One of our favorite actresses, Alexandra "Lifetime" Paul, stars as Laura Benson, a kind wife and mother who suffers trauma after a home break-in. The Benson family moves to a gated community called Arbor Eden only to discover that they are living next to a neighbor from hell.
It was not convincing at all that the realtor (the word was mispronounced by one character as "re-la-tor") would not disclose to the Benson family that the previous occupants moved out due to the deranged neighbor, Janis Rivers.
At first, Ms. Rivers seems only obnoxious and lonely, referring to herself as "Pushy Patty" and "Wide Mouth Mason." In fact, she is a violent, psychopathic control freak. The police detective was completely incompetent in failing to run a background check on Ms. Rivers.
The film was disappointing in the deaths of two family pets, a dog and a cat, as well as the overall unpleasantness of Ms. Rivers. Arbor Eden was described as a locale that is "a piece of paradise." But it instantly turned into the Benson family's worst nightmare.
One convincing plot strand was the reaction of high school officials, who took the word of an anonymous caller (Ms. Rivers, of course) to suspend Erin Benson from the soccer team and to land the coach in hot water for an alleged affair (again mentioned in an anonymous Ms. Rivers phone call). The film was made in 2006, and with the passing of over a decade, the integrity of public schools has declined to the point that the overzealous school officials depicted in this film are the norm.
It was not convincing at all that the realtor (the word was mispronounced by one character as "re-la-tor") would not disclose to the Benson family that the previous occupants moved out due to the deranged neighbor, Janis Rivers.
At first, Ms. Rivers seems only obnoxious and lonely, referring to herself as "Pushy Patty" and "Wide Mouth Mason." In fact, she is a violent, psychopathic control freak. The police detective was completely incompetent in failing to run a background check on Ms. Rivers.
The film was disappointing in the deaths of two family pets, a dog and a cat, as well as the overall unpleasantness of Ms. Rivers. Arbor Eden was described as a locale that is "a piece of paradise." But it instantly turned into the Benson family's worst nightmare.
One convincing plot strand was the reaction of high school officials, who took the word of an anonymous caller (Ms. Rivers, of course) to suspend Erin Benson from the soccer team and to land the coach in hot water for an alleged affair (again mentioned in an anonymous Ms. Rivers phone call). The film was made in 2006, and with the passing of over a decade, the integrity of public schools has declined to the point that the overzealous school officials depicted in this film are the norm.