recognizable from the film! YAY! Because the angle of the house shown in the movie was not the view of the house seen from the street, I was, unfortunately, not able to get great photographs of it. In the movie, the exterior shots of the house were filmed mostly from the driveway area, with the camera facing West. The view from the street, however, which you can see in the above photograph, faces South.
Pictured above is the view of the house from the West, but because of the many trees on the property, not much is visible from that angle. 🙁
Other behind-the-scenes info the crew member told Owen was that the real interior of the home was used extensively for the filming, but that it, too, was made to look dingier and smaller for the production. He also told Owen that the “Dishes Are Done” scene in which Kenny (aka Keith Coogan) stands on the roof of the house with his friends and shoots the dishes instead of cleaning them, was not filmed on the home’s actual roof, but on a fake roof that was built in the backyard area. If you’ll notice in that scene, the camera never pans back far enough to show the whole house, because there wasn’t a whole house to show. The boys were actually standing just a few feet off the ground. 🙂
The crew member also said that the home’s real life backyard and pool area were used for the filming of the fashion show scene. And, as you can see in the above screen capture and aerial image, both look very much the same today as they did in the movie.
And can I just say that I so love the fact that the house was made a part of the Don’t Tell Mom movie poster! So cool!
On an ironic side note: About a year ago I got to meet Christopher Morley, who played the Marilyn Monroe drag queen who stole Christina Applegate’s car in the movie. And even though he wasn’t in any scenes that took place at the house, pretty much the very first words out of my mouth when I met him were “Do you happen to know where the house from Don’t Tell Mom is located?” To which he replied, “Oh honey, I don’t even remember where I filmed my scene, let alone where they filmed scenes I wasn’t even in!” LOL I always find it amazing when people forget things like that. And, while I realize that, as hard as it may be to believe, most people aren’t as interested in stalking locations as I am, I still find it odd when crew members don’t remember the addresses to places where they worked for days at a time. For about a year and a half, I worked as a personal assistant and, I’m telling you, my former boss could call me up today and say, “Do you remember where you bought those sheets for my guest house in May of 2007?” and, even though I’m not particularly interested in bedding, not only could I tell him the name of the store and it’s exact location, but also the color of the sheets I got him and the cost! And that’s not just because that particular store offered me champagne when I walked in the door, either. LOL No, no matter what anyone says, I will just never understand how people can forget something as important as a filming location! 😉
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Big, big THANK YOU to Owen for finding this location! 🙂
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: The Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead house is located at 15548 Iron Canyon Road in Canyon Country, near Santa Clarita.
I was very lucky that i was resident as next door neighbor of this amazing home living
in next two door neighbor away (15516# cross over the 15558# with empty land) been on and off for selling the land
I was lucky of to be next two doors neighbor of this amazing house in for several months in spring of 2022, just ahead of passing by empty land of 15558 iron canyon road, i was on behind of the small house on front, since it’s private location where longest driveway road with gate, i was evicted immediately by my “foster parent” was their very close family’s friend, but sadly i am no longer next-door neighbor to this house, but still resident of Iron canyon road, in shortly after being told to be taken off from had me unable to get new permanent residence address after being moved out/evicted from my foster parent…. After dmv told me can’t use PO Box address on residence address on my CA driver license, anyway I had enjoyed living out there like i was in my dream, i had dreamed to live in this house someday, either if i had become to be millionaire and ill buy an land in reno Nevada and asked if i could get to copy of build sheets of this house, only originally built before the house was sold in 2005 by new owner that had renovated the whole kitchen by rumor where i was living next door of this house, this house added an guesthouse behind of the house but that in 1991’ film there wasn’t an guesthouse built yet in backyard, but the swimming pool are still originally same but front door was replaced on double doors that originally were one door, in the film they werent even an red Brick and front porch in original film were in rough condition, i was sad about the whole kitchen’s renovation that in original film in 1991 in those kitchen with wooden tiles fluorescent light and oak woods cabinet are gone but where i lived still has the same oak cabinets and wood tiles ceiling from in 1970’s but this house’s kitchen fluorescent dropped ceiling with oak tiles ceiling are bigger and our are little bit smaller just six of fluorescent covers Ken and this original film’s kitchen has double extra six fluorescent covers len but our kitchen had never been remodel since the house was built in 1973
Cool interesting fact! Before the originally of “don’t tell mom the babysitters dead” film in 1991 was made for filming and rolled out to world to see Way before they started looking for the house to make film till they tried to get approval of our house to be film for movie but my former mom ‘ father had denied the dad rthis house the director of film had offered to make films in my foster parent’s house that was denied because my foster mom’s father told them “ no thanks , I’m they get to have filmed in this amazing 7000 square square home that the property owner/home over of this house approved to allow to make film their home,, but i was unable to get internet in to walk over and to chance
But my foster parent (next door neighbor of this famous house has similar have same kitchen that house in the film 1991 don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead’s in kitchen but sadly it was renovated and remodeled in somewhere in 2005 to 2008 that house was sold in 2005 and haven’t been on real estate since, and i have once met the property owner of this house but sadly never to get chance to have tour inside of. This house, but my foster mom had been in this house before in long time ago in different property/home owner,
2023 and still watching the movie and reading this article as I randomly look up stuff about the movie. 🤭🥲
I have loved this movie since it was released in 1991!
We recently released an episode on this movie as well!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RPaIYb1pYXTOyvPVuSmPg?si=YTQxGhG-T8W9Toy2dr3FHA
Thank you for finding the ‘dishes are done man’ house!
