This film could not make up its mind about anything, including its title. From "Neighborhood Watch" to "The Neighborhood Nightmare" to "Is There a Killer on My Street?", there was confusion from start to finish.
A major problem with the script was in too many ill-defined and unformed characters. A character who should be essential is Valerie Sims (or Valerie Hyde), the personal trainer of the protagonist Lindsay Porter. Valerie is ultimately the first murder victim, yet she has only had some brief dialogue early in the film.
Another major shortcoming was that the relationships lacked credibility and did not seem very wholesome. When the new neighbor, Dr. Stephen Lane, rushes into a romantic relationship with Lindsay, it didn't seem right for the daughter Nikki or for the audience.
An especially "icky" community was depicted. There was something unsavory about the busy-body and promiscuous Kat, as well as the officious security guard Barrett. The aptly named Shady Grove is a neighborhood where very few would discover comfort or security, let alone happiness.
A major problem with the script was in too many ill-defined and unformed characters. A character who should be essential is Valerie Sims (or Valerie Hyde), the personal trainer of the protagonist Lindsay Porter. Valerie is ultimately the first murder victim, yet she has only had some brief dialogue early in the film.
Another major shortcoming was that the relationships lacked credibility and did not seem very wholesome. When the new neighbor, Dr. Stephen Lane, rushes into a romantic relationship with Lindsay, it didn't seem right for the daughter Nikki or for the audience.
An especially "icky" community was depicted. There was something unsavory about the busy-body and promiscuous Kat, as well as the officious security guard Barrett. The aptly named Shady Grove is a neighborhood where very few would discover comfort or security, let alone happiness.