After watching that trailer, you might think the Good Neighbour is a thriller featuring a crazy old guy, wielding an axe and keeping dead bodies in his basement, while the ‘kind of douchebag’ teenagers discover his secret. You couldn’t be more wrong.

I hadn’t watched any trailers before choosing this movie on Netflix, therefore all I had to go on was the blurb but I saw James Caan was playing the part of Mr. Grouchy, which intrigued me because he’s the only actor recognisable amongst some new unknowns – you may remember him in the film Elf, playing the part of Buddy’s Dad Walter. Although Logan Miller (longer haired douche teen) is currently starring in the Walking Dead as a member of The Kingdom.

Okay, back to the review.

This is a film with so many potential routes which could have been explored. There could have been real ghosts involved, the boys could have stumbled across something super sinister, there could have been a big fight at the end with guns and someone dying (hence the courtroom scenes). I just didn’t know.

This is why the big reveal was so shocking and so unexpected and also why I had to recommend it for this month’s film (it’s a new piece of content I’m going to try and put together by the way, as well as some suggestions for games or music).

I’ll try not to give it all away, but this film takes the typical thriller genre and turns it on its head, tricking the audience into believing something and feeling so strongly about it before giving us the whole story. It’s almost like the premise of the film was applied to its storytelling, convincing us of something that was simply not true.

It’s tense and this tension only ramps up towards the end, the ‘found footage’ style is reminiscent of Paranormal Activity with a touch of Big Brother, as we watch the boy’s reactions to what they are also watching via their live feed. The voyeurism concept is unnerving, as they watch the events unfold with little they can do to stop them and you’ll find yourself tensing up too before the final moment.

It’s not a film I will re-watch anytime soon, but I cannot recommend it enough to everyone I know who loves a decent thriller with a twist. It’s a great unheard of movie on Netflix, one to settle down to watch on a Saturday evening. It will make you think and even potentially question yourself. 

This Good Neighbour is currently available to watch on Netflix but you can also purchase it on Amazon.

Have you seen this film? What did you think?