Deborah Woehr

I read the book when it came out sometime in the mid to late ’90s. It was a deeply disturbing portrait of severe child abuse, inflicted on a 13 year-old. Ketchum did an awesome job of portraying the psychologies of the victim and the abuse, as well as the nightmarish descriptions of the incidents as they escalated. The Girl Next Door not only hit home, but left a lasting impression on me. Ketchum is a great writer who knows how to make readers squirm. But I’m surprised that this book didn’t get banned because it was so controversial.

Yesterday, I found the movie in my local Best Buy. I found myself both surprised and curious to know if this was an adaptation of the book. It was. I set the DVD back on the shelf without a second thought or regret. I’d read the book. That was enough.

Curiosity sent me to Amazon, however, to see what viewers had to say about the film. As it turns out, my instinct was correct. The movie is just as disturbing as the book. This is one instance where I’ll pass.

I have a confession to make. This book has sat on my “To Read” pile for about a decade because I couldn’t get myself to read a vampire story. I felt the genre was too trendy when it began to boom in the 90’s, and I don’t like to follow trends. I bought the book because it was written by Richard Matheson, an author I enjoy reading.

When my husband and I saw the preview for the movie on TV two weeks ago, I remembered the book sitting on my shelf. I picked it up on Sunday and am over halfway through right now. My goal is to finish it by Saturday, when we go see the movie. So far, the book is great. I’m actually disappointed with myself for being so stubborn.

Moving on, I’ve been talking about seeing this movie at work. One of my colleagues said that the show sold out last weekend, which means that I’d better check Fandango to see if I can still order tickets. That same colleague and I had a discussion about whether it’s good to read the book before you see the movie. I like to compare the two to see how close the screenwriters were able to stick to the original plot. He feels that reading the book beforehand sets himself up for disappointment in the movie, which in many cases he is right. You can only do so much with a screenplay.

Have any of you seen this movie or read the book? What are your thoughts on either?

Update: I finished the book on Thursday and saw the movie yesterday. Both were excellent. If you’d like to read my detailed review, visit the Supernatural blog.

My family and I have always enjoyed The Simpsons for its perverse sense of humor and Homer’s wild screwups. If you’re a fan, you’ll love this movie. The humor is a little bit more raunchier than you would see in the television shows, which to me made this movie all the more enjoyable. Watch the trailer to get an idea of what the plot is all about.

Robert DeNiro is one of my favorite actors. I loved his performance in Midnight Run as well as that movie (forget the title) where he and Sean Penn are escaped convicts who pretend to be priests so they can hide out from the police. When I saw the previews of Hide and Seek in the movie theater, my curiosity was piqued. In all respects, this appeared to be a ghost story, due to the large house in the woods and the creepy reference to an “imaginary friend” named Charlie.

The movie begins with Alison Callaway (Amy Irving), pushing her daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning), on one of those twirly kiddie rides in their local park. Mother and daughter are laughing and smiling. David Callaway (Robert DeNiro) enters the scene, smiling at his wife and daughter. They look like the picture-perfect family.

By the end of the next scene, it’s clear that they are not the perfect family. Emily stands in the doorway of the bathroom, watching her father cry as he holds his wife’s lifeless body, an apparent suicide. David, a psychologist, takes his daughter to upstate New York so they can heal from their grief.

Dakota Fanning did a superb job of playing a disturbed child. As the movie progressed, I became convinced that she was causing the mutilations to her dolls and re-enacting the scene of her mother’s death to get back at her father, using an imaginary friend named “Charlie” as a scapegoat. I felt sorry for both characters.

Then the movie made a hairpin turn. I won’t say anymore because I don’t want to spoil the plot. However, I will say that it was the most emotionally charged suspense thriller I’ve ever seen, mainly because a child was involved.

The reason I give this movie 4.5 stars is because of Robert DeNiro’s weak performance, especially at the end. For one thing, he was too old. The director should have casted someone ten years younger to play this part.

[rating: 4.5/5]

My sister-in-law has used the Netflix video service for over a year now and swore by it. So did my brother. It’s been years since I’ve rented a video for several reasons. Mostly, it was the hassle of remembering to collect the videos and drive back to the store to return them by the due date. This is the same reason why I don’t go to the library.

