Very Surprised - A Seriously Suspenseful Nail-Biter.

Rating: 9/10 (9 August 2007)

"Disturbia" is about a teenager named Kale (Shia LaBeouf), who has grown depressed after his father died in a horrible car crash. The withdrawn teenager finds himself in more trouble, much to the dismay of his mother (Carrie-Anne Moss), and ends up put on house arrest for the entire summer - three months locked away in his homelike a prisoner. He begins watching the outside world through binoculars, and forms a relationship with a girl who just moved into the neighborhood, Ashley (Sarah Roemer). But his spying of the local residents uncovers something he wasn't expecting - he sees Mr. Turner (David Morse), a shy, older man, under strange circumstances - women showing up at his house, blood splattering over the windows, screams, and other bizarre things that lead Kale, Ashley, and his friend Ronnie to believe that Mr. Turner is a serial killer. The three begin to stalk the man for more clues, but soon find themselves in more danger than they bargained for.
Okay, okay, I wasn't thinking this film was going to be very good. I mean, PG-13 horror/thrillers generally are pretty poor (filled with tiresome "jump" scares and awful CGI computer effects), so I wasn't expecting much out of this, but I had heard some good things so I decided I had to rent it. And, much to my surprise, I was completely blown away at how good it turned out to be! Quite obviously a modern-day homage to Hitchock's film "Rear Window", which boasts a very similar premise, "Disturbia" is one heck of a thriller. In terms of storyline, we've seen this idea done before - person witnesses murder next-door from their upstairs window. DePalma's "Sisters" and Hitchock's "Rear Window" are a couple of films that come to mind for the use of this idea, but it's done in a refreshing manner here for modern audiences, and what can I say - it was great! Not much happens within the first forty-five minutes or so of the movie, we only get the general idea of our villain, but we get to know the characters first and there is some comedy thrown in. The second half, however, is pretty intense and things get darker as the movie progresses.
Suspense runs rampant in this movie, and I was surprised at how often I found myself on the edge of my seat, chewing on my fingernails. The scene between Ashely and Mr. Turner in the car, and the final twenty minutes or so are both excellent examples of some genuine suspense. The scripting is solid and the possible areas where you'd think a plot hole may be hidden are filled, which was also a big surprise. While there are a couple of good jumps, the movie also shies away from the over-abundance of jump scares found in this type of film (and genre, in particular) these days, and there aren't too many clichés, either. The scariness is mostly found in the suspense and the imagery. The characters in this movie are also smart, another thing rarely found in most horror flicks. They know when they are in danger, they use the right weapons, and they don't make stupid moves, so it adds to their credibility and makes you care about them more. The modern ideas in the film are also fun to watch (electronic voyeurism, video cameras, etc.), and are a nice spin on this recycled story. It's not a gory movie either, so those expecting some sort of splatter flick will be disappointed.
Shia LaBeouf plays our lead character, Kale, the troubled teenager with a serial killer for a neighbor, quite well. He's believable playing his type of character, and looks and acts like most teenagers do. Plus, despite his troubles, he's likable. The talented Carrie-Anne Moss plays his mother well, balancing authority and friendliness, and Sarah Roemer plays Kale's friendly and witty love interest. David Morse is downright scary as Mr. Turner. His expressions, mannerisms, and overall demeanor gives the audience that feeling that something isn't quite right, but it also keeps you guessing and makes things hard to pin down. All these things in the movie lead up to it's well-played (but a little bit far-fetched) finale. The film's conclusion on the romance factor did make things seem a little corny, but I couldn't let it interfere because I really enjoyed the rest of it.
Overall, "Disturbia" was a huge surprise for me. It's a PG-13 horror movie that delivers some excellent suspense and some great entertainment. It's a recycled, teenage version of a story that we have seen before, but it contains enough originality and suspense to keep things fresh. If you're a fan of thrillers or horror movies, this is a PG-13 one that is very much worth watching, don't let the rating put you off. I was so surprised at how good it was that I could hardly believe it. I really enjoyed this, and this was a big surprise to me, personally. 9/10.