Best in Show: Nasty Neighbors (Pt. II of II)



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5. Troy & Sons (The Neighbor) There's a sheer ruthlessness to the neighbor at the center of The Neighbor. Like Mick Taylor of Wolf Creek infamy, Troy is a rural man who is evil to his core. Drawing his two sons into his insidious plans, Troy is the type of neighbor who may come across as a homely outdoorsman, but he is nothing short of villainous. His small business consisting of holding victims for ransom and killing everyone in his way is the type of work only someone in a Podunk town could get away with.


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4. Jon & Teresa (The Ones Below) If things feel too perfect, chances are they are. This is exactly the conclusion Kate and to an extent her husband, Justin, come to after quickly befriending and defriending their new downstairs neighbors. While slightly off, the pairs quickly have a budding friendship. That however, crashes after a by-chance accident that quickly unravels into hell for Kate. Disorienting in their passive aggressiveness and the steps they take to ruin the lives of Kate and Justin, the pregnant Kate quickly recognizes the darkness behind Jon and Teresa. While things at one point grow rosier, the unsettling tension never leaves this film. This is a pair you won’t see coming, but will certainly regret accepting into your lives.

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3. Mr. Jones (Mr. Jones) Artsy and cultured neighbors can be a double-edged sword. Sure they bring a certain lighthearted airiness to the area, but they can also spell trouble thanks to their free spirits and intrusive projects. This happens to be a complete and total understatement in the case of Mr. Jones. A secretive artist in the vein of Banksy, Mr. Jones is a welcome unknown for new homeowners Scott and Penny. After they decide to research the recluse and film it, they soon get more than they bargained for. Mr. Jones isn't a neighbor any of us are bound to come across any day, but his scary sculptures paired with the mystery surrounding him make him less than a satisfying prospect for any potential homeowners.

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2. Jerry Dandrige (Fright Night) Though more comical than most neighbor horror stories, the core of the 70's film, Fright Night, is terrifying. Deceptively charming to everyone other than Charley Brewster, Jerry Dandrige is a new neighbor \you'll literally be praying to leave. While he may need to be invited in and presents himself as cordial, he's truly anything but. Using trickery and deceit, Jerry captures the hearts of those around him and then transforms them into similar monstrous creatures. His ability to feign normalcy in the eyes of everyone by Charley is a testament to his charms. Jerry is scary, at the very least, because of his ability to charm.



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1. Robert Turner (Disturbia)

One of the most iconic thrillers for 2000s teenagers is the Shia LaBeouf-starring film, Disturbia. Featuring a neighbor with enough skeletons to fill more than a closet, Disturbia is a frightening reminder that despite rosy appearances, you don't really know your neighbors. Sure they may be friendly and relatively normal, but underneath that veil could be something far more sinister. Like the human Jerry Dandrige, Robert Turner comes across as the charming man next door. Older and dressed in semiformal clothes in nearly every appearance, he seems like your typical suburbanite. But, after some deep sleuthing, it becomes clear that he has a secrets and a preparedness to kill. Disturbia isn't a straight up horror film, but it gives viewers one of the scariest neighbor nightmare stories in the film industry.

The Overlook: The Ones Below

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Neighbors can be a lot to deal with. From noise to the secretive, on-looking ways of intersecting lives, sharing spaces - even those blocked by locked doors, can prove to be a challenge. Add a few pregnancies on top of that and some darker, sinister intentions and the concept of neighbors becomes all the more unsettling. This is essentially the plot of The Ones Below. Following the lives of a couple expecting their first child and their new, suspiciously creepy downstairs neighbors who are also expecting a child, The Ones Below is a slow-burning and unsettling film.

The Ones Below hosts a beautifully stunning cast who do terrific in their respective roles. In the upstairs flat, Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boyd) play Kate and Justin, the aforementioned young couple who are expecting Their new neighbors, played by David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) and Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones), are also expecting a child and for Birn's foreigner, Theresa,, the struggles of pregnancy seem to have her head in a strange place. The One Below places everything on the shoulders of these four proficient actors and the movie greatly benefits because of it. 

 

There's a lot of disturbing moments in The One Below. From the off-color comments made by Morrissey's character to the greatly uncomfortable confrontations between the two couples, this film knows how to dole out goose bumps. But, even worse than these moments are the more subtle ones- conversations unveiling the troubled relationship of Kate and Justin and the strange, startling eyes of the off-center Theresa, all culminate into a nerve-wracking experience.

The Ones Below is beautifully shot; sleek and elegant, but deeply dark and brooding. It is the type of movie that even on the brightest day, could make an audience feel like it's raining out. The Ones Below hosts a collection of perfectly curated pieces of furniture, wall hangings and knick-knacks, it is undeniably easy on the eyes, and completely wills you to yearn for these characters' tastes. Even when things become seedy and the smooth surfaces of the film's plot begin to ripple, viewers will still want in on the lifestyles lived.

While not a proper, conventional horror film, The Ones Below most definitely is one. It is a troubling, brooding movie that makes for a scarily good time. It is the type of revelation that showcases that you never truly know your neighbors. The Ones Below feeds into the discomfort of acquaintanceship and is honestly a must-see, cringe-worthy adventure. Oh, it's currently streaming on Netflix, so no excuses.