The Girl Next Door / 2007
Directed by Gregory Wilson
Cast: William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth, Daniel Manche, Madeline Taylor
Screenplay by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman
Cast: William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth, Daniel Manche, Madeline Taylor
Screenplay by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman
Review
Based on true events that took place in 1960s Indiana, this film - which I found in the horror and suspense section of my local video shop - manages to be much more than that; the true stories are much more horrific than the cardboard killers like Jason and Freddy, they still belong in a different category other than horror. This film avoids all of the typical cliches that a majority of most modern horror films do not, therefore entitling it to be placed into a whole other category altogether.
It begins with a simple premise; a young girl is orphaned and sent to live with her Aunt. Instead of nurturing her and loving her, proceeds to subject her to rape, beatings, torture, and starvation at the hands of her own children. Her Aunt sees the young, beautiful Meg as a threat, therefore she must be punished for her for not admitting she is a whore, and when Meg won't do it, her Aunt lets her own son strip her, humiliate her, then sodomize her.
David, a young boy next door {and the narrator of he film in retrospect} is infatuated with the young, beautiful, mysterious Meg, and one of he main things he loves about her is her innocence, which she even manages to keep {somewhat} intact until the sexual abuse begins. David is horrified, in fear for Meg's life, but doesn't know how to tell his own parents in fear they won't believe him. He is tortured psychologically, knowing what is happening to Meg but can't stop it, but in an ironic turn, the horrors of their experience brings them closer together.
The screenwriters, Philip Nutman {Wet Work}, and Daniel Farrands do an admirable job of bringing Jack Ketchum's novel to the screen, bringing to mind John McNaughton's 1989 film, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, in which the writers and filmmakers paint a picture of innocence lost, the sad, horrific results of child abuse, and the aftermath left behind that continues to haunt anyone that was directly involved. It is graphic, yes. It makes us recoil, yes. That's the point.
"The Girl Next Door" is not a film for everyone. Controversial and disturbing to its core, the film will no doubt offend a lot of viewers but if you look at the subtle messages instead of the graphic scenes, viewers will learn to appreciate what the film's premise is all about. This film is an unrelenting look at human horror that will stay with the viewer for a long time to come. Forget monsters, vampires, demons and werewolves, the scariest thing may just be occurring...right next door. This film gave me a chill that lasted long after the final credits.
It begins with a simple premise; a young girl is orphaned and sent to live with her Aunt. Instead of nurturing her and loving her, proceeds to subject her to rape, beatings, torture, and starvation at the hands of her own children. Her Aunt sees the young, beautiful Meg as a threat, therefore she must be punished for her for not admitting she is a whore, and when Meg won't do it, her Aunt lets her own son strip her, humiliate her, then sodomize her.
David, a young boy next door {and the narrator of he film in retrospect} is infatuated with the young, beautiful, mysterious Meg, and one of he main things he loves about her is her innocence, which she even manages to keep {somewhat} intact until the sexual abuse begins. David is horrified, in fear for Meg's life, but doesn't know how to tell his own parents in fear they won't believe him. He is tortured psychologically, knowing what is happening to Meg but can't stop it, but in an ironic turn, the horrors of their experience brings them closer together.
The screenwriters, Philip Nutman {Wet Work}, and Daniel Farrands do an admirable job of bringing Jack Ketchum's novel to the screen, bringing to mind John McNaughton's 1989 film, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, in which the writers and filmmakers paint a picture of innocence lost, the sad, horrific results of child abuse, and the aftermath left behind that continues to haunt anyone that was directly involved. It is graphic, yes. It makes us recoil, yes. That's the point.
"The Girl Next Door" is not a film for everyone. Controversial and disturbing to its core, the film will no doubt offend a lot of viewers but if you look at the subtle messages instead of the graphic scenes, viewers will learn to appreciate what the film's premise is all about. This film is an unrelenting look at human horror that will stay with the viewer for a long time to come. Forget monsters, vampires, demons and werewolves, the scariest thing may just be occurring...right next door. This film gave me a chill that lasted long after the final credits.
