Movies That Will Make You Scared of Your Neighbors

Humans often invent stories or narratives about people they see but do not know. Every cranky neighbor must be a serial killer, and every house with drawn curtains must be hiding something.

This tendency is excellent fodder for movies. Just in time for Halloween, here is my list of the top ten movies that will make you scared of your neighbors! If you did not already think horror was behind the picket fence, you will after these movies!

Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock: This movie features a man who is housebound due to a leg injury, and he observes his neighbors from his back window. He might even witness a murder.

The ‘Burbs (1989): Ray Peterson and a few of his neighbors become suspicious of the Klopeks, the new family on the block, when their long-time neighbor, Walter, goes missing.

The Woman in the Window (2021): Anna Fox observes the Russell family move in across the street. After befriending Jane Russell, Anna witnesses her murder and suspects her husband.

Lakeview Terrace (2008): Chris and Lisa Mattson move into their first home. Their next-door neighbor, Abel Turner, does everything he can to make them feel unwanted in his neighborhood.

Disturbia (2007): Seventeen-year-old Kale Brecht has trouble coping with his father’s sudden death. Placed under house arrest for the summer, it isn’t long before he starts observing his neighbors and suspects one of them is a serial killer.

The Voyeurs (2021): When a young couple, Pippa and Thomas, move in together, they become enthralled with the lives of another couple across the street. This movie questions how technology makes infringing on someone’s private life easier.

The Resident (2011): Juliet Devereau moves into a new apartment after filing for divorce from her husband. When Juliet tells Max, her handsome landlord, that she’s still in love with her husband, Juliet learns the quietest neighbors sometimes have the darkest intentions.

1BR (2019): A young woman rents an apartment where everyone is friendly. But Sarah lies about not having pets. Her idyllic surroundings turn sinister the night someone kills her beloved pet.

No One Gets Out Alive (2021): Ambar, an undocumented immigrant, leaves Mexico and moves to the US. She gets a room in a haunted boarding house for women where the owners hide a terrible secret in the basement.

House at the End of the Street (2012): Sarah Cassidy and her daughter, Elissa, move into a rental house next door to the scene of a double murder. This movie explores mental illness, the lasting effects of childhood trauma, and the lengths people will go to keep their sanity.

Stir of Echoes (1999): Tom Witzky is a regular Joe living with his wife, Maggie, and their young son, Jake. After Tom gets hypnotized at a party, he sees a ghost and concludes that it’s not the ghost he should fear but the people in his neighborhood.