The Girl Next Door Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
In this town murder became the neighborhood game
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.
| Blythe Auffarth | Meg Loughlin |
| Daniel Manche | David Moran |
| Blanche Baker | Ruth Chandler |
| Graham Patrick Martin | Willie Chandler Jr. |
| Benjamin Ross Kaplan | Donny Chandler |
| Austin Williams | Ralphie 'Woofer' Chandler |
| William Atherton | Adult David |
| Kevin Chamberlin | Officer Jennings |
| Dean Faulkenberry | Kenny |
| Spenser Leigh | Denise Crocker |
| Grant Show | Mr. Moran |
| Peter Stickles | EMT |
| Michael Zegen | Eddie |
| Jennifer Alexander | Girl at concession stand |
| Catherine Mary Stewart | Mrs. Moran |
| Gregory Wilson |
7.80 out of 10 (144 votes)
Visitor Reviews
i am shocked..
posted on 16 Aug 2009i am shocked. the movie is good; i think it was rather cheap to produce; not much action, but what happens shocks me deep. well made. let's hope that people draw the right conclusions and that lunatics don't see the movie. i cried for about 10 minutes after the movie was over. it is very very sad. but, again, is is wheel done. enjoy (if you can) ... i don't understand why i have to comment at least ten lines.. all i can say is that i am shocked... i am still thinking about the movie... what am i supposed to say, in order to make it 10 lines??? HELLO !! IS America DUMP, OR WHAT ??? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO MAKE IT 10 LINES.. I SAID WHAT I THNIK ABOUT THE MOVIE !!!
Harrowing, disturbing, almost impossible NOT to watch
posted on 10 Aug 2009SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST POST EVER ON THIS FORUM: Okay, all of the below is merely my humble opinion. If no one agrees with me about this flick or other flicks I may address, that's fine. I'll not be offended."THE GIRL NEXT DOOR": It is not a good flick. It is an EXCELLENT flick because it addresses a taboo--domestic violence--that ends up with people, including children, in the morgue. 10 ranking, no question.This movie is based upon actual events, as has been mentioned. What makes this movie so deeply disturbing to me is that this type of incident still occurs."Ruth Chandler"? She isn't a mom I'd want (and that is a comical understatement because it is a enormously gross understatement). Blanche Baker, aka "Ruth Chandler", slowly yet onward and upward (steadily) "ratchets up" the violence as the movie progresses. Ketchum's book portrays "Ruth Chandler" as sadistic, frightening, disturbed women, and Baker, in this movie, "pulls it off." Her performance makes this film work. She's the turbine—admittedly, a grim, dark turbine—that drives this movie.Director Gregory Wilson ("We Own the Night" and "Home Invaders") did a great job matching the novel with this movie. Way to go, Mr. Wilson.
Torture porn.
posted on 02 Aug 2009It starta as an interesting movie, but then it turns into torture porn. You can stop watching after the first scene in the basement, I'm going to give you a quick summary: The main character doesn't say anything until it is too late. They and rape the girl. The old woman burns "F--k me" on the girl's skin, and burns her lady parts with a blow torch. The police arrives and the girl dies. The end.It is a well made movie, and the not-torture-porn parts are even enjoyable, but it could have been a lot better if it focused more on the psychological part of the torture rather than the cheap Hostel style crap it ends up with.And the whole "witness that doesn't report the crime" has been made over and over, so it is not even original.
The Most Disturbing Movie You Will Ever See!!!
posted on 31 Jul 2009Either you will love this movie, or you will hate it. But either way, you will agree... this movie grabs a hold of you and it won't let go!Regardless of what actually happened in real life, or was portrayed in the books... this movie provokes a strong emotion in you. And it takes you to a place you don't want to be. You will feel disgusted, sad, angry, sick, and that's just for starters.Warning: This movie is not for the squeamish!!! For me personally, it made me feel helpless. Because you are sitting there watching the movie unfold, and you can't do anything to stop it. And that for me, was the worse feeling of all.Technical aspects: The acting is great. The dialogue is obscene. The nudity and sexual situations are disgusting. But it brings a realism that could not be achieved otherwise! Bottom line: This movie will give you a small taste of what it's like to be victimized, or be near someone that has. And it will force you to rethink everything you ever thought about in life! So be warned!!!
