Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (2007 film)

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (2007 film)

3-16-10

This film was hard for me to watch. Which is kind of weird as one would think that years of aestheticized violence in horror and action films would have numbed me to the point where I could handle the things depicted here. Quite the contrary as the atrocity on display here was such that I found myself looking away and even in tears by the time the credits rolled. Suffice to say the film is disturbing for a number of reasons not the least of which is the fact that you know this sort of thing happens...and could be happening (as the title implies) to the girl next door. Cinematically the film is pretty appropriately clean cut and lacking an overly polished look. This is arguably a good thing as is lends a great deal of verisimilitude to the proceedings. I also have to mention the films absolutely pitch perfect cast. Rarely have I felt a film was almost completely populated by fantastic actors....now add to that fact that half of them are youngh adult/children and its even more amazing.