The Girl Next Door

Neither Ketchum nor the filmmakers take an exploitative approach to the material; their focus is the way the youngsters' petty cruelty erupts into murderous sadism.

The result is a great-looking bore.

Gregory M. Wilson, the film’s director, has made the kind of movie that makes you wish you could rinse your brain in bleach, to wash all traces of it from your memory.

Any resonance from that real-life atrocity gets smothered by a script that interlaces clichéd dialogue so tightly as to block out any glint of recognizable human behavior.

If there is anything positive in The Girl Next Door, it is the brave performance by Auffarth, who is in her early 20s. Other than that, there's little reason to see the movie. Unless, of course, you get off on watching the sexual exploitation of underage girls.

Let me start by saying this is a very good film. Yes it is unsettling and vile, but it is supposed to be that way. This movie feels like Stand By Me and It in certain ways, while also bringing strong scenes that truly reflect the terror these kids experienced. The movie was filmed quite well and has excellent production quality, along with strong acting from the lead actresses, and decent child acting. The character of David was a standout performance in relation to the other kids. This movie starts by showing how innocent and kind Meg is, then quickly begins to show the abuse. The abuse can seem pervasive at times, perhaps dragging on a bit. I think the physical violence was fairly mild compared to what it could have been. The movie focused mainly on the psychological torture elements more, showing the kids strength and will to live. Overall very good but disturbing 8/10

The transition from harsh abuse to sheer sadism and an exploitative exhibition of abuse with limited "entertainment" value. There is little to recommend the film, those with a morbid curiosity may wish to take a look as part of a self-endurance test. Prizes on the way out.

A well-meaning movie with a message that got lost somewhere in the exploitative abuse, wooden performances, average script and poor character development. Blythe Auffarth doesn't make a very convincing 14 year old either. This movie would've been better served concentrating more on the characters and their motives and less on "gee, what can we do today to Meg!"

Although disturbing, the viewer does NOT make any sense out of it. It is pointless, with a vulnerable screenplay, performances and direction. The Girl Next Door is does disappoint, with no, what's so ever, explanation behind what was going on.

The main problem in film seems to be ridiculous because it's so easy to solve at the beginning of film. / .