The Girl Next Door
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Movie Reviews of The Girl Next Door
Movie Review: Human brutality knows no limits
Summary: 5 Stars
WARNING, contains spoilers.
Who is worse; the abuser who uses their position of power to torture and maim innocent people, or the person who sits idly by and allows the abuse to continue?
How can I possibly review a movie like The Girl Next Door? I've been sitting in front of my computer screen for the last thirty minutes, knowing that I have to write something about this film but unable to do so. How can I write about the shocking nature of this film, about the brutality of human nature, the sickening imagery of a young and innocent girl forced to suffer and die to appease the demons of an insane woman? I know not the words needed to describe this film, but I will do my best none the less.
Let in 1958 in suburban America, The Girl Next Door tells the story of two newly orphaned girls, Meig and Susan (who is afflicted with polio and uses leg braces to walk) who are sent to live with their Aunt Ruth after their parents are killed in an accident. David, a young boy who lives in the house next door, takes an immediate liking to her and is thrilled to learn that he'll be able to see her every day. If one is unfamiliar with the themes of this film when they start watching it, you might mistake it at first for something along the lines of My Dog Skip, a coming of age story set in the 50's about a boy and his friends discovering all life has to offer. The contrast between the opening ten to twenty minutes and the rest of the film is probably the most powerful aspect of the film. The children go from stealing dirty magazines from their parents and thinking fondly about what it might be like to see a real woman, the next they are torturing and raping a young girl who has done nothing to deserve their hatred and scorn.
From the very beginning it is clear that Aunt Ruth has a strange dislike for these two girls. It begins simple enough with Ruth verbally abusing Meig and her sister for being too "lady like" and calling her a whore for making an oil painting for David, but quickly evolves into something far more sinister. David, as a close friend to Ruth's sons, has ample access to the house and witnesses first hand the brutality of Ruth when she hangs Meig by her arms from the ceiling and leaves her there to suffer all night.
There are many themes that are worth looking at in this film. One is the sense of helplessness that David feels when all the adults he knows have either turned a blind eye to the abuse, want only to mind their own business, or are active participants of the torture. David seems to be the only person in the film that knows exactly what is happening and knows it's wrong, and yet does nothing to stop it. I do not want to excuse his actions at all; after all how long can someone ignore the actions of evil without turning into a monster themselves? But it isn't hard to understand why he allowed the abuse to continue; in his mind there was nothing he could have done. For children, especially those of his age (thirteen) adults represent authority, to be respected and obeyed. But even when Ruth's actions become too much for him to ignore, his parents either ignore him or tell him to mind his own business, and the police don't take his warning seriously. Peer pressure also is a major factor in how David decides to act. His best friends not only know about what is going on, but enthusiastically take part in it as well. There are few things more disturbing then a group of young children, ages eight to fourteen, boys and girls, attentively watching the oldest amongst them rape and cut a defenseless girl while sipping on a bottle of root beer. Even the youngest amongst them would like nothing more then to cut Meig with a knife to mark her as the "whore" Ruth believes she is. These children are David's best friends, kids he's known forever and grew up with. How can he turn on them?
But as I said before, I don't want to excuse David's actions. If fact many times I found myself pleading with David to do something, anything, to make it stop. "You know what's right David" I'd find myself saying, "you have to do something, and you know it." Regardless of the peer pressure, regardless of his authority figures refusal to intervene, David is still the only person in the film with a sense of right wrong; it is his responsibility to do something.
This is not a film for everyone. Although most of the abuse is done off camera and is implied rather then shown, the graphic nature of this film is truly horrifying. I could barely finish this film, and I normally have a very strong stomach. Evil is hard to confront, most people would rather turn their backs and pretend it doesn't exist, so when it is presented in such clear and unmistakable terms, such as in this film, its devastating to its viewers. The Girl Next Door is not a snuff film; it is a dark and unforgiving look into the dark side of American suburbia. Watch at your own risk.