Left me squirming in my seat not wanting those thoughts in my head.
posted on 29 Jul 2009The Girl Next Door tells the story of young Meg & Susie sent to live with their twisted, misogynistic aunt who uses her little cabal of local boys to humiliate, beat, rape and torture Meg. Based on the book by Jack Ketchum which is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens. The acts are unspeakable and go to show that real life often holds more horror than any fiction. Overall the direction is weak which is not too surprising as this is only Gregory Wilson's second film, the first being somewhat of a turd. The actors and actresses do well in spite of the poor direction with good (not great) performances by Daniel Manche, Graham Patrick Martin and Blanche Baker; Blythe Auffarth makes us feel sympathetic but most of her scenes involve her being blindfolded and gagged so she doesn't get as much to work with. The screenplay is well written and surprisingly is also by no name talent. As powerful as the subject is, I can't imagine what it would have been in the hands of a talented director, then again that would have involved a larger studio which would have undoubtedly been heavy handed with the plot and we would have ended up with some piece of trash like Captivity.To dismiss The Girl Next Door as cheap exploitation is not fair to the film-makers who have managed to evoke genuine feeling, disgust and despair from the audience. Of all the characters in the film, little David was the most repugnant because of all the characters he understood that what was happening was wrong but begrudgingly went along until it was too late to prevent an atrocity. Nudity is sparse and mostly glancing or shadowed, none is gratuitous. Don't go in expecting gore either, the horror is in your mind and will haunt you long after the film ends. Many reviews warned of the last fifteen minutes but they are wrong, the last fifteen minutes are anticlimactic; it is the events right before the last fifteen minutes that left me squirming in my seat half turning my head, not wanting to see or even think about what was to happen.
Almost unbearable, as a long time horror fan.
posted on 27 Jun 2009Unconventionally, I have not actually seen this film...The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum is actually the most disturbing thing I have ever read, his 'Only Child' would follow closely. Reading the book made me feel literally sick for days.This film should rightly feel uncomfortable and nasty to any normal person and no-one will feel better for seeing it.As a fan of 'extreme horror' I have seen just about everything from every decade that is considered extremely horrifying, but this book disturbed me more than anything I have ever seen or read.I downloaded and then bought the DVD and I can't yet bring myself to see it after reading the book.. I have recommended the film to shocked 'horror fans'.
TORTURE PORN - absolutely disgusting movie
posted on 25 Jun 2009This movie was shocking in its perverted exploitation of a teenage girl and her disabled younger sister (who's parents have died), by their twisted aunt and her disturbed sons. The movie gives no reasons for the aunts twisted behaviour nor does it explain why a neighbourhood full of children who visit the house whilst this poor girl is strung up, raped, beaten, genitally mutilated, and starved, say nothing at all despite the story being set in a 1950's world where such events were not heard of even in the movies. Furthermore the movie does not justify why these children participate in unbelievable levels of abuse before running off to play out with their ice-creams and trikes - it just doesn't make any sense. It goes no way to explain why the main character Davey is aware from the start that something is seriously wrong, yet fails to do anything at all to help the girl as the level of abuse rapidly moves from overly-intimate tickling to violent, bloody, perverted, shocking rape, until the last few minutes of the film. If Davey had said something earlier the abuse would not have reached the level it did and it is wholly inexplicable and unreasonable for the movie to expect viewers to swallow the concept that Davey would not have said anything to anyone. This movie strikes as another in a long line of torture-porn movies made solely for twisted individuals who enjoy watching a very attractive and intelligent teenage girl gradually beaten down and controlled with increasingly sickening and frightening abuse during which she is raped by young teenage boys who are watched by their mother who also seems to gain sexual pleasure from spanking the much younger sister. This movie is wrong and sick and will do nothing more than encourage the sick perversions of those very real and very dangerous people in our society who fantasise about this sort of thing. I strongly advise you do not watch this movie, at the very least out of protest that the kind of violent porn that is illegal has somehow made it into our mainstream media.
