Forgotten Mystery Thriller Is Now A Nostalgic Horror Classic

Disturbia was written by Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth and directed by xXx: Return of Xander Cage filmmaker D.J. Caruso. Apparently Landon originally had the idea for the story while listening to an NPR report about television personality Martha Stewart’s house arrest sentencing, which inspired him to think about all the cabin fever-induced craziness he would experience if he suffered the same fate. The final draft of the screenplay also takes inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic mystery film Rear Window.

For those who don’t know or can’t remember, the narrative of Disturbia centers on a 17-year-old kid named Kale Brecht, as portrayed by Shia LaBeouf. In the opening scene of the film, Brecht and his father get into a harrowing car accident, which leaves Kale traumatized and his father killed. While coping with the loss of his father, Kale becomes an outcast in school, getting into violent confrontations with other kids and, at one point, attacking a particularly spiteful Spanish teacher.

After facing trial for assaulting his teacher, Kale is sentenced to a full Summer of house arrest, where he is forced to wear an ankle monitor tethering him within the confines of his mother’s property. For a while, he is content to spend his Summer playing video games and watching TV, though the young man eventually becomes invested in spying on his neighbors to pass the time. From here, Disturbia quickly shifts gears from a cabin fever story to a terrifying murder mystery, as Kale begins to suspect his single male neighbor Mr. Turner of being a local serial killer.

If you haven’t seen Disturbia, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, though suffice is to say, the film packs one of the most jarring and terrifying third act reveals of all time. Shia LaBeouf absolutely knocks it out of the park in his leading role, while supporting performers such as David Morse, Carrie-Anne Moss, Sarah Roemer, Matt Craven, and The Suicide Squad‘s Viola Davis round out the cast. Personally, I think this movie is a real pleasure to watch, especially for those seeking an interesting and well-contained horror with no supernatural elements at play.

GFR SCORE

If you’re interested in checking Disturbia out, be sure to stream the forgotten classic on Pluto TV today. Just be sure to keep your shades drawn and your windows shut, just in case the punk kids in your neighborhood get any funny ideas about spying on you.