The Girl Next Door

A sleepy suburb. Shady streets, well-kept lawns, cozy houses. A veritable paradise for any teenager. Just not for Meg and her disabled sister Susan. At the end of the street, in the damp and dark basement of the Chandlers, they are – helpless prisoners of their guardian, who took them in after their parents' death. Single mother Ruth Chandler is slowly descending into madness, ensnaring not only her sons but the entire neighborhood with her greedy tentacles. Only one boy dares to confront Ruth's cruelty. And his balanced, truly adult decision depends not only on the girls' lives… The Girl Next Door, based on the real-life brutal murder of a teenager from Indiana, was released in 1989. Before this, 3 novels about the murder of Sylvia Likens had already been written by various authors, but it was this book that made a deep impression, significantly increasing the readership of Jack Ketchum. The story of domestic violence in a small town has been adapted into film twice, featuring well-known actors such as Ellen Page, William Atherton, Catherine Keener, and James Franco.