The Girl Next Door

 

The Girl Next Door 2007

• Director: Gregory Wilson
• Based on the book by Jack Ketchum
• Cast: Blythe Auffarth, Blanche Baker, Daniel Manche
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 17 July 2023      

       Summer 1958. Small town America. David (Manche) is about 12. His mother is a pretty housewife who wears pretty dresses and pearl necklaces and lipstick every day (mine certainly didn’t). He and the neighbour kids play, quite roughly together.

       Two recently orphaned girls, Meg (Auffarth) and her sister move in with their Aunt Ruth (Baker), a sweet-talking sarcastic sadist who gives her sons and the neighbour kids beer and cigs and beats her nieces. The abuse escalates. David witnesses this but is too cowardly to protest or tell an adult until it is too late.

       Supposedly based on a true story, it seems to like the sadism too much. We know this sort of thing happens but why was the film made? To stop it from happening again? I doubt it.

 2 ½ * of 5