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Robert Frost once wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors,” meaning that well-established boundaries make good relationships. But what happens when people trespass those boundaries? When neighbors dare to steal a glance over their fences or peek through their neighbor’s window?
Alfred Hitchcock famously explored this question in his iconic movie Rear Window. A man in a wheelchair and housebound due to a leg injury observes his neighbors from his rear window and witnesses a murder. Many films have copied the same formula or come up with unnerving plots that have the audience questioning how well they know the person next door.
‘The ‘Burbs’ (1989)
Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) lives on a quiet suburban street. He and a few of his neighbors become suspicious of the Klopeks, the new eccentric family on the block, when their long-time neighbor, Walter, goes missing.
Although a comedy, this movie has its hair-raising moments. Convinced they killed Walter, Ray and his neighbor Art break into the Klopeks’ house while they are away to look for evidence. Failing to find any and accidentally blowing up the house in the process, Ray delivers one of the most terrific monologues of all time, questioning whether they are the lunatics and not the Klopeks. But comedies being what they are, the ending undermines this superb speech but still manages to be satisfactory.
‘The Woman in the Window’ (2021)
Anna Fox (Amy Adams) lives alone, suffers from agoraphobia, and takes her medication with alcohol. One day, she observes the Russell family move across the street from her. After befriending Jane Russell (Julianne Moore), Anna witnesses her murder and suspects her husband is the culprit.
A fresh take on Rear Window, this movie ups the stakes by cleverly questioning Anna’s sanity when a different woman introduces herself as Jane Russell. Not knowing who she can trust, she also suspects her tenant of being the possible murderer. Having hallucinations and doubting what she saw, Anna is prepared to end it all. But evidence emerges that the person she first met as Jane did exist, and someone around her killed her.
‘Lakeview Terrace’ (2008)
Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) move into their first home. Their next-door neighbor, Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson), a Black cop, seems bothered by their interracial marriage. Their awkward exchanges turn hostile when Abel does everything he can to make them feel unwanted in his neighborhood.
Nothing is worse than having a false sense of security in your home. Thinking they would be safe living next to a cop, the Mattsons soon find out that if a cop is an enemy, there is no one to call for help. Chris, refusing to be intimidated, stands his ground. When it is clear that Abel is not only an annoying, racist neighbor but also a dangerous one, Chris and Lisa find themselves fighting for their lives.
‘Disturbia’ (2007)
Seventeen-year-old Kale Brecht (Shia Labeouf) has trouble coping with his father’s sudden death. Placed under house arrest for the summer for assaulting a teacher, it isn’t long before he’s bored out of his mind. Kale then starts observing his neighbors and suspects one of them is a serial killer.
Venturing out into his yard, Kale notices his neighbors are fun to watch. This allows him to connect with the beautiful blonde who moved right next door. But curiosity has its downfalls; one night, he sees a woman in distress inside his neighbor’s house, putting him and everyone around him in mortal danger. A suspenseful plot that brings light to the fact that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.
‘The Voyeurs’ (2021)
When a young couple, Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith), move in together, they become enthralled with the lives of another young couple across the street. But when fun curiosity turns into an unhealthy obsession, Pippa makes the mistake of becoming involved in the young couple’s lives.
This movie turns the formula upside down when Pippa’s meddling in their neighbor’s lives leads to someone’s death. Unlike other films with the same premise, where the ones watching are the righteous ones, Pippa and Thomas seem to be the bad guys. But a shocking plot twist reveals that Pippa and Thomas were the victims. A movie that questions the voyeuristic habits of modern society and how technology makes it easier to infringe upon someone else’s private life.
‘The Resident’ (2011)
Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank) moves into a spacious new apartment after filing for divorce from her cheating husband. She is attracted to her new landlord, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). But when Juliet tells Max she’s still in love with her husband, he does not handle the rejection well, revealing his true colors.
This movie shows that living alone in new surroundings can play tricks on the mind. But in Juliet’s case, her apprehensions about her new apartment turn out to be true. Max watches her through holes in the walls and creeps inside her apartment while she sleeps. As he gets bolder in his transgressions, Juliet learns that the quietest neighbors sometimes have the darkest intentions.
‘1BR’ (2019)
A young woman rents an apartment in a lovely complex. Everyone is friendly and helpful, but Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom) lies about not having pets and sneaks in her cat. Her idyllic surroundings turn sinister the night someone kills her beloved pet.
This movie plays well into the old adage, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” From the start, there are warning signs that something is amiss about the place. But when Sarah finally realizes that her life may be in danger, it is too late, and her neighbors reveal themselves for who they are. A sadistic cult that forces new members to join them by submitting them to torture. This movie puts a terrifying spin on life in a community.
‘No One Gets Out Alive’ (2021)
Ambar (Cristina Rodlo), a young, undocumented immigrant, leaves Mexico and moves to the US. She takes up a room in a run-down boarding house for women, but her humble abode is haunted, and the owners hide a terrible secret in the basement.
Based on the novel of the same name by Adam Nevill, this story mixes a ghost story with a creature feature in a horrifying way. Haunted by apparitions of crying women, Ambar leaves the house and reluctantly returns to ask for her deposit, but the landlords plan to sacrifice her to the creature in the basement. Tackling the topic of illegal immigration and the uncertainty and fear migrants face in a new country; this movie takes that idea to a terrifying extreme.
‘House at the End of the Street’ (2012)
Sarah Cassidy (Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence), move into a beautiful new rental house. The house next door was the scene of a double murder where a mentally ill girl killed both her parents. And her older brother now lives in the house.
This movie starts with a cliché: the house with the morbid backstory and the loner individual who now inhabits it. Ryan (Max Thieriot), the brother, is a tortured soul haunted by his family’s tragic past. Elissa befriends him, thinking she can help him. But Ryan is beyond help, as proven by the shocking and twisted ending that has Elissa fearing for her life. This movie explores mental illness themes, the lasting effects of childhood trauma, and the lengths people will go to keep a semblance of sanity.
‘Stir of Echoes’ (1999)
Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is a regular joe living with his wife, Maggie, and their young son, Jake. Unbeknownst to his parents, Jake talks with an entity present in the house they rent from a friend and neighbor. But after Tom gets hypnotized at a party, he sees the ghost who has been communicating with his son.
This thrilling ghost story, released one month after The Sixth Sense, was overlooked by many fans of the genre. Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, this movie does not disappoint in the spookiness department. Scared by the ghostly apparition, it soon becomes clear to Tom that the dead girl’s spirit is trying to tell him something. He concludes that it’s not the ghost in his house that he should be afraid of, but rather the people in his neighborhood.
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