8 Creepy Neighbor Movies for Your Watchlist

Casey Chong with eight great creepy neighbor movies for your watchlist…

There’s something intriguing about exploring the endless possibilities revolving around neighbors in a movie, typically in the form of psychological thrillers. These neighbors can be, say, a serial killer or a terrorist, and these types of movies are usually built from a mix of buildup tension, paranoia and curiosity. With that in mind, here are eight great creepy neighbor movies worth checking out…

Lakeview Terrace (2008)

Imagine living in a suburban neighborhood where your next-door neighbor happens to be a cop. Theoretically, this helps make the neighborhood feel safer and more secure while giving you peace of mind. But director Neil LaBute taps into a what-if scenario if the neighbor mentioned above turns out to be an unlikely enemy in Lakeview Terrace.

The story focuses on an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington), who have just moved in next door to Abel Turner (a domineering Samuel L. Jackson), a LAPD officer and a widower who lives with his children. But instead of a warm welcome, Abel is rather hostile and doesn’t feel that the newly arrived couple belongs in the neighborhood. He would continue to intimidate the couple, beginning by flashing the floodlights in their bedroom window every night. LaBute utilizes the slow-burning dread to escalate the suburban nightmare, while delving into the topical issues of racial tension and power dynamics, which, in this case, is a cop exploiting his authority in harassing his next-door neighbors.

Summer of 84 (2018)

Co-directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell draw upon the ‘80s nostalgia to set up a story about a group of teenagers from Cape May, Oregon, led by Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere), who suspects their neighbor, a seemingly dedicated police officer played by Rich Sommer, is a serial killer. The killer in question has made headlines for the disappearance of teenage boys over the years, and the case remains unsolved.

The movie does a good job of establishing the lingering dread within the ordinary-looking suburban neighborhood as the co-directors take their time building up the tension. Rich Sommer, best known for his role as Harry Crane in TV’s Mad Men, steals most of the show here, embodying the kind of idealistic good cop and a model citizen, but deep down, a malevolent individual beyond his exterior. Summer of 84 is particularly notable for its cynical finale that ends the movie in a genuinely disturbing tone.

Arlington Road (1999)

Director Mark Pellington taps into the domestic paranoia in Arlington Road, reflecting the terrifying real-life crises seen in the likes of the 1993 World Trade Center and 1995 Oklahoma City bombings. The underlying deep-seated fear is thoroughly felt through the eyes of Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), a widowed history professor who specializes in domestic terrorism, whose FBI agent wife was tragically killed in the line of duty. Although he is still grieving over his wife’s death, he manages to find solace in the comfort of a warm friendship with his neighbors, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack). They seem like nice people to hang out with, but beneath their friendly demeanor lies something sinister about them.

Bridges’ deeply agitated portrayal of an ordinary man on the verge of psychological breakdown, along with Robbins and Cusack’s ominous performances, anchor this well-acted thriller. Tension escalates in a slowly but surely manner, reminiscent of a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Then comes the bleak ending, culminating in a shocking twist that is both unexpected and pessimistic.

The ‘Burbs (1989)

Joe Dante satirizes suburban life to absurd lengths while adding a dose of dark humor in The ‘Burbs. Curiosity arises when a nosy Mayfield Place resident, Ray Petersen (a perfectly neurotic Tom Hanks), is wondering about the mysterious Klopeks, who live on the same street. He’s not the only one since his fellow neighbors, notably Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) and Vietnam war vet Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), are just as eager to find out more about them.

The ‘Burbs dedicated its first half exploring the growing paranoia and obsession over the Klopeks as Dante maintains a firm hand on its ambiguity, making us question whether it was these prying neighbors or the Klopeks, who probably just want to be left alone, that is the scary bunch. The movie leans heavily on the comedy side, with the hint of all things macabre and horror, is deliberately paced, before it gradually unravels itself in the all-hell-breaks-loose finale, particularly with the elusive family patriarch Dr. Werner Klopek, played by the forbidding Henry Gibson, finally showing up in the third act.

Disturbia (2007)

One of the best movies from the otherwise inconsistent D. J. Caruso, Disturbia re-imagines Rear Window for the modern generation, transplanting James Stewart’s wheelchair-bound photojournalist in favor of Shia LaBeouf’s high-school teenager placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor. Like Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal classic, LaBeouf’s Kale Brecht is confined at home as he spends time spying on his neighbors with a pair of binoculars, notably the fetching new neighbor (Sarah Roemer).

Caruso patiently builds the suspense and tension, while successfully making David Morse’s mysterious neighbor a quietly sinister figure. The latter’s antagonist role is no doubt one of his best performances to date, stealing most of the show here, even though LaBeouf and Roemer have their fair share of worthwhile moments together. Disturbia was a hit at the box office, grossing over $118 million on a mid-$20 million budget. The fruitful collaboration between Caruso and LaBeouf resulted in another box-office hit a year later in the tense action thriller, Eagle Eye.

Fright Night (1985)

The 1980s proved to be a golden era for the horror genre, and among them worth mentioning here is Fright Night. Directed by Tom Holland in his debut feature after cutting his teeth as a screenwriter for genre movies such as Class of 1984 and Psycho II, he proves to be adept in blending supernatural horror with the neighbor-from-hell concept. The story follows a 17-year-old teenager (William Ragsdale), who is a fan of horror movies, believes his new neighbor is a vampire.

That vampire in question is Jerry Dandrige, where Chris Sarandon plays the unforgettable role with enough sinister charm. Fright Night did well both critically and financially, thanks to Holland’s overall assured direction, who also seamlessly infuses the horror tropes with meta elements of comedy and satire. Not to mention, a solid cast all around. The movie spawned a sadly inferior Fright Night Part 2 three years later, before getting a better-than-expected 2011 remake starring Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell.

The Good Neighbor (2016)

This little-seen thriller from Kasra Farahani marks his feature-length directorial debut flips the script on the usual creepy/dangerous neighbor tropes in favor of something more intriguing. The kind that makes you wonder what if the “good” neighbor, which in this case, two eager teenagers (Logan Miller and Keir Gilchrist) decide to prank their reclusive neighbor (James Caan’s Harold Grainey). They do so by secretly setting up hidden cameras and using various methods to make their neighbor’s house as if it seems haunted.

From Grainey’s perspective, the fact that he lives in solitude, suggests there might be something wrong with him. Credits go to Farahani for handling both sides of these characters (the teens and the elderly neighbor) with moral ambiguity to keep you hooked throughout the movie. The Good Neighbor benefits from James Caan, whose subtly understated performance as Harold Grainey excels in his twilight years before he passed away six years later in 2022.

Rear Window (1954)

No movies about creepy neighbors would be complete without mentioning Rear Window. Masterfully directed by the incomparable Alfred Hitchcock, he expands Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story and makes it uniquely his own. Intriguing elements of paranoia, voyeurism and above all, the perception between suspicion and reality dominate this well-paced psychological thriller.

The story is a classic template that inspired many filmmakers: James Stewart plays photojournalist, L.B. Jefferies, who is stuck in his apartment in a wheelchair due to injuries. From there, he begins watching his neighbors through the windows with binoculars to cure his boredom. His obsession grows as he suspects one of the neighbors (Raymond Burr) might be a killer. Rear Window works well because the way Hitchcock frames his movie mainly from Jefferies’ perspective, allowing us to play the armchair detective as we watch what he sees, making assumptions and finding the truth just like his character.

What are your favourite creepy neighbor movies? What’s missing from our list? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…

Casey Chong