Unflinchingly real ... a genre-redefining classic
posted on 07 Jun 2009Directed by Gregory Wilson, and shot and produced by William Miller, Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door is a movie that few who've seen it will ever forget. Black-hole dark and beyond harrowing, it's nonetheless a carefully crafted work and also extraordinarily sensitive. In fact, if it's not strictly a horror film, then one can only conclude that it's the genre's loss. Jack Ketchum's novel, like much of his work, is based on compelling real-life events. In this instance the story draws upon a 1960s case of almost unspeakable child abuse—most of that abuse committed by other children under adult supervision. Ketchum, who is extremely proud of this film adaptation, speaks openly about production company Moderncine's initial pitch to him: "Let us make this movie before Hollywood does and ruins it." To bring The Girl Next Door to the screen, Moderncine enlisted some topnotch talent, including award-winning director Gregory Wilson, who here displays a tremendous talent working with actors, and veteran writers Philip Nutman and Daniel Farrands. Still, in a period when horror movies have repeatedly pushed, and even mangled, the envelope, this one derives most of its emotional shock not from graphic content but from the realistic and courageous presentation of a long-standing cultural taboo: on-screen violence to children. Unfortunately, it's all too easy for mainstream critics to shoot down this kind of movie by terming it "exploitative" when actually it's the opposite: a tragedy that immerses the audience in the misery of the real rather than promoting escapism with comfortable, and clichéd, lessons about violence and evil. After a successful theatrical run in New York early in the fall, The Girl Next Door is now available here on DVD. I urge you to see it. Like another powerful film released in 2007, Bug, it may hit too close to home to appeal to the typical horror fan. Indeed, it has a slightly different audience in mind: human beings.
A disgustingly, sadistic piece of well-made garbage
posted on 20 May 2009After a few years when most cinefiles have had the opportunity to view this perverse (Eli Roth, James Wan, Leigh Wannell should bow to this landmark exploitative realist torture porn exercise)freak show, Blanche Baker's performance as the ringleader of some of the most demented and cruel forms of abuse ever depicted on celluloid. Perfectly cast, this once attractive woman has given into her bitterness and misogynistic hatred. (Did I miss any allusions of her hubby(ies) leaving her for other women?) Any vespice of decency has evaporated. Her skin grows more ragged, pale and lined with each cigarette that mephistocoleanly cascades around her heavily made up face. What makes her so mezmerizing is her command of both language and seductive techniques. The children, some of which are devious to be begin with, fall to Ruth's most primitive primeval desires. Although the film respects its victims to never display any of the sexual abuse on-screen, Ruth's permanent content smile serves the salacious quotient. Oh my, and her voice is god-awful pleasant, delicious - akin to a ripe deep red strawberry sliding down your throat. Although heavy-handed (and apparently not historcially accurate) the movie's visual style impressively mocks the pure, clean-living images usually associated with white-bread 1950's Americana. Outside the cemetery-grey basement, the colors are bright, sunny and filled with the promise of budding adolescence. As to keep the audience horrifyingly subjected to Ruth's hold over the children, certain logical problems of prevention - aka either the children or the system preventing Ruth from caring for so many children - arose. Also, the forment of jealousy inside Ruth over Meg's burgeoning good looks, and other situational contexts are dismissed for intimacy concerns. Ummm...not really sure what the bookended present-day scenes served outside to add some fatuous symbolism. The end credits score should have haunted me more.
