REVIEW: The Neighbor

- By Stephen Harper

Hmm…tough one this as I’m not sure whether I liked it or not?!

From Marcus Dunstan, director of The Collector & The Collection, ‘The Neighbor’ follows the story of couple John & Rosie who work for a drug lord, dealing in all sorts of shady exploits. They’ve decided to transport one last product, then retire to a better clean life….yeah okay?!

They put down temporary sticks in a run-down house out in the middle of nowhere in rural Mississippi. It’s here they meet Troy (Bill Engvall) their neighbour who seems like a good guy initially, but you just know he’s an absolute nutter!

John & Rosie start spying on Troy with their telescope and when Rosie goes missing, John has no option to enter his neighbour’s house and finds Troy is hiding some dark secrets.

The premise for this story is a simple one and one I’ve seen done numerous times. In recent years ‘Disturbia’ plays with the same ideas, but to better effect. Obviously there’s a whole house of horrors awaiting in Disturbia, which isn’t the case in The Neighbor. I accept that Troy’s overall plan isn’t of a serial killer, but something entirely different, and once John enters the house it all feels slightly limbless.

Dunstan who’s debut film The Collector played with very similar ideas, using the house as a character, doesn’t really hit it home here. There’s no building of tension within the characters, especially of Troy who you know is hiding secrets and you’re basically just waiting for John to go seeking answers.

Once entering the house it’s very similar to The Collector as there’s a million rooms. I know this is done for dramatic effect, but don’t psychopaths move into bed-sits?

The positives of The Neighbor is that it’s beautifully shot and polished. Dunstan is clearly inspired by 70’s movies and it shows with its often grimy, trashy cinematography.

Performance-wise there’s no complaints. Dunstan regular Josh Stewart (John) is solid as ever. Bill Engvall (Troy) is very good as are his accomplices, including an always superb Ronnie Gene Blevins (read our 2014 interview HERE) who’s extremely underused.

The Neighbor has its moments, buts it’s more jump-scares than tension. It’s a good looking movie and kind of enjoyable, but unfortunately all been done before.

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