The Boy Next Door

Director - Rob Cohen (The Skulls, Dragonheart)

Starring - Jennifer Lopez (The Cell, Anaconda), Ryan Guzman (Pretty Little Liars, Heroes Reborn), and Ian Nelson (The Hunger Games, Teen Wolf)

Release Date - 2015

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "A moment she couldn't resist.  An obsession he can't control"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I received this Blumhouse horror set there was several releases in it that I had wanted to check out for sometime.  Movies like The Visit and Get Out to be more specific.  However, one film that I was really not looking forward to checking out was the 2015 horror thriller The Boy Next Door.  I remember seeing trailers for this one back when it was released and thought that it looked like something Lifetime or Hallmark would air during Halloween.  However, this one really surprised me.  I really enjoyed it for what it is but I don't see myself going out of the way to watch it again.

    The film follows recently separated Claire Peterson (Lopez) who is a school teacher.  She lives with her son and meets her elderly neighbor's nephew Noah (Guzman) just days before classes start.  One night after a botched date she starts drinking when he calls her needing help with dinner.  She goes over to help and soon the two hook up.  She freaks out when she awakens and he tries to calm her down.  Seeing that it's not working he stops and she leaves.  He tries to keep it going but she tries to remain professional and realistic while explaining to him it was a mistake.  This pushes him over and he starts sabatoging her work and home life.  When she refuses to break he goes deeper into his obsession resulting in deadly consequences.  

     I was not expecting The Boy Next Door to pull me in like it did but I found myself getting sucked into the story and when it was over and done with I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it.  It's not a movie I would go out of my way to watch again but if I was channel surfing and caught it on I would check it out again.  The acting in this one works for the film but there is several inconsistencies from most of the cast.  Lopez delivers a fantastic performance during the last half of the film but the first half she is very underwhelming.  The same can be said for the supporting cast.  Everyone brings it in the last half of the film but the slow paced scenes and unenthused performances in the first half makes it a little difficult to stick with.  The story for this one is something you could find on a Lifetime movie from the 90s.  A teacher getting in over her head and the student becoming obsessive isn't very horror filled but can be a fun day time dark thriller.  However, the last 20 minutes of the movie is really heart-pounding and action packed.  Horror related but not enough to really call the film a horror flick.  Finally, if you want blood and gore you will not find it here.  The film is more story and character driven instead of on the red stuff.  Overall, The Boy Next Door is a surprisingly fun thriller that works.  I know a lot of you horror minded readers will skip this one but you really should check it out.  It was well worth the time.