This was not necessary
posted on 10 May 2009This film could have been done so differently so as not to gross out the viewer.Now, before anybody goes off the deep end with their recriminations, obviously I'm not in favor of the ungodly, evil things done to the victim. The people that did this were mad dogs and, if not for my strong pro-life stance, I would have preferred to see them shot like mad dogs. However, I believe they still should have been tried in a court of law.I'm simply saying that the graphic nature of this movie could have been toned WAY down & still amply communicated the sheer horror of the incident.I feel equally sorry for the viewers of this film AND the actors, actresses & crew involved in the making of this sick film. You cannot act in scenes as contained in this movie & not be horribly & irreparably stained by them, much less view the finished product.Again, I in no way minimize the serious & heinous nature of the torture & murder. I DO think that it could have been represented in a more discriminating manner, without losing the impact of the whole of the incident.I believe the R rating was too lenient. This should have been rated X (Yes, I know there is no X, but NC-17). I can honestly think of nothing good to say about this film.
A must-see, but certainly not a must-own
posted on 26 Apr 2009"The Girl Next Door" was suggested reluctantly to me via my uncle who said that it was one of the two films ever to "make him feel dirty." On that note, I had to rent it right away. The movie was surely an experience, but one that I probably will not choose to watch again. This film was incredibly well-made. However, at some points, I felt as if I were watching a Lifetime movie. That was until the torture came about. The movie was made to look like it would in real life, no trick lighting to make it look scarier than it is, and no holding back on the dialogue or the content. This was one of the few movies that completely boggled my mind when it was over. I did not know how to feel about it, and it certainly wasn't like watching a horror movie. Horrible things occurred in it, but I wasn't hoping for blood and gore. This movie is only recommended to those who have a strong stomach and very lax morals. The reasons for its R-rating say it all. It is full of violence, nudity, sexual content and abuse - all involving children. From watching the film, I would assume that it was intended to disturb viewers and inform of the horrors of real-life torture. And, in that, I believe it succeeded.
Makes Hostel look like Sesame Street.
posted on 20 Apr 2009This is the most sick and twisted pile of trash I have ever seen in my whole life. It's about this girl who has this really really messed up beyond psychopathic aunt who tortures her. Then she tortures her more and more. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more vile and disgusting, it goes way too far. This movie is so far beyond the realm of human comprehension. There is absolutely no warmth or love from Aunt Ruth. If I met Aunt Ruth, there would be no mercy from me. The movie is just too sick to even think about. The ending is also terribly sad and I was crying. I cannot believe that a movie so horrible can be made. As a woman, I am extremely offended at what I saw. Meg isn't even treated like a human being, she is treated like a pile of rotting trash. If anyone finds any pleasure in this movie, they must be as sick as Aunt Ruth. I hated this movie and I will mail it back and never watch it again. Excuse me now as I must go clean out my DVD player.
not necessary
posted on 04 Apr 2009First, it's an extremely well made film. That being said, I have no idea what would possess someone to make it. The original story itself is horrific. What purpose did it serve to put it on film? The only explanation I can come up with is to cater to the select few especially sick people who are into this type of thing. You have to wonder how the kids who acted in this movie dealt with the after effects and how watching the movie would affect kids(we all know people who don't safeguard what their kids watch). In my 47 years, I've never seen a movie that has disturbed me this much. Don't watch it if you don't want to get angry, sick, or both.
"Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door" - 8/10
posted on 31 Mar 2009Perhaps squeamish viewers would feel more comfortable watching An American Crime, but if they think they can handle it, then The Girl Next Door is for them. Based on Jack Ketchum's novel, which covered the real life case of teenage Sylvia Likens, whose brutal murder amidst nasty tales of child abuse rocked the States in the 1960s, this film is definitely emotional and packs a punch. While I did like An American Crime very much, I will say that in some ways this film tackles the subject matter in a more effective way, and the brutal torture sequences certainly are more memorable than in the aforementioned film, even if the aforementioned was an excellent film nonetheless. The Girl Next Door is a grip on the senses; sickening and brutal, it is far different from its more accessible counterpart.The acting is quite decent, and Blythe Auffarth turns in an excellent performance as the helpless young victim, and Daniel Manche provides fine support as her friend who is unfortunately drawn into the web of abuse and murder caused by Aunt Ruth, played by a radiant Blanche Baker, who is the main reason to see this film. She is chillingly effective as the boozing and calculating murderess, and her harem of kids all live in fear under the strict rules she forces them all to live by. A strong believer in that all girls are whores, they being the "weaker sex," Aunt Ruth soon brainwashes the children in her care and turns them all into willing participants—and the results are hard to watch.There is rape and there is torture; the victim is burned with cigarettes for starters, and endures far worse as the film goes on. While most of the violence is not head on, the fact that it is mostly implied only serves to give the film a feeling of strength, and the illusion that what we have just seen is far worse than all that is shown is a sickening feeling indeed. The other children pay the victim no mind; soon they become as ruthless and as nasty as their mother.Why watch this? Sure, it's depressing. Sure, it's emotional experience. And sure, there are plenty of other stories—similar in aspect—that strike fear in the hearts of many. The main reason is because the film is well made. This isn't trashy—it is sick, it is brutal, and the only trash in the film are the characters, who are terribly vile. Even Manche as the victim's friend has motives that are thrown into doubt: why did he not do anything initially? Why did he allow such an atrocity to happen? Does he lack morals? The answer lies in that we, as human beings, all have a strange fascination with the macabre. The Girl Next Door is definitely a macabre experience, one that won't be easy to forget.If anything, the fact that there is some truth in this story (An American Crime working more with the facts of the actual courtroom case), will chill viewers to the bone; for if they think they have the decency to bear witness, if they think they have the courage to save a life when their own is in danger, think again.Cowardice is a major theme, as is pain, physical and emotional. There is plenty of it.After watching this, you'll start to see that our society is not as civilized as it seems.
Hard to watch, hard not to
posted on 31 Mar 2009This is not an entertaining movie. It is however a moving and powerful story. This is the car wreck you pass on the highway, and can't turn away from.Combine David Lynch, Stephen King, and Eli Roth and you have a good handle on what this movie is like. The early parts remind me of Stand by Me, and then it slowly degrades into Hostel, but not in an exploitive way.The bizarre group mentality that people can degrade into is explored here, and the RUTH character pulls it off and makes it so believable.Be warned, if you watch this through to the end, expect to loose some sleep.
It tells it like it is.
posted on 17 Mar 2009One of the few films that doesn't shy away from showing what human cruelty is, and shows that it is nothing short of disturbing and tough to endure, I've watched the entire film and I'll say that I am a fan of the horror genre, but when it comes to films based on actual events and you find out that they are disturbing and tough to watch, then you tend to view them under a different light than your regular horror films.THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is based on the bestseller by Jack Ketchum, which is based on the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens, a case which I did extensive research on to understand what this film was about, and compared to my research the actual events were certainly more brutal than what is shown in the film, but the film still packs a powerful punch, think of it as a semi truck packed full of mixed emotions, because thats what you'll feel like after you've watched this film, like you got hit by a truck and you're left with a bag of mixed emotions.The acting is brilliant, each of the cast members did more than a great job, but it was rather the character story of the developing relationship between Meg and David that gave this film its actual strength, and the very last moment between these two characters is something that would even make a grown man cry, which takes place after the grueling last fifteen minutes.Overall, I think its a good film if one understands the intentions behind it, which is telling a story based on actual events that are indescribably cruel and sick, exactly as it should be told, truthfully.
