- submitted by b-team on 11/19/2007
Top 10 'Neighbor From Hell' Movies (Part 2) -- '10 More'
We heard you. We appreciate all your feedback (1000s of responses!) on our first Top 10 list. As promised, we now offer our second Top 10. Reflecting many of Burbia users' picks as well as some of our own.
As with the first list, we tried to feature a mix -- some good movies, some with particularly egregious neighbors.
Our Second Top 10 (in no particular order):
American Beauty (1999)
Wired-too-tight Marine officer (Chris Cooper) lives next door to Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) who’s in the middle of a midlife crisis, trying to find himself. Not a good time for him to be experimenting sexually, getting involved in drugs and hanging with teenagers (including the Colonel’s son). Because the good Colonel has his own issues: repressed rage, overwhelming confusion at the social changes around him, and some serious (and, for him, intolerable) and explosive sexual dysfunction and identity problems. Oh yea, he’s into guns – he is military – and when all of the Colonel’s issues get too big, this man, who may not be fundamentally bad but is fundamentally disturbed, snaps. And that’s definitely not a good thing for Lester who, sadly just as he discovers a new peace and life understanding, has a meeting with the Colonel that does not go well…especially if Lester had any intention of enjoying his new-found happiness.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
What could be worse than having all your neighbors taken over – their bodies inhabited -- by predatory aliens who ooze out of pods (that look like brussel sprouts) and who want to do the same to you? Original was a bit cheesy but much more engaging, authentic, scary than the watered down 2007 Hollywood remake-milled, Invasion (starring Nicole Kidman & David Craig).
Funny Farm (1988)
Based on the under-appreciated funny Jay Cronley novel. City newspaper writer Chevy Chase moves to the country with his wife to write his novel – and to enjoy the anticipated friendliness and open-heartedness of his new country neighbors. Only these country folk aren’t as Hallmark advertised; they’re as small-minded, mean-spirited, unfriendly as your local traffic cop trying to fill his monthly ticket quota. (Think, Deliverance, only without that scene in the woods -- or as a light comedy.) The country folk here do everything possible to scare their new interloping neighbors back to the city. Pic is light-hearted, often hilarious and is generally smart (like the book). It will make anyone pause before heading out to the country in search of people who, in contrast to their supposedly ugly angry city counterparts, are all sweet and nice and salt-of-the-earth welcoming.
Psycho (1960)
Not your conventional “next door neighbor” pic, but Norman Bates lives in a house just behind the Bates Motel when Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) checks in. One of the Hitchcock classics -- brilliant, scary, complex with an early defining role for Anthony Perkins. Norman is exquisitely psycho. And the “The Scene” -- Norman brandishing knife while approaching unsuspecting, beautiful, naked doomed Janet Leigh in the shower -- pretty much ended “relaxing” showers for women (and men) in the decades following.
The Burbs (1989)
Tom Hanks in the pristine burbs, an ordinary guy coping with his seemingly endless variety of nutty neighbors. Next door the cannibals -- or so he’s convinced. Folks who come out only at night, but only to dig up the back yard. There’s the disintegrating property-value-sinking gothic house. Neighborhood dogs crapping freely on lawns. The near naked gardener. A gun obsessed former military freakazoid who wears camouflage pajamas and suspects everyone of, well, everything. And, for good measure, the local dog who enjoys carrying human bones. Over-the-top slapstick comedy which, though often predictable and not as funny as it should be, has its comic moments and its treasure trove of bad, annoying, ridiculous “burbs” neighbors.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George Romero classic. Sequel to his 1968 original, Night of the Living Dead. Flesh eating zombies are everywhere. And zombies, however cool and trendy today, normally don’t make great neighbors. On the other hand, they’re focused and motivated and they know exactly what they want – peoples’ brains? -- so they’re excellent role models for your typically unmotivated kids…if your kids can survive for a while or you don’t mind your kids having their limbs and organs ripped apart for snack following their stepped-up motivation. Pic is over-the-top, brutal, and one of the ultimate near-great horror films.
Halloween (1978)
Directed by John Carpenter. Michael Meyers, incurable murderer (killed his sister when he was 6), escapes from a mental institution and returns to his home town, Haddonfield, to terrorize, kill (and otherwise ruin Halloween) for a lot of innocent town folks, especially the town hotty babysitters. Film is violent as hell and Meyers is the uber crazed suburban terror. Genuinely scary, entertaining pic, with Carpenter (in this first, original Halloween) at his violent horror best.
Duplex (2003)
Black comedy directed by Danny DeVito, starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore as striving yuppies who leave the city and find the perfect brownstone on the perfect quiet street -- only upstairs is this little old lady who, it turns out, is the ultimate unrelenting neighbor from hell. Sure, she’s in her 80s but she makes more noise than a rock band (she and her senior friends enjoy brass instruments); she constantly demands favors; she interferes with the happy couple’s privacy; and, despite all hope, shows no sign of quieting down (or, better, dying) any time within a century. Pic isn’t especially good – in fact it’s often cliché-ridden and unfunny. But it offers periodic moments and, if you want an example of an old lady pain-in-the-butt neighbor, Duplex is definitely a place to visit.
The People Under The Stairs (1991)
Wes Craven directed. Horrible next door neighbors are one thing. But evil freak neighbors (who happen to be your landlords) who abduct kids, maim them, and stash them under the stairs for future use…those are people you’d definitely not want to invite to the block party. Not exactly art here – and Craven has done a lot better, mostly better – but for sheer grossness, depravity of spirit and truly bad neighbor etiquette this film belongs in the “bad” neighbors pantheon.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
More zombies invade the neighborhood and, as usual, they’re not good neighbors. But here they’re not as much terrifying flesh eating monsters as they are middling annoyances to Shaun and his UK slacker pals -- distractions to doing the stuff they like to do every day…hang at the pub, drink, watch TV, have fun. The film is funny, quirky; it’s a clever parody of many of the more “serious” (or seriously violent) zombie pics that came before. Sure, zombies aren’t “good”; but Shaun is up to the task of fighting them while, at the same time, taking a stab at getting his life a bit more in order, engaging his relationships and…using that cricket bat of his to very good anti-zombie effect.
Beetlejuice (1988)
The folks living upstairs, the neighbors, are ghosts and they’d really like you to leave. After all, it’s their house – at least it was until they unfortunately killed themselves in a car crash. Wackiness, wildness ensue – as the ghost neighbors (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis) try to scare away the living neighbors who simply aren’t easily scared and want to stay. The pic is loaded with stunning visuals and effects; no surprise – it’s a Tim Burton pic. It’s also often funny. Michael Keeton at his insane wack “best” as the “exorcist” lech hired by the ghosts to get rid of the pesky neighbors....read more rants