Dear Mr. Gacy
Dear Mr. Gacy
Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Starring William Forsythe, Jesse Moss, Emma Lahana, and Andrew Airlie
103 minutes, rated R
Reel One Entertainment
I have long been a fan of so-called ''true-to-life'' films about infamous serial killers, but up until I was lucky enough to see this film, I had begun to lose interest. With the success of such notable films as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Ed Gein, indie filmmakers had found yet another venue to showcase low budget stinkers only ''loosely based'' on any real facts. Artistic license is one thing, but just plain butchering a genre for the sake of milking very last drop out of an already tiring genre is another thing altogether. If you can't come up with original material, folks, leave well enough alone.
Not so with the case of Dear Mr. Gacy.
This is the first film of it's type I'd seen in some time that actually was based on true events, and taken from notes by the late Jason Moss, the young man who'd interviewed John Wayne Gacy in person, as well as carried on numerous telephone conversations with him in the weeks leading up to his execution. Originally intended as a school term paper that would make up around half of his final grade, the situation quickly escalated into a twisted, psychological game of cat and mouse, with Jason as the prey.
Jason's journey into the mind of one of America's most infamous serial killers turned out to be one of darkness and terror, with Jason's own inner demons eventually rising to the surface, making him question his own sanity on more than one occasion, his personal and family life starting to take a downward spiral right before his eyes, and hopeless to do anything about it in fear for his family and soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. Gacy's real personality begins to come shining through before long, and Jason, once having felt at least a pang of pity for the killer, now realizes with terrifying clarity just how wrong he was to believe anything Gacy had said in his defense.
The film ends on a sad and ironic note, with actual film footage of Jason Moss and Gacy, and ending with a screen image of them in a picture taken together right before Gacy's execution. We find out that although Moss went on to be a successful writer among other things, but he ended up taking his own life in 2006, which brings to mind the question of Did he stay too long? Should he have gotten out of the situation with Gacy sooner? Did it have an ever-lasting effect on his mind?
Only he knew the real answers to these questions, and only this film will prove to be a realistic insight into a nightmarish journey of violence, madness and sexual depravity that was the real world of John Wayne Gacy, masterfully played by character actor William Forsythe, who gives us what is possibly the best performance of his career here.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to see more than a true story made into a horror story. This film gave me bad dreams for days.
Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Starring William Forsythe, Jesse Moss, Emma Lahana, and Andrew Airlie
103 minutes, rated R
Reel One Entertainment
I have long been a fan of so-called ''true-to-life'' films about infamous serial killers, but up until I was lucky enough to see this film, I had begun to lose interest. With the success of such notable films as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Ed Gein, indie filmmakers had found yet another venue to showcase low budget stinkers only ''loosely based'' on any real facts. Artistic license is one thing, but just plain butchering a genre for the sake of milking very last drop out of an already tiring genre is another thing altogether. If you can't come up with original material, folks, leave well enough alone.
Not so with the case of Dear Mr. Gacy.
This is the first film of it's type I'd seen in some time that actually was based on true events, and taken from notes by the late Jason Moss, the young man who'd interviewed John Wayne Gacy in person, as well as carried on numerous telephone conversations with him in the weeks leading up to his execution. Originally intended as a school term paper that would make up around half of his final grade, the situation quickly escalated into a twisted, psychological game of cat and mouse, with Jason as the prey.
Jason's journey into the mind of one of America's most infamous serial killers turned out to be one of darkness and terror, with Jason's own inner demons eventually rising to the surface, making him question his own sanity on more than one occasion, his personal and family life starting to take a downward spiral right before his eyes, and hopeless to do anything about it in fear for his family and soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. Gacy's real personality begins to come shining through before long, and Jason, once having felt at least a pang of pity for the killer, now realizes with terrifying clarity just how wrong he was to believe anything Gacy had said in his defense.
The film ends on a sad and ironic note, with actual film footage of Jason Moss and Gacy, and ending with a screen image of them in a picture taken together right before Gacy's execution. We find out that although Moss went on to be a successful writer among other things, but he ended up taking his own life in 2006, which brings to mind the question of Did he stay too long? Should he have gotten out of the situation with Gacy sooner? Did it have an ever-lasting effect on his mind?
Only he knew the real answers to these questions, and only this film will prove to be a realistic insight into a nightmarish journey of violence, madness and sexual depravity that was the real world of John Wayne Gacy, masterfully played by character actor William Forsythe, who gives us what is possibly the best performance of his career here.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to see more than a true story made into a horror story. This film gave me bad dreams for days.