Disturbing...
posted on 11 Mar 2009An hour in to the film, I had to fast forward to see if I should stick around for what I figured would be the outcome. I was wrong. The outcome was even more sick and disgusting than I anticipated. I honestly don't see any redeeming qualities in this film. No kidding. Sure, you can tell yourselves that it's symbolism, repression, or some other psychological fol-de-rol, but seriously, it was sick: plain and simple. Psycho-sexual torture. I haven't read the book, but now I'm compelled to just to see if there was a point the author was trying to get to--I'm guessing the book has something the movie was missing. If not, then the thing should never have been published. Despicable. Just despicable.
Twisted, disgusting, inhumane and nightmarish
posted on 09 Mar 2009I find myself disgusted at myself for watching this film. I literally feel as filthy as the people engaged in the acts portrayed in the film.However, sitting in judgment while watching the torture scenes I find myself drawn into their world because I too want to find the offspring of everyone involved and break every bone in their body and burn their skin and dismember their sexual organs.So obviously we can all be driven to cruelty and somehow feel justified in our feelings. We wonder how societies can turn and things like the Holocaust can happen, how the torture of terror suspects by our own current administration can take place while we all sit idly by.It reminds me of one thing, we are the only animals on this planet capable of torture. No other animal purposely imposes pain-most won't even kill their own species, yet we humans with our philosophies and religions find a way to be so pompous and arrogant to believe we are the master species of the planet. That we deserve some "afterlife" or blessing from a creator. If there is an intelligent creator-he/she/it would just set us all ablaze after seeing the things we do.After seeing this I know this for sure, we are the filth of this earth, we are an infestation that does not deserve to live because all of us can turn a blind eye to cruelty to save our own asses. We always seem to find a way to justify cruelty to not only our own kind, but every living thing on this planet.Wow, I feel like a real piece of crap tonight. Just for being human.Is that how this movie was supposed to make me feel? WTF? WTF? WTF? I am sure there is some excuse for that woman like she was raped by her daddy or tortured or whatever, but when bad things happen to you doesn't that make you want to be better than that? I am so mindf**ked by this movie I don't even know what to think.I am going to go vomit now.(I did have to add this)The film was masterfully done. The actors drew me in like I was there. I haven't literally "talked" to a screen in years. I did this time. Those actors doing the evil really made me hate them. I don't even know if I could look those actors in the eye without that feeling creeping over me if I ran into them in an airport-that is how engrossed I became in this story. The foster mother in this story plays the role incredibly. I will have nightmares about her face. Those kids were little bastards to a degree that is unbecoming an actor of their ages.The movie is disturbing and believable. Hardly anything left to the imagination. If I had to give it a name to reflect what it was about and the horror it portrayed I would say, "Nazi-American Family Auschwitz"I did not want to leave my "vomit" comment as my opinion of the film itself. The film is really well done, but you feel filthy for watching it.
Really speechless about this one
posted on 19 Feb 2009First off, I gave this movie a solid 8 by means of film-making and great acting. It is definitely "good" by those means. Especially Blanche Baker (whom I did not know before) just blew me away with her performance.By any other means, I wish I had never watched this one. Set in the Fifties, and accompanied by beautiful outdoor-shots, I was even more shocked how the movie developed later into what I can only call "the most frightening and disturbing movie I ever saw".I somehow really felt bad for just watching it like a bystander and not doing something about it. Its THAT realistic! Knowing, that it is at least based on a true story made it even worse.People, if you are going to watch this, think twice if you are faint of heart or an emotional person. I am not kidding!
For The Love Of God !
posted on 20 Aug 2009OK, I know almost nothing of the actual case this is based on so I will not comment about this vs. that or anything of the sort. What I can say is that this is one of the most emotionally gripping movies I have seen in a very long time.What was endured by the young girl, the emotions of the young boy unable to stop it, and so much more had me, a man in his early 30's, crying like a teenage girl at the films conclusion.Very few films have brought about such an intense reaction from me and, even at this moment, I am finding it hard to push the thoughts of this film out of my head and become my clearheaded self again. Wow !I have read there is another version of this film based on the actual court transcripts but I am not sure that I am strong enough to watch it. This film killed some small form of innocence within me.