The Girl Next Door is a 2007 American horror film adaptation of Jack Ketchum's 1989 novel of the same name. The Girl Next Door, staring William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth, and Blanche Baker, is a gruesome true story of Sylvia Likens.

 

Though the book and film have a fictional twist, almost all of the main grizzly things did indeed happen. Blythe Auffarth plays Meg Loughlin, an innocent girl in her very early teens, who is sent to live with a neighbor, along with her little sister, until her family gets back from dealing with an extended work situation. The Neighbor appears to be the kindest person, taking in all sorts of children in the neighborhood, however, as soon as the door closes she turns into the Devil himself. She goes on to lock Meg in the basement, only opening the door to force torture and sorrow upon her.But Meg complies, because it's either her, or her handicapped sister and she will do anything to protect her.

 

There is also another film based on the court point of view of this story, and actually explains things that are taken straight from court transcripts. 'An American Crime' Staring Ellen page, is worth seeing as a follow-up to The Girl Next Door. The sad thing about this film is you fall in love with Meg. She is such a sweet and innocent little girl. And the 'Neighbor' is so sadistic and evil, it's really hard to watch her performance. The film itself is interesting because it is partly narrated by one little boy who took witness to the torture, and really loved Meg, but he didn't know how to stop what he was witnessing. By the end of the film, you don't know who you are crying for, him or the girl.But in real life, there was no David. There was no little boy who cried for her. That was the fictional twist- the good parts. The actors are mostly unknown, so you have that sense of realism unlike other dramatic film that star famous A-listers. The acting is amazingly done, as is the low-budget filming. This story is called ' the worst case of child abuse ever' and I think, given that I have seen the real life photos of the crime, that this film does Sylvia's story more than justice.

 

kim acrylic