Replay value; low.
Movie Review: Powerful film that sends a great message!
Summary: 5 Stars
There's plenty of reviews out there that break down the story of the Girl Next Door but I honestly don't think this movie gets the true credit it deserves.
The Girl Next Door is not so much a movie made to entertain but a movie made to educate. Watching this movie makes you really wonder just what goes on out there in the world, and why do we let these things happen. The movie is based about a boy trying to do everything that he can to save a girl be befriended but he doesn't have the power to do so (he's only a kid). He tries to help the girl the best way he can (by doing things a boy his age would do). When he realizes that he honestly doesn't have the strength to help this girl no matter how bad he want's to he realizes the best thing he can do for her is comfort her (or so he tries). When the situation becomes to terrible the boy himself realizes that even his own safety isn't important has to save this girl somehow. He tries but again fails and finds himself worse of than he was before. It's only when he's walking in the same shoes as the girl that he really takes action and finally fights back... but still... it wasn't enough to save her.
The story sends a great message to people that watch it. The true meaning of it can be caught at the end by the last sentences spoken by the grown version of David. When he criticizes himself for how he failed but ask himself what did she teach him. The girl next door taught him to take action up against atrocity.
A simple concept that as cheesy as it sounds would make the world a much different place than it is. Most people don't want to go out their way to save or help someone....or look the other way when a crime is happening right in front of their face. The best example is shown at the beginning of the movie where the homeless man gets hit by a car and everyone is just standing there watching him...but David is the only one who realizes what's going on and does something to help the man.
The real irony is that this also appears to happen in a busy city full of people and not a single person tries to help but David who has learned from his experience with the girl next door. There was real symbolism in that scene. It's true that people in the city and honestly those outside of it don't like to get involved...and when they choose to do that nothing ever happens and the cycle keeps continuing. It's only when people choose to get involved that the cycle is broken. Meaning it's the "last thing they do" that counts because it's that last thing that makes that much of a difference.
The real shock of this movie that it's so disturbing to watch that you want it to just be a movie. You want to take it out your player put it in your dvd case and sit it back on the shelf and move on... but you can't. This movie isn't just a movie it's based on a true event. The most disturbing part about the movie and real life is that there never was a David to comfort the real girl that suffered and died. The real torture that the actual victim went through aside from a few scenes was actually much more cruel. It's not so easy to dispel the movie knowing that someone actually went through this and it was much worse because there wasn't anyone there to save them and they died alone.
I really enjoyed watching this film for all the reasons I mentioned above. I knew of the case before the movie and even then it stuck with me. I could understand what Jack Ketchum was thinking when he made this story. There are lost of other cases out there he could have used but this case is very special. This case of Sylvia Likens is enough to bring any rational person to fury. It's about an innocent girl who was abused and tortured to death. You can only imagine how helpless she felt and was. It's one of those stories you hear that makes you yell out "Why wasn't anyone there to stop this!"...and I honestly think that's how Jack Ketchum felt too when he learned about Sylvia.
Overall this is an extremely great movie. Watch it and learn from it, and hopefully take something with you from it. You can admire the girl next door because she cared for her sister so much she would sacrifice her own well being, and you can also admire the film because it teaches you "to do something" and not just be another person that "watches" and does nothing.
Movie Review: My Lucky Stars! They Did It Right!!
