Volcanos, Spaceships and Los Angeles: The Places Evil Calls Home

by Stephen Witte | October 7th, 2019

Ever noticed the extraordinary homes and hideouts owned by villains? Their places have it all — enviable locations, fantastic gadgets and unlimited budgets. Crime pays, architecturally speaking. Leastways it does in the movies. That’s the premise of “Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains.” This upcoming book is the first volume in Tra Publishing’s Design + Film series. The book’s editor, Chad Oppenheim, FAIA, selected the lairs using what he calls an idiosyncratic process. Still, the reader receives a panoramic behind-the-scenes tour of 15 of movieland’s iconic set designs. The collection of how-we-did-it interviews included in “Lair” are themselves treasures. Interspersed among the book’s 15 richly illustrated case studies of villainous lairs are first-person accounts from production designers, directors, actors and others. They are but one reason those who love movies and moviemaking will want a copy of “Lair.” Mr. Oppenheim and his guest commentators suggest a collective mindset …