rpanczner
The true horror occurs at the end of the movie, as justice is denied. Just how terrible, and cruel, two high school boys can get is approached in this film. The packing is slow, video poor in most places, and the acting mediocre. Maybe the trouble horror of this movie is that I wasted my time.
Leofwine_draca
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR is a thriller perhaps too successful at what it sets out to do. The protagonists are a couple of extremely unpleasant American teenagers who decide - for a prank - to make the life of their elderly neighbour a misery. To this end they set up various hidden cameras in his home (to allow for some found footage-style suspense and thrills) and then proceed to trick him by turning his heating off, making his door bang, and various other stupidity. Things gradually spiral out of control until a twist ending. If it all sounds a little like DISTURBIA then that's because it is, but this film does turn out to be more mature and philosophical about the subject matter than most and the ending is decent. The main actors are sufficiently irritating but the highlight is old-timer James Caan who does very well in a difficult role.
J Smith (Spike_the_Cactus)
I'm a fan of the found-footage genre in general as it occasionally provides opportunities for creative, low budget ideas. Usually they're just a clichéd mess.I was close to switching this off after 20 minutes. It just seemed like two annoying teens setting up a dull Paranormal Activity-style bore. The only reason I kept going was James Caan, who played his role with understated menace well enough to reel me in.By the halfway point I was genuinely enjoying the mystery, even if I was ultimately expecting a stereotypical conclusion. However this is a film defined by its brilliant ending; one that is true to the set-up and which has an impact rare in the majority of films. My only criticism is that the way the film pretends to be one thing whilst actually being something else is likely to either alienate most of the audience it is being sold to, whilst at the same time not appealing to those who will really appreciate it.
Malamut
This movie was an average thriller. Yes, it had some chilling moments but probably not enough to keep the viewer's interest. Caan was good as the mostly confused old man who looked somewhat menacing. However, the movie is spot on when it comes to depicting the current youth's obsession with filming stuff, in this case as part of some "experiment". In this day and age, anyone with a half-decent camera can film whatever they like and this is a growing threat to privacy as we know it. Overall, a decent movie but somewhat lacking in chills. No edge-of-the- seat stuff here despite the intriguing premises.
AD
