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.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.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.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Donny Chandler
- (as Ben Kaplan)
- Police Officer #2
- (as Gregory Northtrop)
- Susan Loughlin
- (as Maddie Taylor)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is based on a true case. In 1965, teenage Sylvia Likens was beaten, starved, and taunted by her former neighborhood friends and by her caregiver. While her sister survived, Sylvia died from all the trauma and the case was brought to trial, raising awareness of child abuse and bullying.
- GoofsThe first time David goes down stairs he's wading through hanging laundry. When he goes through the last sets of linen another hand can be seen on the left helping him pull the laundry aside and hold it there, presumably, for the camera.
- Quotes
Adult David: You think you know about pain? Talk to my second wife. When she was 19 she got between a couple of fighting cats, and one of them went at her, climbed her like a tree, tore gashes out of her thighs and breasts and belly that you can still see today. She got 30 stitches and a fever that lasted for days. My second wife says that's pain. She doesn't know shit, that woman.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Horror Movies Inspired by True Events (2014)
The film takes place in the fifties and we focus on David Moran; a young boy who meets a young girl named Meg Loughlin when she moves in next door with her sister after the death of their parents. Her presence incites the matriarch of the household; who takes it upon herself to use her sons (along with some other neighbourhood children) to torture and abuse Meg, while the case goes unreported. The first third of the movie is not too far removed from being a drama about a group of children in the summertime; but as the film moves on, things start to get dark pretty quickly and by then the film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the credits role. The violence shown in the movie is not particularly explicit; and that's possibly why the film didn't get a rousing reception from some circles who were hoping for an exploitation flick. What we do see is more than enough, however, and it's the situation that really makes the film what it is. The acting is brilliant also; with the monstrous Blanche Baker heading up a cast of youngsters. Every film is looked at in different ways by different people; but I honestly am surprised that some people who saw this film were not affected by it. The Girl Next Door is surely one of the most unforgettable and painful films I've ever seen and for that reason I would give it a cautionary recommendation. It's well worth seeing...but you've been warned.
- The_Void
- Dec 1, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1