Last year’s Netflix film “Falling for Christmas” was heralded as a much-anticipated comeback for long-troubled actress and tabloid darling Lindsay Lohan. It was hardly her first, though. Back in 2013, following a seemingly never-ending string of stints in rehab and jail, not to mention countless off-camera antics, the star landed the part of former model Tara in the erotic thriller “The Canyons.” Chronicling a love triangle that goes murderously wrong, the production was hyped to the nines as a revival role for the star, with media outlets reporting ad nauseam on the filming and behind-the-scenes goings-on. And now, a decade later, the movie is making headlines once again as the modern house at its center, where Tara lived with her low-budget horror movie producer boyfriend, Christian (James Deen, an actor best known for his work in the adult film industry), has hit the market.
Nestled in the rolling bluffs of Malibu on a vast four-acre parcel perched atop a lush promontory boasting views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and beyond, the singular estate at 21940 Lamplighter Ln. is being offered for $7,988,888 by Garrett Stafford of Douglas Elliman. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.) An undeniable trophy pad, the movie it starred in wound up proving a categorical dud.
Although backed by two Hollywood stalwarts – Bret Easton Ellis, of “Less Than Zero” and “American Psycho” fame, penned the script and Paul Schrader, who helmed “American Gigolo,” directed – “The Canyons” ultimately fizzled at the box office, bringing in a meager $62,000 in worldwide ticket sales. Shot on a crowdsourced microbudget of $250,000 (with Schrader even going so far as to offer up a money clip Robert De Niro once gifted him to Kickstarter donors in a fierce attempt to raise funds), the film, which is currently available to stream on Tubi, didn’t even manage to break even.
Despite the scant budget, the production team secured some impressive locations to serve as backdrops for the shoot. Set and filmed in Los Angeles, footage was captured at such fabled spots as the Chateau Marmont’s legendary Bar Marmont, Westfield Century City and Santa Monica Place shopping centers, the Palihotel Melrose and the since shuttered Café Med on the Sunset Strip (now home to Saltie Girl Seafood Bar), where Lohan reportedly showed up late following an all-night party session with Lady Gaga that lasted until 5:30 in the morning despite the leading lady’s 6 a.m. call time.
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin The movie’s definitive location standout is easily Christian’s home, though. The towering estate was also secured thanks to crowdsourced funding. As journalist Stephen Rodrick, who chronicled “The Canyons'” famously tumultuous three-week shoot for The New York Times, reported, “One Kickstarter donor gave $10,000 to the production and another $10,000 to a designer so that Schrader could use his beautiful house in the Malibu hills for filming. It was a significant break; the house was a stately pleasure dome with giant picture windows, a stairway leading to a pool and a sweeping view to the sea. It quickly became the most dependable player in the film after James Deen.”
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin Indeed, the avant-garde abode, with its dramatic angles, curving walls and dynamic façade, cuts a sharp image both onscreen and off.
Offering four bedrooms and four baths in 3,092 square feet, the pad is the work of Vitus Mataré of the Vitus Mataré & Associates architectural design firm. Completed in 1978, the sprawling compound consists of four separate structures, including a main house, a pool house and a detached studio, which was uniquely crafted from a former chicken coop!
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin The interior is a beautiful mesh of clean lines, sleek surfaces and dramatic wood accents. Capped by towering ceilings and lined with walls of glass that overlook the surrounding bluffs and ocean shoreline, the living spaces are nothing short of cinematic. Flowing openly across the main level, common areas include a formal dining room, living room and kitchen, the latter a stylish enclave outfitted with a Sub-Zero refrigerator, an updated stainless steel appliance suite, marble counters, frosted glass-fronted cabinetry and a large central island boasting a plethora of additional storage and built-in cutting boards.
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin Situated upstairs, the owners’ suite is a luxe loft-like space open to the floor below, featuring hardwood flooring, a walk-in closet, an adjacent library and lounge and a statement ceiling that artfully curves across the entire second level.
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin Outside, positioned beneath the main house, is the pool deck, a massive plateau fashioned with multiple terraced areas, a built-in BBQ and striking views of the surrounding landscape.
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin Tucked just below the deck is the elaborate pool house. Virtually its own apartment, the spacious retreat comes complete with a bedroom, a bathroom, a full kitchen, a living area and multiple patios.
Wholly private, the residence’s verdant grounds are a gaggle of rolling hills and fruit trees, populated by an abundance of avocado, citrus, guava and apricot varieties, with nary a neighbor in sight. There is a two-car garage on the premises, as well, with additional parking for up to 15 vehicles.
The listing also includes an adjacent lot at 2620 Coal Canyon Rd., comprising “8.79 acres of pristine Malibu mountainside ensuring that no other properties can be built in obstruction of the existing view.” A supplementary adjoining plot at 2630 Coal Canyon Rd. consisting of three parcels totaling 7.49 acres is additionally available via Chris Frost of Pritchett-Rapf & Associates for $1.499 million.
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Image Credit: Niaz Uddin Utterly eye-catching from top to bottom, the house has become quite popular for photoshoots over the years and was even featured on the cover of the March 2018 issue of Vogue magazine alongside “Tomb Raider” star Alicia Vikander.
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Image Credit: IFC Films -
Image Credit: Niaz Uddin But its most significant claim to fame, of course, is its role in “The Canyons.” The property figures front and center throughout the thriller, its gorgeous architecture providing a striking environment for the dark storyline to play out.
The dwelling was a last-minute find for the production team. As the current owner tells DIRT, “They were just about to begin filming at a modern house in Venice when we met one of the producers (who ended up becoming one of our dearest friends). When Paul Schrader saw our house in an actual canyon, he insisted on switching locations. Hair and make-up was done in the downstairs bedroom and at one point Lindsay Lohan locked herself in and refused to come out to film a nude scene. Paul Schrader climbed through the bedroom window to persuade her and offered to direct the scene in the nude to make her more comfortable. It worked!”
Although Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com later dismissed the edgy backdrop in her review of the flick, noting “all movie sociopaths live in crisply modern houses that look like biotech labs,” the residence is showcased exquisitely onscreen, granting a truly forgettable film a truly memorable setting. The pad proved so captivating, Gerald Peary of The Arts Fuse went so far as to deem it “the best such domicile since the cutting-edge mansion in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 ‘North by Northwest.'” Though that property never actually existed (it was nothing more than a Hollywood set), “The Canyons” house is the genuine article – and now yours for the taking!