Last night I was looking through my Netflix list and saw I had added something called The Good Neighbor. I looked it up on IMDB and saw the cast and went...yup. And watched it.
Let's talk about!
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR (2016)
"Rule one - no physical interference with the subject at any time.
Rule two - strict deadline, 6 weeks to prove hypothesis or the project's abandoned.
Rule three - objectivity....
The theory simply put - with the proper execution it is possible to drive an unsuspecting person into believing they are truly being haunted."
Sean and Ethan are two teenage best friends. Sean is new to the town and Ethan latched onto him and the two became bestis. Sean is played by Keir Gilchrist who was in It Follows and Ethan is played by Logan Miller who was in Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. They have their sites set on their creepy neighbor called Harold Grainey, played by the incredible James Caan who I know best from Misery.
The boys decide to test a theory that they call "The Haunting Project" to see if by tampering with Harold's house they can convince him he's haunted. They break in one day and set up lots of cameras and effects and then sit back and fuck with this guy for weeks. They flicker the lights, they slam the screen doors, they turn the heat off etc.
But as time wears on the boys get frustrated because Harold doesn't react the way they want him to. And in fact he gets stranger and stranger, spending more time in his locked up basement that they can't get access to.
So who is Harold Grainey, and did he really murder his wife? Are the boys just pulling a harmless prank, or are they altering the life of an old man? And what exactly is in that locked basement?
What did I love?
The movie is set up in a really great way. It has clips of the boys watching Grainey, clips of Grainey inside of his house, and clips of the boys fooling around during the day and night. It then has flashbacks from Grainey's perspective of him and his wife in the past. And in between all these are what we can assume are current day court scenes. It keeps you on your toes and creates a sort of mystery for you to unravel.
The relationship between Sean and Ethan is fascinating to watch and when Sean finds out the real reasons for them picking on Grainey, you watch as this tight knit friendship completely unravels. Watching Ethan's progression is intense and the final shot (I won't reveal the ending) of Ethan is something that leaves you thinking.
James Caan is a powerhouse in this film and although he has virtually no lines, his eyes tell it all. He was SO FUCKING GOOD. There's a scene where he smashes a screen door with an axe and it's so unexpected and the rage and emotion in that scene was amazing.
The twist ending (I didn't see it coming, but some might) had me shook. I was completely sobbing into my blanket when it happened. At that point I figured it out but I still was heart broken when it all revealed itself. Ugh. It destroyed my heart. BUT I also can't stop thinking about it and spent the morning telling Mitch every detail of it.
The tension build ups in this film were absolutely wonderful and had me almost screaming for relief. So many scenes where Grainey just sits there deadpan and you know something's going to happen but you keep waiting and waiting.
What didn't I love?
Some of the details were a little hazy if you think about them too much. Like Sean's family - I would've liked a lot more detail on them and what that whole situation was. And Ethan - I see the logic of his hatred towards Grainey but I don't fully understand it, and I'm not sure that at his age he really would feel like that.
Overall
The Good Neighbor was directed by Kasra Farahani and written by Mark Bianculli and Jeff Richard. I haven't heard anyone talk about this film and I think we need to change that. It was absolutely amazing and although I suppose it's not strict horror in a sense, it's horrific and dramatic and well played out. I loved every moment of it. And again, it's one of those movies you NEED to talk about with someone.
Solid 10/10
Stay spooky!
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