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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Brand: STARZ HOME ENTERTAINMENT EAN: 0013131559699 Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Item Dimensions: Label: ANCHOR BAY Languages: Manufacturer: ANCHOR BAY MPN: DV15596 Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: ANCHOR BAY Region Code: 1 Release Date: December 04, 2007 Running Time: 91 minutes Studio: ANCHOR BAY Theatrical Release Date: 2007 Editorial Review: Product Description: In a quiet suburban town in the summer of 1958 two recently orphaned sisters are placed in the care of their mentally unstable Aunt Ruth (Emmy® winner Blanche Baker of HOLOCAUST). But Ruth s depraved sense of discipline will soon lead to unspeakable acts of abuse and torture that involve her young sons the neighborhood children and one 12-year-old boy whose life will be changed forever. William Atherton (DIE HARD) Catherine Mary Stewart (NIGHT OF THE COMET) and Grant Show (MELROSE PLACE) co-star in this devastating drama adapted from the controversial best seller by Jack Ketchum that Rue Morgue Magazine called one of the most disturbing reads in the history of horror literature. System Requirements:Length: 97 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/MADE FOR TV MOVIES Rating: R UPC: 013131559699 Manufacturer No: DV15596 Amazon.com: Based on the novel by acclaimed author Jack Ketchum, The Girl Next Door draws its nerve-wracking power from a real-life horror show--the torture of Sylvia Likens and her sister by Gertrude Baniszewski and her offspring in the mid-1960s (the case also serves as the basis for the film An American Crime). Here, the Likens character is a recently orphaned teen (Blythe Auffarth) taken in by Ruth Chandler (Blanche Baker), a single mother who plies her adolescent sons and their friends with alcohol and lax supervision. Ruth takes an almost instant disliking to the bright young girl and her sister (who is afflicted with polio) and mounts a campaign of mental and physical abuse upon them; her sons quickly fall into step behind their mother, and a neighborhood friend (Daniel Manche) struggles with his own participation in the atrocities. As true crime thrillers go, The Girl Next Door succeeds on many fronts: Baker and Auffarth give impressive performances, and the violence, though harrowing, is never offered as exploitation. Director Gregory Wilson also keeps the pace brisk and breathtaking as the torture escalates; however, he is less capable in the expositional scenes, and the script by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman has a leaden ring at times (which undoes the efforts of the younger cast). Still, it's challenging fare for strong-hearted horror and suspense fans. The DVD includes two sets of commentary: one by Wilson, producer Andrew van den Houten, and cinematographer/co-producer William M. Miller, and another by Ketchum and the screenwriters, who pull no punches in expressing their displeasure over changes made to the film's conclusion (and their assessments are entirely correct). Interviews with the cast and crew and the original screenplay (in DVD-ROM format) round out the supplemental features. --Paul Gaita Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The systematic destruction of something innocent and beautifulThis got to me, although I've already seen "An American Crime" and am familiar with true story this was based on. the story of Sylvia Likens, the worst torture murder ever to take place in the state of Indiana. Like I said, it was loosely based on a true story, the people who actually did this were even more monstrous still and the death of Sylvia Likens was even more tragically pointless. It makes me angry that they were given leniant sentences as permitted to continue breathing. Sylvia's ... Read More Rating:  - Watch an American Crime InsteadUnlike An American Crime this isn't a faithful adaptation, but more kiddie snuff porn with an academic leftist feminist propaganda bent to it. I would argue that this is for perverts with an agenda, (not necessarily that of compassion). Esp. given how relentlessly this script tried to force all kinds of Hollywood political correctness upon this story: For example they switched this to the 1950s when it took place in the '60s. It's ironically, of course, set in a clean peaceful luxurious suburb, which ... Read More Rating: - Faithful AdaptationHaving read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum a year or two ago, I was mentally prepared for this one going into it. Anyone like me who has daughters is more than likely to feel more than a bit gut-wrenched after this. But aside from the extreme content, this film was actually well made. The aunt's slow almost unnoticeable descent into madness was expertly done and the film was not watered down, but rather captured the theme of the loss of innocence and the horrors of a mass hysteria of sorts. Read More Rating: - Good but Tough to WatchI want to say that I enjoyed this movie, but that would be a bad choice of words. the abuse and torture seem very real. The subject matter is very strong and the movie is well executed. It is difficult to watch at times, but worth the effort. The movie evokes real emotion and it difficult to comprehend that this really happened. I highly recommend this movie if you can take it. Not for the squeamish or very sensitive. Rating: - TGNDThe first thing I noticed about The Girl Next Door was it's excellent production values. I have read so much about it being a "shocking, low budget production", that I envisioned something rather cheap and nasty. But this wasn't so. It's a brilliantly photographed, excellently acted and well written horror film that doesn't deserve the notoriety it is receiving. There are a lot of reference between this film and Stand By Me, and they are justified. Although, this is something more. ... Read More |
