17 Years Later, Hitchcock-Coded Thriller Suddenly Blows up Netflix’s Top

Summary:

• Back in 2007, the world saw the neo-noir psychological thriller following a teen stalking his neighbors until realizing one of them is a murderer.
• It was greatly influenced by the works of Alfred Hitchcock.
• You should see it if you enjoyed It Follows or The Voyeurs.

Known as the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock left a legacy that the filmmakers still use while writing tense scripts and making horror and thriller movies. His most influential works are Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds and, of course, Rear Window.

70 years ago, the latter mystery thriller, which follows a story of a wheelchair-bound photographer who was spying on his neighbors, became a ground-breaking sensation. Since then, it has inspired a number of movies, and these include the film that is now holding the second place in Netflix ’s global chart, even though it was released in 2007.

Its plot revolves around Kale, a 17-year-old sullen boy who ended up under house arrest after assaulting his teacher. There he turns his attention to spying on the neighborhood out of boredom, however, this childish game soon takes quite an unexpected turn.

Kale gets increasingly suspicious that one of his neighbors, the solitary Robert Turner, is a serial killer. However, it’s not clear whether it is Kale’s rich imagination that is playing with him, or Turner is the one who must be stopped before he gets to the next victim.

Hitchcock’s fans can already see how much this synopsys is reminiscent of Rear Window’s plot. Indeed, it appears to be a modern vision of the classic thriller, now getting a second life with younger characters and the 21st century’s setting.

It’s also quite similar to such teen thrillers set in one mysterious neighborhood as Super 8 (2011), It Follows (2014) and Summer of 84 (2017). Besides, it can be compared to Sydney Sweeney ’s The Voyeurs (2021), as it explores the theme of stalking too.

However, the movie was released long before all these flicks, and it stands out among all of them due to the top-notch pacing and acting. Kale is here portrayed by Shia LaBeouf, who delivers one of his best performances, while the rest of the cast assembles David Morse, Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Titled Disturbia, it turns out to be a solid must-watch for the fans of suspenseful thrillers. It’s proved not only by its back-then box office success, but by the fact it’s now unearthed by Netflix’s audience.

“I think this movie is fairly underrated. When it’s trying to be funny, it’s genuinely funny. When it’s trying to be tense, I actually get anxious,” says Redditor @Teleports-Behind-U.

Check out the modern take on Rear Window, as Disturbia is available for streaming on Netflix.