The Girl Next Door (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Gregory Wilson

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Farrands (screenplay) &
Philip Nutman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

In this town murder became the neighborhood game

Plot:

Based on the Jack Ketchum novel of the same name, The Girl Next Door follows the unspeakable torture and abuses committed on a teenage girl in the care of her aunt...and the boys who witness and fail to report the crime. |

Plot Keywords:

Abuse | Torture | Teenage Girl | Incest | Psychological Torture

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Blythe Auffarth	...	Meg Loughlin
Daniel Manche	...	David Moran
Blanche Baker	...	Ruth Chandler
Grant Show	...	Mr. Moran
Graham Patrick Martin	...	Willie Chandler Jr.
Benjamin Ross Kaplan	...	Donny Chandler
Austin Williams	...	Ralphie 'Woofer' Chandler
William Atherton	...	Adult David
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Chamberlin	...	Officer Jennings
Dean Faulkenberry	...	Kenny
Gabrielle Howarth	...	Cheryl Robinson
Spenser Leigh	...	Denise Crocker
Catherine Mary Stewart	...	Mrs. Moran
Peter Stickles	...	EMT
Madeline Taylor	...	Susan Loughlin
Michael Zegen	...	Eddie

Also Known As:

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sadistic torture and sexual abuse, nudity, language and strong sexual dialogue - all involving children.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Germany:18 | Australia:R (2009)

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Modernciné

Trivia:

In the backyard tent scene where the boys are looking at the Playboy magazine, they refer to 1950's actress and pinup girl Carroll Baker, the real-life mother of actress Blanche Baker, who portrays Ruth Chandler in this movie.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Megan has her shorts taken off as she's hung up in the basement, and left in her panties, she's in hipster style panties with a "multi-colored" waistband, which if as in the scene, her panties are white, cotton, circa, 1960s, there would not have been a colored waistband. It would have been white. Rarely if ever were girls' panties other than white in those days.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Charlie Franklin: [on David's voice mail] Hey David, it's Charlie Franklin calling to say Happy Birthday. Sorry I couldn't get those tickets, man. I know you were counting on me, but my brother-in-law's in town. I'll give you a call next week, and maybe we can get together. Okay, have a good birthday. Take care.

Movie Connections:

Version of An American Crime (2007)

A different kind of video nasty... and not pleasant

I was very unsure on how to rate this film. I watched it all and to be fair the film held my interest throughout. I would say it is probably a good film but something I cannot say I enjoyed watching, which was probably the aim of the director. Taboo subjects in society change rapidly over the years and this film deals with argumentibly the most taboo, certainly a topic most people find hard to talk about. Abuse and torture happen. Fact. What this film managed to do for me is to take both subjects and ram them down my throat at a more than uncomfortable rate. And that is the story line. No humour. No romance as such and no happiness. For me this was not entertainment. I guess some people will enjoy this film, in the same way that people like to rubber neck at accidents when they drive past. The publicity will make this film popular and it will no doubt develop a form of notoriety that clockwork orange and the exorcist enjoyed twenty years ago. But for me. I will not be watching it again as I would not be able to get anything positive out of it.