Naman Shrestha
The David DeCoteau directorial, Lifetime’s ‘Million Dollar Lethal Listing,’ is a mystery thriller movie that acquaints us with Becca and her husband Tom, a picture-perfect couple who manage to find a picture-perfect suburban house for themselves. After they purchase it and move into their new property, Becca and Tom are suddenly awakened by a mysterious stranger, claiming that he is the real owner of the property that they have bought.
As the married couple gets familiar with their neighborhood and the residents, their life turns upside down as some deep-rooted secrets and lies of the neighbors come to the surface. While the impressive performances from Morgan Bradley, Jon Briddell, Ciarra Carter, and Jackée Harry, help bring the drama film to life, certain themes and elements, such as shady neighborhoods and mysterious neighbors, also contribute to making the storylines seem true to life.
Million Dollar Lethal Listing is Not Rooted in Reality
Given its few parallels with real life, the viewers might be under the impression that ‘Million Dollar Lethal Listing’ is based on a true story. But sorry to break it, the thriller film is not inspired by any actual incident. There have been many headline-grabbing news related to neighbors, due to which some of you might find some aspects of the drama movie similar. For instance, 43-year-old Jennifer Neil was arrested in February 2024 after she threatened her neighbor and was charged with aggravated menacing and terroristic threatening. Allegedly, Jennifer threatened to kill her neighbor with a pair of scissors in her hand, raised in a stabbing motion.
Apart from actual life, the themes and elements surrounding menacing neighbors and intimidating strangers are also explored in several movies and TV shows. Movies like ‘Disturbia,’ ‘The Woman in the Window,’ and ‘Let the Right One In’ revolve mainly around an intrusive and mysterious neighbor/s, just like ‘Million Dollar Lethal Listing.’ But Netflix’s ‘Leave the World Behind,’ which was directed by Sam Esmail, is not only similar in regards to the themes but also the overall feel and vibe. Led by the star-studded cast of Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la Herrold, and Kevin Bacon, the mystery thriller movie is based on the eponymous 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam.
When Amanda and Clay Sandford book a luxurious property for a weekend getaway with their children, their relaxing time is disturbed by the arrival of two strangers who claim to be the owners of the house. As the threat of a blackout becomes more and more imminent with time, the Sandford family and the two strangers prepare for a potential crisis. So, they must put their differences aside and work side-by-side to get out of it alive. To reiterate, given the true-to-life elements of the Lifetime production, it might seem to be inspired by a true story but it is a work of fiction.
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