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Disturbia (Blu-ray)
Year:
Rating: M
Distributor: Paramount
The Disc: 3.5
FILMINK rates DVDs and Blu-rays out of 5
Disturbia shouldn't work. It's a Generation Y retelling of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window with a healthy slab of Fright Night thrown in for good measure (with "serial killer" replacing "vampire"). Troubled teen, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf), smacks out his Spanish teacher shortly after his father dies, and is promptly put under house arrest. Two things happen shortly afterwards: (1) a hot girl (Sarah Roemer) moves in next door and (2) Kale begins to realise that one of his other neighbours is a serial killer. Despite its obvious derivations, the surprisingly effective direction by DJ Caruso, an extremely likeable performance by LaBeouf, and a genuinely scary third act make this a surprising charmer. Sure, Rear Window was smarter, and Fright Night was much cooler, but the idea that we don't examine those closest to us until we're forced to resonates with a surprising intensity. That's not to say that the film is flawless. We spend a lot of time with LaBeouf being dickish, and the tedious spans of time where all adults think that Kale is insane get really old. But a surprisingly horrific climax makes this a good thriller for a rainy Friday night. A pristine Blu-ray release contains deleted scenes, a commentary, a making-of, and music videos (ugh) that do little to sweeten the pot, but for those in the mood for an unpretentious little chiller, you could do a lot worse than