THE THREAT NEXT DOOR (2023)

THE THREAT NEXT DOOR (2023)

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(Thriller, Drama, This Is Why I Don’t Talk to My Neighbors Much) [PG-13]

Note: This movie was not given an MPAA rating. It was launched on streaming services under the rating TV-14 which is technically the equivalent of PG-13. It also says it was based on a true story. 

When I was your age, my parents separated too. They were fighting all the time. Sometimes about the silliest things, and for years, I thought it was my fault. I was really alone. You know what…it wasn’t my fault and this isn’t yours. It’s your parent's fault. 

This story revolves around Mary, a woman who has been recently separated and her daughter Daphne is having such a hard time a school that she is getting held back in the 4th grade. One night a new neighbor Eve shows up with their misplaced food delivery order and immediately befriends Daphne. It doesn’t take long before elements of Mary’s life start to fall apart as Daphne and Eve draw closer and closer. Is this all just coincidence, or is Eve, THE THREAT NEXT DOOR? 

The score for this one is pretty rocky, and it definitely comes across as a made-for-TV movie. The lighting however is well done and Tubi, in general, has been putting out some stuff where the production is actually fine. This is one of those films that makes it work with a decent balance of script, acting, and pacing. They do a good job of giving us the pieces of information at the right times to ratchet up the tension. This doesn’t mean you can’t tell what’s going on just from the title, but the how and why, are all cleverly revealed. I kind of look at this thing as a less intense version of HAND THE ROCKS THE CRADLE. 

Acting wise Kimberly-Sue Murray is very good in this as Eve. She is probably best known for the TV series “Shadowhunters”. Amber Goldfarb is also solid (as Natalie) but doesn’t get a ton of screen time. She might be best known for her appearance in the show “Dark Matter”, but she gets a lot of roles. Johnathan Sousa plays James and is probably the weakest in this cast. I am sure he’s fine in other things, but I just didn’t like him in this role. Bianca Sas is more than adequate as Daphne, this was only Bianca’s second role ever. Then finally the main protagonist Mary is played by the underrated Shiva Negar (AMERICAN ASSASSIN). For some reason, this movie reminds me a lot of M3GAN just in the sense that Daphne resembles Cady from that movie and her mother Mary resembles Gemma. Both women are single, both need someone to help with their daughters, and both have to take drastic steps to protect them after picking the wrong guardian figure.  

This one isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind, but it’s a decent film that might serve as a lesson in regards to at least being very aware of who you let your kids come in contact with including their teachers at school. Any person that you haven’t vetted or any school not completely open to your involvement in complete transparency regarding the curriculum, you should avoid. They don’t waste any scenes and it also steers clear being overly crass or gory. 

For me, this thing is a 3 out of 7 because it accomplishes enough to keep me interested, but it does feel very recycled and that is almost never good even if the story execution is decent.

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