Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door DVD

 EXCELLENT NOVEL, POOR MOVIE
Based on Jack Ketchum's best novel, which in turn is based on the real life story of the severe victimization and death of Sylvia Likins ("The Indiana Torture Slaying") this movie was, considering how good the book is, poorly done. Not surprisingly situations have been changed around, but that is not the worse complaint. Not only is the actress(Blythe Auffarth)playing victim Meg obviously in her twenties (Meg is supposed to be fourteen) but the one portraying nutcase mother and aunt Ruth(Blanche Baker)is so phony in her performance that she annoys more than scares. The film seems to rush through events, and although there is a scene near the end in which one would feel greatly for the victim, every other situation is off and there is hardly any depth or development between the the characters. I would say that the best one is David, played by Daniel Manche, the only actor not to get on my nerves. This being said, stick with the novel and the real story. These are memorable; this film is not.
Submitted by jenhedwig (New York)
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