The Girl Next Door (2007)

DVD

Geez... That's all I could say after watching this horrifically haunting film. And probably the sickest thing about this film, is that it's actually a true story.

Based off of Jack Ketchum's book of the same name, The Girl Next Door is a terrifying story about human depravity and desensitization. The movie centralizes itself around a young boy and the older girl he's in love with. The problem? The girl (along with her little sister) is despised by the sadistic aunt she's forced to live with. Problems increase further due to the fact that the lead boy is friends with the aunt's children. So here you have a hated girl, a monstrous aunt, a group of friends, a love not meant to be, and one boy standing in the midst of it all.

The first thing I know many will ask is, "How true is the actual film?" And sadly, after researching the actual incident, it's actually rather spot-on. Nearly all of the hideous events that were depicted in this film actually took place during the real dilemma (the only thing I'm not sure about is the blowtorch scene-you'll know what I'm talking about if you see it). Even more horrific is the fact that the mother allowing these atrocities to take place (as well as taking part in them) was actually released in the eighties (but died soon after). Really, the only fictional aspect to the film is the lead boy who was added as a way to better tell the story.

But take out the shock value and you're left with one single question, "Is it still a good film?" Well, that's hard to say. I mean, the main reason a lot of people will see this is for the sheer shock of it all. Personally, I didn't really care for any of the characters during the entire duration of the film. Sure anyone with a soul will mourn for the young girl and her sister--but that's purely on a level of sympathy you'd feel for any innocent person placed in the same positions. The only other character that evokes some pity is the lead boy who has the chance to stop it all, but... Well, I won't go into it for the sake of the people that still want to see it, but due to the way the character is presented-as a young, confused coward--you don't care for him as much as you do pity his inability to do anything about the situation. Even the moments devoid of violence seem to just be a sort-of 'filler' for the chaos to come. Despite the efforts of the director to make a more tasteful film about the horrors depicted, it still seems as though the main draw of the film is what exactly happens to the young girl.

While this isn't the scariest film, or the most graphic; it nonetheless leaves its haunting mark long after it's over--more so than possibly any horror film released last year and thus far this year... And to be honest, this is really more of an intense drama about human cruelty than it is a horror film obsessing over torture.

And just in case you haven't gotten the message yet, this is quite a disturbing film.

None, I'm not sure if that was just because mine was a screener copy, or if there just aren't any.

This isn't a film you could really feel good about owning, but for those looking for a more mature take on some truly disturbing content, well... You might just want to take a gander.