Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. Ketchum’s writing is not for the faint of heart. But how’s the film?
Tuesday night, I attended a screening in Beverly Hills for the film adaptation of Jack Ketchum's "The Girl Next Door". I've been looking forward to seeing this film ever since I found out that the script had been picked up. Several years back, I had the opportunity to read the script through a friend of mine who obtained a copy and couldn't stop talking about it. After reading it myself ... 3 times ... I then understood why. For a couple of weeks afterwards, I just couldn't let it go. I guess the best place to begin would be there. The script was exquisitely written. The writers managed to craft a screenplay that was easy to visualize in one's mind. Every beat, transition and characterization puts you right there in the moment. Not far into it, I found myself invested in these characters. So much so, that when the story takes that dark turn for the worse, (e.g., the restraining, torture and mutilation of an innocent teenage girl) I found it difficult to turn away. The film, however, is another story. I would like to start by saying that, for the most part, I enjoyed what I saw. The look of the film was spot on. There were moments in this film where it actually looked as though it was shot in the 50's. Costumes, make-up, automobiles neighborhood, exterior and interior decor, lighting ... all of it was great and added so much validity to the film. That, in and of itself, is a great accomplishment. The cast, made up mostly of children and young adults, was nothing short of impressive. Blythe Auffarth who played Meg did an amazing job with this extremely difficult role. I bought every moment of her performance. The same also goes for the role of young David played by Daniel Manche. Blanche (Sixteen Candles) Baker's performance as the evil and twisted Ruth Chandler was a bit hit and miss in my opinion. She certainly had her moments ... especially later on in the film after the character had apparently "snapped". It seemed to me though that just as easily as she'd "get you" with one of her well delivered "creepy" lines of dialog, she would lose you with the very next line. This happened several times throughout the film, but not so often for me to deny her praise for her performance. As I already stated earlier, I really did enjoy what I saw. However, it's the end of the film where the whole thing kinda falls apart. (the cookie crumbles, they dropped the ball, the bubble bursts, etc.) It seemed as though I was taken on a incredibly dark and unsettling nightmare of a train ride that gave me motion sickness, which I absolutely couldn't get off until I reached the final destination, but when I finally get there ... it's a complete let down. The end of this film really makes no sense. I didn't even see it coming. It just happened, and before I knew it ... it was over. No longer willing to condone the ongoing torture to his friend Meg, David decides to start a fire to overt or attract attention to the basement. (it's not exactly clear at that point) Suddenly Ruth appears. Just as David whacks her in the head repeatedly with a crutch belonging to Meg's younger sister Susan, he is knocked to the ground and pummeled with punches by one of Ruth's boys. Then out of thin air, a police officer races down the basement staircase with his gun drawn. After which, there's no conclusion, follow-through, resolution or climax. There I sat watching this disconcerting, overwhelming, perplexing, and suspenseful film based on real life events only to be left with a series of unanswered questions that left me feeling a bit cheated, and this is coming from someone who is familiar with the story to begin with. What happened to Ruth's boys and the other neighborhood kids in the aftermath of the tragedy? Were they sentenced to jail? How did their lives turn out and how was the community affected by this horrible crime? What happened to David when all of this horrible truth was revealed? I can only imagine how lost someone who is not familiar with this story will feel when their train ride ends. In the script, you found out the answers to all of this: David's parents divorced (the shame of their son's involvement in this horrific crime too much for them to bear); Susan was adopted and wrote to David for many years; Ruth's boys and the other neighborhood kids were sentenced to jail sentences but all were released when they turned 18; you later found out little Woofer (Ruth's little moppet with a penchant for feeding worms to red ants) was sentenced to life in prison -- where he was subsequently killed in the showers -- after raping and torturing several women. The undeniable main problem with this adaptation is the omission of the book and script's visual, climactic and inevitable "coup de grace" scene for Ruth. The personification of pure evil, the most horrifying "Wicked Witch" character ever to be portrayed on screen, and she is "klunked on the head." There is no dramatic tension and the screws that were so deftly and excruciatingly turned on the audience for the past hour and a half simply stop turning. It all just comes to a screeching and unsatisfying end. As an audience member who's witnessed (and in a sense made an accomplice in) this horror, you are literally screaming for some kind of payback to this Uber-Bitch from Hell. Yet she (and all of the rest of what the screenwriters spent so much time building up to) crashes -- literally -- flat onto the floor. All of the dread and horror and impact is suddenly -- gone. It sputters out and then it's over. Even the denouement with the adult David is rushed and wrapped up too quickly and conveniently. Did the producers run out of money or did they just not care about telling the story in a way that would make sense and satisfy the audience? All of the puzzle pieces were right there -- and for the most part, the puzzle came together. I just couldn't help but think that someone had dropped the last few pieces on the floor ... and never bothered to look for them or finish the damn thing. Maybe someone will see these flaws and reshoot the ending the way it was meant to be (those who remember the book will certainly recall Ruth's famous tumble down the stairs). For all of the preparation and attention that obviously went into the making of this film, you have to wonder why the filmmakers would have fumbled the ball so badly in the final moments of the game. Maybe we have to wait for the inevitable DVD commentary to know. Before it ever gets to that, I just wish they'd go back and finish what they started. If they did, it would absolutely make the difference between a good film ... and a great one. Some people didn't even make it that far. At the screening I attended, there were several people that just got up and walked out halfway through the film. One gentleman even muttered "I'm outta here" as he exited the room. That didn't surprise me at all, considering the subject matter. In attendance at this screening were two of the film's actors. It was great to be able to meet Blythe Auffarth and tell her personally what a great performance I thought she gave. The same goes for Catherine Mary Stewart who plays David's mother. Also in attendance was screenwriter Daniel Farrands who wrote the amazing script that I originally read, and Ryan Shore who did an excellent job with the musical score.
