After his father is killed in a car accident, things unravel for Kale Brecht and he is placed under house-arrest for punching his Spanish teacher. Having nothing better to do, Kale occupies himself by spying on his neighbors. But one night, he witnesses what appears to be a murder going on in Mr. Turner's house. Kale becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind these murders but, after a few unsettling run-ins with Mr. Turner, it becomes a matter of life and death. And the ominous question: Who is watching who?
Written by O.G.
The copyright holders of Cornell Woolrich's short story 'It Had to Be Murder', which
Rear Window was based on, sued DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, and Steven Spielberg for using the story without permission. In 2010, a federal judge dismissed the suit, ruling "The main plots are similar only at a high, unprotectable level of generality ... Where 'Disturbia' is rife with sub-plots, the short story has none. The setting and mood of the short story are static and tense, whereas the setting and mood of 'Disturbia' are more dynamic and peppered with humor and teen romance."
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Goofs
Revealing mistakes:
When Kale and his dad are in the accident in the beginning of the film, their overturned SUV is hit by a second vehicle. In the wide shot of Kale exiting the SUV, you can see through a hole in the floor that the gas tank, spare tire, and other essential components of the truck are not there. They had been removed (presumably for safety and weight reduction) before the accident.
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Quotes
[first lines]
Kale:
Do you think he sees us? Daniel Brecht:
No, he can't see us. But trust me, he can feel us watching. See more »