''The Neighbor'' is a 1993 horror thriller film directed by Rodney Gibbons, starring

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

Linda Kozlowski Linda Kozlowski (born January 7, 1958) is an American former actress. She is best known for her role as Sue Charlton in the ''Crocodile Dundee'' film series (1986–2001), with the first installment earning her a Golden Globe Award nomination. ...

and

Ron Lea Ron Lea is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles in '' Doc'', '' Street Legal'', and '' This is Wonderland''. Lea also served as a director on some episodes of ''Doc''. Filmography Film Television External links *Lea bio {{DEFAUL ...

Plot

The film is about an aging

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

(

) with a "killer instinct" who terrorizes his urban neighbors (

and

) in a rural community in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

Cast

as Dr. Myron Hatch **Benjamin Shirinian as Young Myron Hatch *

as Mary / Mrs. Hatch *

as John *

Bruce Boa Andrew Bruce Boa (10 July 1930 – 17 April 2004) was a Canadian actor, who found success playing the token American in British films and television, usually playing military types. Boa's most recognizable film role is in ''The Empire Str ...

as Bishop * Jane Wheeler as Dr. Wayburn * Sean McCann as Lieutenant Crow *

Frances Bay Frances Evelyn Bay (née Goffman; January 23, 1919 – September 15, 2011) was a Canadian-American character actress. In a career that spanned 35 years, she acted in a variety of roles both in film and television. Bay was inducted in Canada's W ...

as Aunt Sylvia *

Harry Standjofski Harry Standjofski (born May 22, 1959) is a Canadian actor as well as a theater director and playwright. He has appeared in films such as ''Guy X'', ''The Aviator (2004 film), The Aviator'', ''Protection (2001 film), Protection'', ''X-Men: Days of ...

as Morrie *

Pauline Little Pauline Little (born c. 1958) is a Scottish-born Canadian voice, film, and television actress who currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. She voices the twins Lotus and Jasmine in ''The Little Flying Bears'', Maya in ''Maya the Bee'', Francine i ...

as Rebecca *

Mark Camacho Mark Camacho (born April 12, 1964) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor. Career He has starred in live-action films, but is best known for his voice acting roles, such as Oliver Frensky in ''Arthur'', Lyle in '' Animal Crackers'', Dad ...

as Bank Manager * Claire Riley as Dr. Statner * Linda Singer as Clinic Receptionist * Philip Spensley as The Pharmacist * Gordon Masten as City Worker

Production

While filming, Steiger commented on his character: "He¨s a person whose acts are villainous and sad, a sick person. Otherwise, I couldn't play him. I don't know how you do a villain. But I can understand a person having the psychosis". Opining that contemporary films were "all too violent for no reason", he iterated that ''The Neighbor'' was a thriller, "not a bloodbath".

Reception

The film was not well received by critics. Dennis Schwartz considered it to have been one of Steiger's creepiest roles, believing that the poor script had rendered the role awkward and "mildly entertaining in the sense that Steiger is asked to carry the film and hams it up". "Despite slick production values and some clever Hitchcockian touches, there is little to distinguish The Neighbor from formulaic made-for-TV fare", writes Cavett Binion for ''

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

'', giving 3 of 5 stars. Rod Steiger's performance has been described as "decent", though the movie is "extremely predictable". In the Canadian press, the film was described as "an unpleasant Canadian effort" which for "some obscure reason ... made a brief pit stop in theatres last month before heading for video".

References

External links

* * 1993 films 1990s horror thriller films 1993 horror films American horror thriller films Films set in Vermont Films directed by Rodney Gibbons 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-horror-film-stub