I finally broke down and signed up for a subscription the weekend before last. So far, I’m impressed with their service. There were several movies I missed due to the lack of time, or just plain forgetting. An American Haunting was one of them.

On Sunday, I watched Hide and Seek, which starred Robert DeNiro. It wasn’t the ghost story that I thought it might be, but an intensely emotional thriller that struck many chords in me. Have any of you seen The Departed? I’ve added that to my movie list.

I’ll be posting some reviews soon. Just thought I’d give you a fair warning.

My sons have been off all week for winter break, so I decided to take today off and enjoy their last non-school day before the weekend. I’m going to take them to see Ghost Rider. I watched the trailer both at another movie and on the Sony Pictures website. The special effects look awesome, although I’m not sure about the storyline. Has anyone seen this movie yet?

I’m not sure what we’ll do afterwards. Last night, I was talking to my oldest and noticed that his T-shirts are getting a little snug. Perhaps we’ll pay a visit to the mall.

I’ve never watched an entire film with subtitles before and have to admit that it felt strange at first. The storyline was very similar to the American remake, but I found that I enjoyed the Japanese version better because it focused more on the psychological horror rather than the gore aspect. The only thing that bothered me was the overdramatization, which sometimes gave away the surprise. Oftentimes, the actors would gasp at the slightest sound.

There was an innocence about these actors that I haven’t seen since the 1950’s reruns I used to watch as a little girl. The actors weren’t heavily made up or tough looking/acting. Neither did they have the “required sex scene” that has become so prevalent in Hollywood. Because of this, I would let my sons watch this movie, if they were interested in scary movies.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to other people who like ghost stories. After watching this, I’m curious to see what other movies Japan has to offer. Does anyone have any recommendations?

The best part about this film was the scene where a wife pours hot bacon grease over her husband’s head for bitching at her about a late/burned breakfast. She finished him off with a good whack of her pan. I actually hooted and clapped inside the movie theater over that one.

As for the rest of The Grudge 2, it was almost identical to the first. If you haven’t seen the first movie, the second will fill you in about how the ghost came to be and why she’s out to kill. Rent the first if you want to get to know the character of Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and why she is in the hospital in the beginning of Grudge 2.

After the movie was over, I was talking to my mother-in-law (who went with me) about how they could have expanded on the Japanese rituals for exorcism. That would have added some depth to this film. There were some other things that bugged us about the movie, but I don’t want to spoil it for those of you who want to go see it.

If I had to do it all over again, I’d think twice before paying the movie theater price and wait for it to come out on video. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it was the typical “more of the same” sequel.

Can you believe we’re going to be celebrating another Halloween? Other than taking the kids trick-or-treating, we generally don’t do anything but pass out candy to the rest of the kids. Last year, we broke our couch potato tradition by going to a party. I’m not sure what we’re going to do this year.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Halloween than watching scary movies. Here is a list of my top 5 faves.

1. The Grudge: This is the first movie that creeped me out as an adult. I’m looking forward to watching the sequel, which comes out on my youngest son’s birthday (Friday the 13th!).
2. The Shining: Not the wimpy remake, but the Stanley Kubrick classic. Heerre’s Johnny!
3. The Thing: I’ve never seen the original movie, but loved the remake with Kurt Russel and Wilford Brimley. Watching the Quaker Oatmeal guy (Brimley) have a nervous breakdown added volumes to the tension.
4. Prince of Darkness: This movie scared my husband because he believes in the Anti-Christ.
5. What Lies Beneath: This was one of the best psychological thriller/ghost stories I’ve seen in quite a while.

What are your favorites?

The hubby dragged this old movie out, which he had recorded on a cheap VHS shortly after we got married. I’m surprised the tape was still good, but it won’t be for long.

This movie is about a nuclear war, which was started by extremists. The villian isn’t the extremists, but a corrupt politician who is set on “winning the war” against the Ruskies. Although the movie is dated, I still enjoy it because it reminds me of the era I grew up in.