Sometimes a good house can make a movie! Such is the case with “A Kind of Murder.” Based upon the 1954 book “The Blunderer” by Patricia Highsmith (who also penned the novels “Strangers on a Train” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” both of which were famously adapted for the screen), the psychological thriller follows wealthy architect/part-time mystery writer Walter Stackhouse (Patrick Wilson) who becomes obsessed with a local man accused of murdering his wife and then winds up embroiled in a very similar case when his own wife, Clara (Jessica Biel), is found dead under nearly identical circumstances.
The 2016 film, directed by Andy Goddard, largely flew under the radar (its domestic gross was an unbelievably scant $2,915), though it did draw quite a few jeers from critics. Vox reporter Alissa Wilkinson wrote, “‘A Kind of Murder’ tries to be a psychological thriller, but forgets the psychological part. It’s not very thrilling either.” And reviewer Matt Pais had this to say, “Appealing exclusively to people who play board games for the enjoyment of setting up the pieces, ‘A Kind of Murder’ is less cat-and-mouse than cat-and-mirror. The movie just sits there, proud to look pretty, not really doing anything.”
He’s not wrong. From the costume design to the makeup to the locations, “A Kind of Murder” (now streaming on both Hulu and Vudu) is undeniably pretty. Set in New York in 1960, filmmakers looked to Cincinnati, Ohio and its environs, an area that, per the production notes, boasts a “treasure trove of intact vintage architecture,” to mask as their retro Big Apple. Production designer Pete Zumba says, “All period films have their unique challenges, but Cincinnati more than held its own as a substitute for era-specific New York City.”
A few Queen City-area spots featured in the movie include Union Terminal (1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati), the Marianne Theater (607 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, Kentucky) and a former Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant (1101 Front St., New Richmond), which masqueraded as Harry’s Rainbow Grill, the rest stop where both women’s deaths occurred.
But the real star of the film is the midcentury modern home where Walter and Clara live. Said to be at 49 Marlborough Road in the fictional town of Greendale in Westchester County, the brick and glass pad can actually be found at 7900 Rollingknolls Dr. in Amberley, a small village located about ten miles north of Cincinnati.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Set amongst a sea of grass with a shed roof steeply pitched toward the sky, the 1968 pad is a beacon of sharp angles and sleek lines.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com There is quite a bit of ambiguity regarding the dwelling’s provenance floating around online. Past real estate listings have attributed the home to an architect named Neil Hardy, while other websites (including IMDB) claim Hugh Hardy of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer was the creator. The pad’s most recent listing asserts Benjamin Dombar, a long-time apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, was behind the design. Whatever the case, there is no arguing the five-bedroom, five-bath property is an MCM masterpiece! With retro detailing including cathedral ceilings, a sunken living room, clerestory windows, and a rounded brick fireplace dotted throughout 5,000 spacious square feet, the place is the stuff of a cinematographer’s dreams!
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The main living area, situated on the top level, is open and bright and anchored by a spiral staircase that leads through a circle-shaped cutout to the floor below. Downstairs you’ll find a den, a recreation room, a game room and an in-law unit with a bedroom, bathroom, office and dining space.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The property has changed hands a few times over the past decade (it most recently sold in April 2020 for $858,000) and it is apparent from the various MLS images that it was updated at some point after 2014. Though countless original details remain, the home has been modernized in all the right spots, including the kitchen, which was opened up and outfitted with such contemporary fixtures as a waterfall edge island, open shelving and a tiled backsplash.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The baths have also been given a major facelift and today look straight out of a design magazine.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Outside on the 1.25-acre lot are sweeping expanses of lawn, a hot tub, a fire pit and a patio canopied by shade sails. Modern truly meets historic at the extraordinary residence and “A Kind of Murder” filmmakers took full advantage of the aesthetic.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com In Highsmith’s novel, Walter is a lawyer, but for the film, screenwriter Susan Boyd changed his profession to that of an architect. As such, the residence where he lives with Clara, which is said to be one of his own designs, became an important visual. The Amberley house served the production’s needs perfectly.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Both the interior and exterior were utilized to great effect throughout the film.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Not much of the residence had to be altered for the shoot. Zumba and set decorator Jim Warren even opted to make use of the muted yellow couch that lined the perimeter of the sunken living room at the time (which has since been reupholstered in a blue fabric).
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The unique architecture of the house even influenced the actors’ blocking in certain scenes. As Goddard explained to the No Film School website, “We were always looking for ways to frame him [Patrick Wilson] within the context of his surroundings. We talked about mixing up the use of lenses as his journey progresses and he becomes more and more trapped, and staying more and more claustrophobic with the frame. You’ll see in the Stackhouse home, there’s a scene with Jessica and Patrick, where there’s literally this divided wall between them.”
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Image Credit: Realtor.com He goes on to say, “There’s also a wonderful little spiral staircase in the Stackhouse home that looks like a spider’s web, so yeah we were always trying to use things like that.” The methodology was successful. The imagery of “A Kind of Murder” stays with the viewer long after the credits roll.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: The Stackhouse residence from “A Kind of Murder” is located at 7900 Rollingknolls Dr. in Amberley, Ohio. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.