The Girl Next Door (2007)

The Girl Next Door (2007)

Release Date: 17 October 2008 (Italy)
Quality: DVDRip.AC3 5.1-FxM
Language: English
Runtime: 91 min
Director: Gregory Wilson
Company: Modernciné, Modern Girl Productions
Movie Info: IMDb
Cast: Blythe Auffarth, Daniel Manche, Blanche Baker, Grant Show, Graham Patrick Martin, Benjamin Ross Kaplan, Austin Williams, William Atherton, Dan Abram, Linda Addison, David Auffarth, Leon Blot
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Watch: Trailer
Size: 701MB

Plot: Based on Jack Ketchum's novel with the same title, which is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens, who was tortured and killed in 1965 in Indiana.

(Warning, the following plot description, due to the content of the movie, is not for the squeamish) The movie starts in contemporary New York City when 50ish stock trader David Moran (William Atherton) sees a homeless man hit by a car. He acts immediately to save the man's life by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Later, at home, Moran sits studying a drawing obviously made by a child. The incident that day has reminded him of a time in the summer of 1958 when he failed to act to save a life. The rest of the film proceeds as a flashback.

Teenage David Moran(Daniel Manche) is down catching crawfish at the local stream when he runs into the new girl in town, 16 year-old Megan Loughin (Blythe Auffarth). Megan and her little sister, ten year-old Susan (Madeline Taylor), have just moved in with David's next door neighbor, divorcee Ruth Chandler (Blanche Baker) and her three sons. Meg and Susan have recently been orphaned after a car accident that left Susan crippled.

The Chandler household is a big teenage hangout in the neighborhood. Mrs. Chandler (who the kids call "Ruth") is considered a cool parent as she secretly lets the kids drink beer and plies the boys with salacious talk.

When David runs into Megan a couple days later she tells him that nothing she does seems to please Ruth. David has an idea to make peace between them: he suggests that Megan draw a picture for Ruth. Meg does not want to do this as she is afraid that Ruth with ridicule her. David suggests instead that Megan draw one for him. She does this (it is the picture the adult David is contemplating at the beginning of the film) and David presents it to Ruth telling her that Megan drew it for her. Ruth sees through this and rejects the drawing telling David to keep it.

When David arrives at the Chandler house a couple days later he finds the Chandler boys tickling and groping Megan. She hits one of them hard and runs from the room. Ruth arrives and takes the boys side of the argument. She would like to punish Megan, but as she is gone, Ruth instead decides instead to punish Susan for "conniving" with her sister and gives Susan an sound, old-fashioned, bare-bottom spanking with a toilet brush while the boys watch. Megan returns to her sisters cries and is forced to watch the beating.

The next day Meg reports this to police officer Jennings (Kevin Chamberlin) who speaks to Ruth. Ruth is able to deflect his inquires, however, and confronts Megan telling her she will find a way to keep her from running to police with her complaints.