Disturbia tells the story of a teenage boy named Kale who is sentenced to three months house arrest after punching a teacher in the face for making a comment about his recently deceased father. When his mother takes away his TV and his computer, he resorts to spying on the houses surrounding him. Things begin to get frightening when he begins to suspect one of his neighbours is a serial killer. He gets his friends involved with his impromptu investigation, and soon the neighbour realizes he's being watched...And he's not too happy about it. Disturbia is loosely based off the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window, but it is still a film all in itself, and it is the best thriller I've seen in a while.

What makes this movie better than most horror movies that are released today is that is doesn't rely on excessive gore and gross out tactics to frighten you. It relies on mood and suspense, and that works so much better. As the film went on, the tension got so high that I was literally on the edge of my seat rubbing my hands together because I was so anxious to see what was going to happen next. I actually felt the adrenaline rush that the characters in the film must have been feeling when they were snooping around in the neighbour's garage. The movie has a realistic feel of how creepy it would be to have a serial killer living across the street from you and you had no way to prove it. Everything in this movie is done well. The writing, the directing, the way it all pans out. I was actually shocked when I left the theatre over how good this movie really was.

The acting was very good from everybody involved. Shia LaBeouf has come a long way from Even Stevens. Something tells me that he has a nice career ahead of him. David Morse is perfectly sinister as the neighbour. He's just one of those actors that you might not know who he is to hear his name, but he pops up here and there and you always say, "Cool, it's that guy." Overall, this was an amazing thriller, and I'm glad I went to see it because I really wasn't expecting that much. It leads me to wonder why Hollywood continues to pump out absolute garbage like the Saw trilogy, Hostel, and Dead Silence when they could be making movies like this instead.

8/10

While driving home from a fishing trip, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf) gets into a car accident which kills his father. One year later, a despondent Kale punches his Spanish teacher and gets 3 months under house arrest. His mother Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss) takes away his video games. His best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) is in Hawaii. With nothing to do, he starts spying on his sexy neighbor Ashley Carlson (Sarah Roemer). By the time Ronnie is back, Kale has mapped out his entire neighborhood. He notices suspicious things at Robert Turner (David Morse) next door. There are news reports of missing girls. Ronnie and Ashley join him in the stakeout.

I love the 'Rear Window' vibe which is one of my favorite movies. It's a different route to the same place. Shia has an easy charm about him. Aaron is a great slacker friend. Sarah Roemer has a friendly sexiness. The trio has good chemistry together. David Morse is creepy as hell and the scene in the car with Roemer is hair raising. The ending runs on a little too long. I would have prefer not to spend more time in Turner's underground dungeon. It feels heavy handed from a slasher movie which is different from the rest of the movie. If it stays in the Brecht house, there would have been a tight high intensity ending.

There have been inevitable comparisons to Hitchcock's Rear Window, and there are those who call Disturbia a rip off of the Hitchcock classic. While I personally wouldn't go as far to say that, I can see some uncanny similarities. If I were to compare the two, I think Rear Window is a masterpiece, but I liked this very much and feel that it may perhaps appeal more to some.

I do think though Disturbia does have a slow start with not a lot standing out really. However when it gets going, it does get very suspenseful and the rest up to the exciting finale is an entertaining mix of suspense, thrills, mystery and comedy. The story may have its predictable twists and turns and the odd crack but overall it is entertaining and slow start aside well-structured and slickly paced.

Visually Disturbia is stylish, with some nice shots and lighting which add to the atmosphere and great sets and location shooting, the direction is taut and the dialogue is on the whole witty. The acting is fine, Shia LaBoeuf and Sara Roehmmer are likable in the lead roles and show a good chemistry. Carrie Ann-Moss is also good, though I would have liked to have seen more of her, but David Morse in a shy, quiet yet altogether sinister performance is the one who steals the show.

Overall, a stylish and well done film and worth the watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox