Commuter

Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Movie viewers shuddered in their seats as they gazed at the screen, watching the atrocities being committed. Some shuddered, some bristled, as they viewed "The Girl Next Door," wondering how one human being could be so cruel to another.

The movie, available on DVD, is based on the book of the same name by Jack Ketchum. The book is based on the real-life events of the murder and torture of Sylvia Marie Likens.

Directed by Gregory M. Wilson and produced by Andrew van den Houten and William M. Miller, the movie tells the story of Meg (starring Blythe Auffarth), and her sister, Susan (Madeline Taylor) who go to live with a distant aunt after the death of their parents.

The aunt, Ruth Chandler (Blanch Baker), is more than just off her rocker. She may be the most vile, sinister person to walk the Earth. She supplies her underage sons and their friends with alcoholic beverages and encourages them to harass their cousins.

Ruth's slow decline into madness starts to affect Meg and Susan. When Meg attempts to notify police about the harassment, Ruth unleashes a fury of abuse on her that doesn't end until it's gone too far.

Encouraging her sons and other neighborhood children to beat and torture Meg, "Auntie" Ruth takes the ultimate step towards evil, but one child attempts to make a stand.

"Davie" Moran (Daniel Manche) tries to stop Ruth's abuse but doesn't know whom to trust. More important, he doesn't know who would believe a story of such unspeakable acts.

The terror runs deep as Meg is held hostage in her aunt's basement. Emotions pour through the screen as her last hours are filled with screams of writhing pain.

Davie, forced to watch the suffering along with Susan, is a helpless onlooker.

Ruth sits and berates Meg as the torture reaches its climax.

"The Girl Next Door" is not your run-of-the-mill horror flick. It is a psychological drama that will make you cringe. It is also a socially conscious film that makes viewers aware of the horrors of child abuse.

The movie calls on society to take notice and be aware of the dangers children face when left in the care of abusive guardians. And it also displays the consequences of inaction.

"The Girl Next Door" is not only a story about Meg Loughlin, or her real-life counterpart, Sylvia Likens. It is a story about all who have faced abuse and how we, the informed, can put a stop to it if we keep our eyes open.

It's not often that a film can stir such intense emotion, draw you into the story, keep you on the edge of you seat, and also convey a socially conscious message. "The Girl Next Door" does all these things.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools