The Boys Next Door (1985)

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writers:

Glen Morgan
James Wong

Release Date:

October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Young. Handsome. Desirable. Deadly.

Plot:

Roy and Bo leave their small town the weekend after graduation for a short road trip to LA. Soon, they...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Killing Spree | Title Directed By Female | Dead Teen Couple | Gun

Cast

Maxwell Caulfield	...	Roy Alston
Charlie Sheen	...	Bo Richards
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Angie
Christopher McDonald	...	Detective Mark Woods
Hank Garrett	...	Detective Ed Hanley
Paul C. Dancer	...	Chris
Richard Pachorek	...	Boyfriend
Lesa Lee	...	Girlfriend
Kenneth Cortland	...	Dwayne
Moon Unit Zappa	...	Nancy
Dawn Schneider	...	Bonnie
Kurt Christian	...	Shakir
Don Draper	...	Mr. Heaton
Blackie Dammett	...	Bartender
Phil Rubenstein	...	Gutfield
James Carrington	...	Ross
Grant Heslov	...	Joe Gonzales
Michael Lewis	...	Kanter
Leonard O. Turner	...	Sergeant
Vance Colvig Jr.	...	Old Man
Jeff Prettyman	...	Al
Claudia Templeton	...	Girl at Beach
Ron Ross	...	Drunk
Carlos Guitarlos	...	Patient
Helen Brown	...	Old Woman at Beach
Hettie Lynne Hurtes	...	Anchorwoman
Sarah Lilly	...	Female Officer
Jimmy Ford	...	Bob the Jock
James Bolt	...	Student
Joseph Michael Cala	...	Gas Station Owner
Mary Tiffany	...	Woman #1
Marilou Conway	...	Woman #2
Mark Stanton	...	Student #1
Kevi Kendall	...	Student #2
Carmen Filpi	...	Bum
Christina Beck	...	Punk Girl
John Davey	...	Watkins
Geoff Brewer	...	Security Guard
Toby Iland	...	Tom
Richard Halpern	...	Boy
John Escobar	...	Policeman #1
Ray Lykins	...	Policeman #2
Judie David	...	Female Security Guard
Texacala Jones	...	Street Band
Pinkie Tessa	...	Street Band
Tequila Mockingbird	...	Street Band
Maggie Ehrig	...	Street Band
Ted Quinn	...	Street Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maria Michaels	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Penelope Spheeris

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Glen Morgan
James Wong

Produced by
Sandy Howard	....	producer
Don Levin	....	executive producer
Michael S. Murphey	....	associate producer
Mel Pearl	....	executive producer
Keith Rubinstein	....	producer
Joel Soisson	....	associate producer

Original Music by
George S. Clinton

Cinematography by
Arthur Albert

Film Editing by
Andy Horvitch

Casting by
Debra Rubinstein

Makeup Department
Mark Shostrom	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Warren Lewis	....	assistant director

Art Department
Audri Phillips	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Craig Felburg	....	production sound mixer
Roy Pahlman	....	sound re-recording mixer

Stunts
Rick Barker	....	stunts
Jennifer Barlow	....	stunts
Dan Bradley	....	stunt coordinator
Scott Alan Cook	....	stunts
Ray Lykins	....	stunts
Debby Lynn Ross	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Davie Carothers	....	third assistant camera
Steven Flood	....	electrician
Kim Heath	....	grip
Philip Holahan	....	camera operator: second unit
Philip Holahan	....	first assistant camera
Roger Olkowski	....	lighting gaffer
Phedon Papamichael	....	second assistant camera (as Phedon Papamichael Jr.)

Other crew
Buddy Enright	....	production assistant
Susan Malerstein	....	script supervisor
Victoria Plummer	....	production coordinator
Mike Ruscio	....	stand-in
Si Timberman	....	stand-in

Production Companies

• Republic Entertainment International

Distributors

• Metropolitan Filmexport (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Aquarius TV (1993) (Greece) (TV)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Look Filmes (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Jovens Assassinos")
• New World Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• New World Pictures
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Starmaker Video (video)
• TV3 (1992) (Finland) (TV)
• Transvídeo (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Ódio Cego")

Also Known As:

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 | Norway:18 | USA:R (certificate # 27648) | UK:18 (theatrical rating) | Germany:18 | Finland:(Banned) (1987) (video) | Finland:K-18 (2002) (DVD) (self applied) | UK:18 (cut video version)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Entertainment International

Trivia:

Nicolas Cage turned down the role of Roy Alston.

Quotes:

Bo Richards:What's the note say?
Roy Alston:Thanks... for... taking... up... two... parking... places, ass... hole.

Soundtrack:

Hard & Cold

Disturbingly insightful and darkly prophetic!

Sometimes a film comes along, that will truly stick with you long after you've seen it. It will gnaw at your mind and make you look at life and people in a very different way, which you never did before. "The Boys Next Door" is just such a film for me.

Director Penelope Spheeris is probably most well-known for her work on perennial comedic fare, such as "Wayne's World" and "Black Sheep," but long before that she was a very edgy and somewhat visionary filmmaker. Some of her earliest works have a very deep social commentary to them, of which this film is one of her best (and most overlooked). This tale of two high school outcasts, who go to the big city and raise some murderous hell, almost has a modern ring to it. In the wake of real life events, like the massacres at Columbine and Virgina Tech, this film seems less the low-rent crime drama it probably was seen as when it first debuted and more like a prophecy of things to come.

It is absolutely chilling in how it shows the casual use of violence by two supposed teenagers. Their lack of conscience and concern for anything or anyone, save themselves, feels like a mirror being held up to our so-called modern world. What really stuck out for me, though, was the moments of seemingly uncontainable rage expressed by the character of Roy (incredibly performed by Maxwell Caulfield). One scene that truly made my blood run cold, was after his first act of violence on a gas-station attendant, when he and his friend Bo (played by a very young Charlie Sheen, in one of his earliest leading roles) are talking about it in their hotel room, and Roy expresses that the beating wasn't good enough. That he should have killed him. The look of satisfaction on his face as he expresses these thoughts, brought out a dark symmetry to the character, which would dominate everything he does afterwards. It actually comes off like a blueprint to the mindset of such thrill-killers that we see in our real world today. I really enjoyed how the film almost plays like a docudrama in some instances, like this one.

While some of the language and settings might be a bit dated, the emotion and societal insights into the mind of teenage rage are as powerful now as they ever were back in 1985 (when the film debuted). At the time, this film had a bit of controversy about it, due to the amounts of violence shown on screen, but I think that today, in our much more politically-correct minded world-view, it is the thoughts behind the violence which should be more disturbing. It is a film that has truly become MORE relevant as time has gone by, not less. If there is anything lacking in the film, it would be not enough information given on the characters life at home. We see the torment they have with not fitting in with their peers at school, as well as their fears of living out the rest of their lives at dead-end jobs, but there is little info on the role played by the family in helping these boys to be filled with such murderous contempt. There is one scene with Roy's father being shown as a neglectful parent, more interested in getting his next beer than the welfare of his son, but I felt this brief glimpse should have been expand on more. Still, even lacking in this one area, the film is still a very potent brew to behold.

Make no mistake, this is not a "feel good" or party film. It is a shocking, and sometimes twisted, look into how society can mold a teenager into a raging killer and how easily that rage can be let loose on an unprepared society. And the fact these two characters are attractive looking, as well, only deepens the scary similarities of our current times. Despite that, however, it is certainly a very worthwhile film and is deserving of much more attention. If you are looking for a film that isn't just out to entertain you, but also make you think, this is one movie you need to seek out! But be warned... prepare to be unnerved by much of what you will see. I doubt many will walk away from this film totally unaffected, nor should they.