I’m glad I came across this article! Such an awesome house, and fantastic movie! All these years after writing this know that people are still coming across this article and it’s making their day! Thank you!
Hello everybody! 🙂 I am Canadian in Quebec of Montréal and this movie is part of my adolescence I listened a lot of time 🙂 All the actors were really good !! I too would love to come my picture front of the house if the owner accepts 🙂 In one year I’ll probably come for a trip to California 🙂 My question is, I want to know if the interior of the house in the film is real? The interior is it true? or it is reproduced inside the house is a Soundstage? I am very curious because the inside of the house in the film looks incredibly beautiful wowwww 🙂
I expect from you to answer my questions and many thanks!
Yes, it was filmed inside the house, but back then it was a little bit different.
That was my neighbor’s house, and I was there during the entire filming. You should have just asked me; I would have told you where the house was, haha.
The cast and crew members would come and play baseball with me on our property when they weren’t filming. We used to call it “The Cat Man’s House” because the guy who lived there several years before the movie was made had a ton of cats. Then the neighbors said that Chuck Norris’ brother lived there.
I’ve been in every square inch of that house, and when the movie was over, they gave us a bunch of the posters that were hanging in Kenny’s bedroom. I got the Iron Maiden poster that was hanging on the front of Melissa’s door. She flips the babysitter off and slams her bedroom door and the poster is right in the camera. Then it was my poster after that. 😉
I’ve got stories for days about that summer. Such a great childhood memory.
My fav movie. Have watched it scores of times. I even tried to map the house, but they omit some of the rooms in the movie. Like where was Zach’s room. They never showed the dining room. Never showed the cellar. Plus they never showed the west side of the house at all. I did get a publicity shot of the family lined up on this side off the porch. The house shows up well on aerial photos, but I wonder what that big house is in the rear. Servants quarters?
It was an office for Aaron Norris and a studio for his wife upstairs. Downstairs was a full size gym for Aaron and his brother Chuck Norris would come and work out.
Rick ( owner since 2005)
thats awesome!! i wish i could have been there as a kid…. does anyone live there now? any do they allow vistors? i would love to take a picture in front of the house! it’s my favorite movie of all time! i grew up on it! were the cast members like real nice & when they were not filming what else would you do?
Sure, send me an email. Nipro@sbcglobal.net
Have you ever searched for the hospital in DTMTBD?. I think it is North Ridge, and they just changed it to River Ridge..
Have you scouted out the mortuary? Press kit says it is Groman Eden Mortuary in Mission Hills.
It also says the temp hit 117 during filming part of the 6 weeks.
The hospital scenes were filmed in Lakeview Terrace. It used to be a hospital a long time ago, I believe it’s a rehabilitation center now.
I know where the ‘drag queen car jacking’ took place if you’re still looking for it. You can email me @ ALLISTER1973@AOL.COM
Thank you so much for this article! I was just watching the movie (for the 20th time probably), and thinking about how much I love that house. I was really interested in what town it’s located in. Imagine my delight when I found this page complete with pictures and an address! Also thanks to Keith Coogan for being awesome in that movie, and clarifying on here what the set was like. Love all of it! 🙂
I was just watching this movie, and decided to re-read your post on this because I remembered you had done one on the house. But now I’m totally amazed that Keith Coogan posted a comment below! Wow! So cool!!! Love him in that movie 🙂
Spectacular find! By far, my favorite movie of all time. I can watch it over and over and never get sick of it. Did read on the internet today that they are working on a remake. Please noooooooo! Hollywood needs to stop ruining the classics and going back to original thinking. Here’s to hoping it falls through!
I am i stalker…well let me rephrase that. I WISH I WAS a stalker. I sit at home (springfield ohio) alll day and look up weird and unusual facts about movies. Where they were shot, behind the scenes interaction, risks and such the actors had to go through ect. ect. I will add two comments. I 1.) I have a crush on you (iamastalker) and 2.) Think its totally fuckin’ rad that Keith Coogan commented on this shit. Well im watchin Dont tell mom the babysitters dead so i gotta go. Catch ya later twisted sister.
Fun Fact: This house is also the same house from the 80s sitcom “Just the Ten of Us”
Dear IAmNotAStalker.com.
The mock-up was used for the “Walter breaks his leg” scenes. We definitely crawled up onto the roof of the house to shoot the dishes scene. And the front of the house that you see from the driveway side is the side we used mostly. The “Kitchen” was also a working set right there in the real house, as well as Swell’s bedroom, Mom’s closet, and Melissa’s room. There was also a cut scene where we “discover” the pool in the backyard hidden all these years under brush and shrubbery. Thanks for finding the house, I get a lot of questions about that set/house, and now I can point them to your great article!
Sincerely,
Keith Coogan
hi do u happen to know any other of the film locations????????????? very interested by ue reply ….
I can attest to the scenes filmed on the roof. One of the first things I did to the house was to re-roof it. Lots of broken roofing tiles.
I remember you guys filming that cut scene. They had scuba divers at the bottom of the pool and the whole deal. I remember Danielle was underwater for a bit and then she surfaces and yells, “Swamp Thing!!” That was her line. I was just a neighbor kid, and everybody was so cool to let me hang out all the time.
OMG This is a great location I love that movie!!! Its so great how you don’t forget about all the good movies from way back when!
omg lindsay i swear u read my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was going crazy looking for this house!!!! i never asked u to stalk it though, so u read my mind LOL!!! love it!!!