Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Jeanskynebu
the audience applauded
BlazeLime
Strong and Moving!
Kinley
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
arisiathegreat
If you want to watch a movie where the only feeling you'll be left with is "why did i watch this?". There is no justice, no reason for the torture you'll be watching. No end credits with quotes about the story the movie is based on, no links to websites handling child abuse. It literally gives you nothing. To be completely honest I felt violated after watching this movie.You will follow the torture of a girl brought on by her aunt and her devil children. Even though the actress was 20 at the time, she does look earily young and does a great job acting, I will certainly give her that.
Believe it or not, but children are capeable for empathy from a very young age. They are not small monsters with no regard for other humans, and do -not- become psycopaths that easily. I know this movie is from the 60's, and yes both womens stand in society and childrens upbringing was different than it is today, but I simply don't buy that a child (with the moral character he is given) would look at the torture of that young girl and not tell somebody. That he wouldn't walk around with a pit in his stomach, have trouble sleeping and even wet the bed at night - and I do not believe that his mother or his father would not have noticed this change in behaviour.And then there is the reasoning behind this torture and hatred for these two young girls by their aunt. There is no backstory, nothing that gives you any reason why someone would act like that. Yes, I know some people are insane without any reason, but would no one have noticed her psycopathic tendencies before this event? She is watching her boys rape a young girl, encouraging them to torture her and violate her, and what do you get by the very end of the movie, other than her dying a quick death (by getting hit in the head with a crutch). I only watched this movie to the end because I hoped to see something of the trial, of the neighbours reacting with schock by having noticed nothing of this. Something that would give the young girl who died a sense of justice, but nothing happens. The end credits hit the screen and I was left with a feeling of senselessness. I do not reccomend this movie and I hope the book is better.The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars is that I enjoyed some of the acting (and no, english is not my first language)
jordilynn
This is the most horrific movie I have ever seen. My stomach was in knots the entire time and I couldn't finish it. I don't know why this movie was made, but anyone who enjoys it is disturbed. It is well-made and intriguing, but it gets dark very fast. Save yourself the heartache and don't watch it. It will pull you in and then you may not be able to look away and you'll be haunted by it forever.
jcvamp
This film frustrated me. You've got a boy who watches the abuse happening and doesn't protest, yet he obviously knows it's wrong. He's not put in a situation where he's threatened, so I don't see why he wouldn't say something to somebody. It doesn't make sense.I don't know if that qualifies as a spoiler, so I've marked it as one in case.
znegative
I hadn't heard of 'The Girl Next Door' until a few months ago, but i feel a bit misled, both by it's cover and by some of the reviews I've read. 'The Girl Next Door' is not a horror movie, but instead, a drama that includes some very sadistic moments of torture-porn.The movie, which is based on a Jack Ketchum novel, which is based on a real life case that took place in the 60's, tells the story of the horrible abuse suffered by a young girl at the hand of her aunt and her cousins, who lock her up in the basement where they physically and sexually abuse her. It's also a story of one of the boys who befriended the girl, but is unable to stop her abuse, and how that regret stick with him.I imagine that this is the kind of movie that people feel strongly about, regardless of whether they like it or hate it. My issue with the movie was that it just seemed kind of pointless and exploitative, under a veneer of integrity that doesn't actually lack. I agree that stories like these have to be told, but The Girl Next Door lacked taste IMO, which might seem odd coming from someone who thinks 'Martyrs' is one of the greatest modern horror films in the past decade. IDK, that's just me though.