Why did they name The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window as the film's title?
by Jaskiran Kaur | Wed, 02 Feb 2022 03:18:39 GMT
Image Source: IMDb, MovieWeb

Written by Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, and Larry Dorf, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window is a film with a very edgy title. The psychological thriller stars Kristen Bell as Anna, also an executive producer on the project. The character spies a murder across her street but isn't sure what she saw as she just drank a bit too much. However, she has decided to find out what exactly happened that night. 

The film has an absurdly long name, and you truly can not remember it in just a single take. However, actress Kristen Bell managed to learn the long title right away. She told Collider, "I got it right, right away. And that’s not a brag, that’s because it felt like a wonderful joke." "I think when someone does a really good bit or makes a really good joke that’s just tonally perfect, I tend to remember it," she explained. "I feel like this title really lets the audience know that we are going to be making fun of things and this might not be as serious as they think."

Of course, because the title is so fetching, actors Michael Ealy and Tom Riley were also asked how long they took to get the title right. "I guess I have practiced because I’ve said it more than some people would say it, but there’s a little joy at being able to say, “That’s what I’m shooting. That’s what’s gonna be on soon. It’s called The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window." The actor joked, "People think the title should have ended five seconds ago, and you’re still going. There’s a joy in that, for sure."

"The title’s definitely tied into the experience. Having lived through this experience of making this project, you think, “That’s it.” You could even probably add more. It is such an appropriate title for this experience, added Ealy.

"Titles are supposed to economize language, to let you know just a tiny little hint of what you’re about to get into," said Bell. "We tell you almost everything, and we tell you mostly non-pertinent details about the show in the title. That’s why the whole bit works."

The title is not the only thing in the film that will captivate the audience. The real treasure of the film has to be its secretive killer character. Once the plot finally reveals some hidden details, the audience will take some time to pick their jaws off the floor. "I could never in my wildest dreams, and I spent a lot of years playing a detective on television, have guessed that this is how they would’ve ended it, but it feels perfect," said Kristen Bell. "I think the most shocking thing was how violent the ending is, from my perspective."

"It feels perfect for what the show is while at the same time being completely unexpected. And as Kristen said, it’s incredibly violent and I was there for the violence," said Tom Riley about the experience with the end of the film. "I didn’t do anything about it, but there was some brutal stuff going down."

The script of the film deals with more than a few twists and turns. Riley explained, "It was a rollercoaster ride, from the moment I read the scripts. I was just having these laugh-out-loud moments and these big gasps, every time I read the scripts. They didn’t feel like they had limits." "The writers really felt like they didn’t have any limit to how absurd or how outrageous they were going to make a situation be," he added. "It was a joy to actually see them push the boundaries, especially with this particular genre."

Sharing his experience with the writers and the brilliant work they did writing the thriller he said, "These writers – Larry Dorf, Hugh Davidson, and Rachel Ramras – who I’ve known for a while, they’re trained Groundlings and trained writers, and they’re very, very good at what they do."

Revealing how the writers worked on the script, the actor revealed, "Rachel has read and watched every psychological thriller ever and is particularly interested in the ones that are written by women, for women, and what that entails. And so, I didn’t add anything, but I actually felt like unless they went for broke and, like Michael said, were completely uninhibited about what kind of absurdity they would throw at you, and unless they made fun or commented on everything in this genre, it wouldn’t work." "This is a show that we had to act with subtlety, but nothing about the world of the show is subtle. It’s all very in your face," the actor said.

Kristen Bell as Anna in The Woman in The House Across The Street from The Girl in The Window; Credits: TV Wunschliste

Kristen Bell even added, "It felt like the psychological thriller gods were blessing us because I got to work with the queen of all psychological thrillers." "Having put effort into even reading the email with the invitation to be a part of this was so thrilling, and it made me feel safe to poke fun at this genre, knowing that she gave it her blessing," finished the actress. 

RELATED ARTICLES