Hollywood has always been obsessed with bad neighbors. They make great antagonists to a movie’s protagonist because whatever bad behavior they’re up to always provides the main characters with a problem they’re unable to get away from due to their close proximity.
There have been many movies made about annoying neighbors but the worst, of course, is when happy homeowners find themselves living next to a killer, which is the last thing anyone wants to discover about their new neighborhood. Usually, the main character must prove whoever lives next door is not who they seem lest they become their next victim.
10 Sliver (1993) – 5.1
Sharon Stone re-teams with her Basic Instinct screenwriter Joe Eszterhas to try to recapture the same success and deliver another great erotic thriller. Stone plays Carly, the new tenant of a luxury apartment building where she learns several other female tenants have been murdered. She begins a relationship with the building’s owner who she suspects might be the culprit, along with her next-door neighbor.
As she searches for the killer’s identity, she uncovers the building’s shocking secrets of murder and voyeurism. Sliver’s post-production was chaotic after the studio ordered extensive reshoots that included a switch in the killer’s identity. While the film performed well at the box office, critics felt it wasn’t as good as Basic Instinct.
9 Consenting Adults (1992) – 5.8
In Consenting Adults, the new neighbors expose Kevin Kline’s character’s flaws, which involve him getting tangled in their deadly web. Eddy (Kevin Spacey) and Kay (Rebecca Miller) move in next door to Kline’s Richard and his wife Priscilla (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio); however, Richard becomes attracted to Kay. He gives into temptation but when she’s found murdered, he ends up being the prime suspect.
Part of a cycle of early ’90s husbands and wife thrillers, Consenting Adults received praise, mostly for the twist, and for Kevin Spacey’s terrifying performance, but failed to ignite at the box office.
8 House At The End Of The Street (2012) – 5.6
Hot off the success of indie favorite Winter’s Bone, Jennifer Lawrence dove into the horror genre with House At The End Of The Street. Lawrence stars as Elissa, who moves into a new house with her mother (Elizabeth Shue), and discovers a house on her block was the site of a gruesome double murder. She begins a relationship with the house’s only resident: the son of the victims and brother of the culprit, only to learn the culprit may still be alive.
Lawrence’s first movie released after The Hunger Games, but filmed before it, House proved she was a star and, despite poor reviews, performed moderately well at the box office.
7 The Lovely Bones (2009) – 6.7
Based on the book by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones takes a unique spin on the killer-next-door genre. Set in 1973, a young girl, Susie (Saoirse Ronan), is murdered by her neighbor. What follows are parallel stories as Susie finds herself in the “in-between” afterlife world while her family searches for her killer. Eventually, Susie discovers how to help them find her murderer (Stanley Tucci) from the beyond.
Directed by Peter Jackson, The Lovely Bones combines horror, tragedy, mystery and wonderment all in one movie. The film received mixed reviews and a cool box office reception, however, Stanley Tucci received an Oscar nomination for his role as the killer neighbor.
6 Apt Pupil (1998) – 6.7
Based on the novella by horror master Stephen King, Apt Pupil tells the story of a teenage boy, Todd, who discovers his next-door neighbor is a Nazi war criminal (Ian McKellan) in hiding. Obsessed with Nazism and the Holocaust, Todd takes an interest in his neighbor, however, the friendship awakens evil within him.
A previous attempt at filming King’s novella took place in the late 1980s and 40 mins of the film were shot, but the production ran out of money and was never revived. Bryan Singer took over the direction for this version, after his Usual Suspects success, and while the film failed at the box office, critics praised it, especially for Ian McKellan’s performance.
5 Disturbia (2007) – 6.8
Considered to be Rear Window for teens, Disturbia revolves around a teenager Kale (Shia LaBeouf), who gets put on house arrest after a fight with a teacher. While stuck home he becomes convinced that his next-door neighbor is a serial killer, and it’s up to him and his friends to prove to the authorities he’s telling the truth about his neighbor’s identity.
While the clever use of Rear Window’s aspects were praised, many viewed the film as paling in comparison. However, Disturbia was a huge box-office hit and launched Shia LaBeouf’s movie star career.
4 The ‘Burbs (1989) – 6.9
Directed by Gremlins‘ Joe Dante, The ‘Burbs stars Tom Hanks as Ray Peterson, who becomes convinced that his new neighbors, the Klopeks, might be murderers, after hearing strange noises emanating from their basement as well as other odd behavior. Eventually, he and his other neighbors attempt to investigate with hilariously disastrous results.
The ‘Burbs is a clever look at the weirdness that potentially lurks within boring small-town suburbia and Dante directs with his usual visual and comic flair. While reviews were mixed upon release, the movie has become something of a cult classic.
3 Fright Night (1985) – 7.1
Fright Night takes the Rear Window formula but adds a supernatural twist. The story revolves around a horror movie-obsessed teenager, Charley, who believes his neighbor is a vampire. Despite an abundance of evidence, no one believes him so he enlists the help of a washed-up actor, who’s famous for playing a vampire killer in movies, to help uncover his neighbor’s ghoulish secret.
Upon release, the film was a surprise hit and along with great reviews made it one of the most popular horror movies of the 1980s. A remake was released in 2011 with Colin Farrell, however, it failed it attain the original’s popularity.
2 Arlington Road (1999) – 7.2
Arlington Road’s tagline was “Fear They Neighbor,” and the movie earns it. Instead of serial killers or vampires living next door, Jeff Bridges’ Michael finds himself suspecting his new neighbors, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl (Joan Cusack), aren’t just killers but domestic terrorists. An expert in terrorism himself, Michael begins to believe the blueprints that he finds in his neighbors’ house aren’t for any architectural project but for blowing up a building. Of course, no one believes him, so he must prove it and foil their deadly plans.
Arlington Road is a thriller with many chilling ideas and might make audiences think twice about their seemingly nice new neighbors next door. Evil could be lurking around any corner and look like anybody. The film received great reviews but, while not a hit at the box office, a television show version is in development for Paramount+.
1 Rear Window (1954) – 8.4
Considered one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s best, Rear Window is based on a short story and stars Jimmy Stewart as a photographer confined to a wheelchair who witnesses a murder taking place through the window of the neighboring apartment. Unfortunately, no one believes him until it’s too late.
With Rear Window, Hitchcock earns his reputation as the “master of suspense” as he crafts a tense build-up that delivers exciting thrills. The film has been noted for exploring the idea of voyeurism, which might even be a metaphor for “film” itself. Since its release in 1954, critics and audiences have hailed Rear Window for being a masterpiece and one of cinema’s greatest films.
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