The most shocking thing in this unsettling film is the way it accurately portrays the state of mind of the two "heroes"; murder seems to be just another inconsequential act of "escapism" for them, and the (sincere) grief that Sheen's character feels for some of their victims is brief and quickly lost amid the "thrill" of it all. The movie handles the violence in an uncompromising but not exploitive way, and it may not have all the answers, but at least it isn't afraid to touch the subject. (***)

Just time and circumstances and possibly the unavailability of weapons prevented Charlie Sheen and Maxwell Caulfield from becoming a pair of Columbine style massacre makers in The Boys Next Door. Although the treatment of them is rather sensationalistic and exploitive the film does raise some issues. First and foremost is just how do you recognize a serial killer in your midst.

There's nothing wrong with Caulfield and Sheen as actors, but they are terribly miscast. Quite frankly these two guys are way too good looking to be believable as social misfits. Try as a may, I couldn't turn over the fact in my mind that these two couldn't get any dates.

Part of it is economics, these two are from the wrong side of the tracks in their small western town. But that sure doesn't explain it, some noted serial killers came from the upper strata.

Right after graduation these two decide to go to the big city of Los Angeles where their penchant for violence, especially Caulfield's escalate until they've killed four people in one twisted night.

As miscast as they are the two deliver good performances. Honorable mention should also go to Patti D'Arbanville as the bar girl they pick up, Paul Dancer as the gay man who becomes their first victim, and Dancer's boyfriend Kenneth Cortland.

The Boys Next Door is not a bad film, but the subject has been covered better in the cinema.

Roy (Maxwell Caulfield) and Bo (Carlos Estevez) leave their small town the weekend after graduation for a short road trip to Los Angeles. Soon, they find themselves lashing out and leaving a trail of bodies behind them. The violence escalates throughout.

I love that Nicolas Cage almost got a role in this film, and that Crispin Glover was turned down for being "too psychotic" at his audition. What a different film that would have been...

As a whole, I like this film as presenting the idea of the "sociopath next door", the concept that those who commit the most violent and heinous acts are those we often least suspect. Unfortunately, I feel like it never fully developed the idea. Cross-country murder tales (such as "Badlands" and "Natural Born Killers", both inspired by Charles Starkweather) have been done better... this had its own unique vision, but never took it all the way.