Summary: 5 Stars
About a year ago I had read Jack Ketchum's novel, The Girl Next Door(after that I'd made it a point to read all of Ketchum's books), and found the book to be quite disturbing. I've read eight billion novels over the years and very rarely have I found one that stuck with me after I'd read it. I remember thinking it would make a powerful movie if done correctly, but it'd be damn near impossible to get what's on the pages onto the screen without an NC-17 rating. I was excited hearing a few months ago that a movie had been made, but also quite worried. I wanted to see it, but kept saying, "please, please, do not screw this one up". They didn't. About 15 minutes into the movie, I was happy to see the tone, the look, the choice of actors was dead on. It includes practically all of the novel and only makes a few very minor changes. Since the novel is told in first person, you don't get quite all of the main character's thoughts, but it doesn't effect the movie coz the performance of the young boy is so good. It deals with a kid(David) in the 50s who meets a girl who has moved in next door. The girl(Meg) and her younger sister(Susan) have come to live with their aunt Ruth and her two sons after both their parents had died in a car crash. Ruth and her sons are David's best friends, and he comes and goes as he pleases to their home, as well as pretty much any kid in the neighborhood. Ruth's home is kind of the big hangout spot for the kids in the neighborhood. Ruth lets them drink beer and swear, and all the boys like her. Soon, Ruth slowly loses her mind and begins a process of abuse and downright ghastly torture on Meg. She's tied up in the basement and subjected to all manner of horrible tortures. The neighborhood kids all drop by and participate in these events as well. David seems to be the only one who knows this is all wrong, but feels powerless to help. Doesn't sound realistic? How could a bunch of neighborhood kids torture a girl and no one find out about it? Well, truth is stranger than fiction. Ketchum based this on a real crime that happened in the 60s. Although much of the story is fictionalized, the main gist of the crime is here. This is an extraordinarily unpleasant movie. It's extremely well made, but like for instance, Requiem For A Dream, though well made, would you really wanna watch it over and over? Apparently this movie took nine years to see the light of day. I simply can't help but think that the current slew of torture based crap films made this movie possible. Make no mistake about it though, this isn't Eli Roth's cartoony torture chamber of rubber limbs and American Pie jokes. This'll kick you square in your ass, and show practically no gore in doing so. This is all made possible through the direction of Greg Wilson(a director to watch. I get the feeling we should be seeing interesting stuff from him in the future), who's still kind of a newcomer, but obviously not a Hollywood puppet from the school of rock videos and tv commercials. The casting and performances couldn't have been better, especially Blanche Baker as Ruth. I don't know if I've ever seen a more sinister woman on screen before. She is wicked, wicked, WICKED. I certainly have nothing to fear from a wrinkled old bag, and I found her creepy! Director Wilson states in the bonus features that this story has no redeeming value because it has no good guy and really no message exactly. This is true, you may be wondering what the point of this film is(of course you can ask that about alot of films). I suppose that's for the viewer to decide, but I can say that it does open your eyes to the extent of child abuse that may be happening right now. It also gives a face to the real victim who died so long ago. You may not wanna watch this movie over and over, but you may not have to coz it won't be so easy to forget.Movie Review: This movie will shock you to your core.
Summary: 5 Stars
Normally writing a review is quite simple; I discuss what I liked or disliked or what could have been better. I'll mention the acting, writing and directing and further get into my thoughts on the product. But for the first time I'm actually speechless. I really don't even know how to put this review together or where to even start. I've seen a lot of movies in my time, but I don't think a movie has ever made me feel the way The Girl Next Door did. As a fan of extreme cinema and exploitation flicks I've seen the most shocking of movies. But The Girl Next Door is probably the movie that most got to me. And while yes the movie has violence you don't see a lot of it, but knowing what is happening you don't have to see it.
This movie isn't entertaining and I can't say I enjoyed it. It's kinda hard to enjoy a movie like this. But The Girl Next Door is simply brilliant. This is what filmmaking is all about. This movie will shock you to your core. Anybody with a heart will find this movie deeply disturbing. What makes it even worse is this is inspired by a true story and from what I hear the true story is even more horrific. What makes matters worse is that it's a child who goes through these terrible events. Not that it's ok if it's an adult, but there is something worse when these terrible things are done to a child.
The Girl Next Door I have to say turned my stomach I actually felt sick watching the movie and I even got teary eyed, which is something that never happens to me. After the movie was over all I could do is stare at the screen with this terrible feeling. I was sort of numb and just well felt sick. This movie aims to disturb and it does big time. This movie will stay with you after you watch it.
The screenplay was written by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman and it was very well written and gets the job done. They wrote one hell of a script and hopefully people take notice. I wasn't sure what to make of Farrands I've never been impressed with his writing, but this movie proves the talent he has.
Director Gregory Wilson is a talent to watch for. His scenes are well paced and he made a movie to disturb the audience and he very much did that. Like I said this movie is probably the most bothered I have ever been. I felt sick and almost wanted to cry. At one point I almost shut it off. So for that I give Gregory Wilson a lot of credit. No film has ever made me feel like that.
The performances are very strong and Blythe Auffarth as Meg Loughlin is an actress with one hell of a future ahead of her. She was simply brilliant and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her. What happens to her character is disgusting I'm not even gonna describe the scenes since they are so powerful words cannot do it justice. Even though the actress at the time was about 19, her character is only 13-years old. And what happens to her character should never ever happen to a child.
Once the 40-mintue mark hits the movie becomes very disturbing and it never once lets up. The Girl Next Door is a brilliant piece of filmmaking and a movie you'll never forget. The Girl Next Door isn't really a horror flick it's more of a drama/thriller, but what happens here is more horrific than any horror movie I have ever seen so therefore I do see it as a horror movie.
Movie Review: Vile, Uncompromising Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
After watching this movie, the first thing I thought of was, "What movies have completely shocked me, surprised me, and left me wondering WTF just happened?" Here's the first ten that came to mind:
Remember the ending of Sleepaway Camp?
Remember the sore ankle in Misery with Kathy Bates?
Remember the Bobbit bathroom inspiration from I Spit on Your Grave?
Remember bondage revenge in Descent with Rosario Dawson?
Remember the basement scene from Sleepers with Kevin Bacon?
Remember the bunny in Fatal Attraction?
Remember mom just chilling in the original Psycho?
Remember the special delivery from Se7en?
Remember surprise in The Crying Game?
Remember the chest buster in Alien?
Child's play. All of them. No movie has attacked my senses the way this movie has. No movie has left me with a sickening feeling, a disgusted realization of the depths to which people are capable of sinking. My jaw has never dropped so far, so fast, for so long. My eyes cannot unsee what has been seen. Absolutely unexpected Mike Tyson gut punch.
Based upon the heart-breaking true story of Sylvia and Jenny Likens, and adapted from a novel by Jack Ketchum of the same name, the story follows sisters Meg (Blyth Auffarth) and Susan (Madeline Taylor) who, after their parents' death, are forced to live with their aunt Ruth (Blanche Baker). After a brief period of normalcy, the relationship and situation turns into one of mental, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse that can buckle even the strongest person's knees. Along with a mob mentality reminiscent of the children from Lord of the Flies, Ruth enlists her brainwashed children and their friends to do most of the despicable acts, eventually culminating in suspenseful tragedy.
Blanche's portrayal is one of the most evil representations I have ever seen on film. I admire her for the courage it took to accept this role, and I'll never look at her quite the same way again. Auffarth is emotionally powerful as the defiant young soul who battles unimaginable torture to protect her younger sister, but eventually succumbs to overwhelming abuse.
Director Gregory Wilson paints a picture - not unlike the infamous chainsaw scene in Scarface - that conveys the message without actually showing much. The viewer knows what's happening to Meg, and that's more than enough to make anyone numb. Beyond exploitation and the trivial torture - yes, trivial - of most other movies, this is so close to heart-wrenching reality, and lacking in either satisfactory retribution or reward, that it sickens me to my core. Told through the burning lens of child abuse, this powerfully and sickeningly displays how the reality of warped parental influence and peer pressure can destroy childlike innocence. It's perhaps the most effective horror movie I've ever seen; and considering some of the sick stuff I've seen and reviewed and laughed at (i.e. Funny Games, Hostel, Saw, etc.), that's saying a lot.
Recommended ONE time hesitantly, to open eyes and witness a nearly flawless execution.