caa821 I accessed this movie on this site for a friend. She was curious about it, since she had been in Toronto while they were shooting it (are any of these Lifetime flicks made anywhere but Canada or Seattle anymore?) -- and had met some of the cast.By coincidence it was indicated as being shown again in a few days (Oct, 10/'07), and I was able to catch it -- and frankly was curious after seeing some of these comments.It has the formula for which somebody at "Lifetine" obviously has a check-list -- where only some superfluous details in the particular story vary: (1) an initially friendly, even giddy, neighbor, who turns-out to be a raving sociopath; a disturbed "heroine," who at times is so banal as to diminish the degree of sympathy we might afford her; the husband who is something of an amiable doophus; dialog and several scenes which make the typical soap opera seem an intellectual presentation by comparison; to the inevitable child, sometimes annoying, sometimes (like here) a precocious catalyst to the story and the sociopath's actions.There is also the further aspect to this particular story -- also not unknown to this genre -- where the family move, made following a "once-in-a-lifetime" dangerous experience, only finds worse in their new locale.But, all-in-all, a bit fascinating in its predictable mediocrity, and watching the inevitable Jeckyll-to Hyde metamorphosis of the intrusive psychoSometimes this type flick rates, say 3 or 4 *'s. Give this one 5, because the acting is a bit better than most.

Bryan Moss The acting is awkward and creepy, and not in a good way...at all. The writing, the dialogue, and the chemistry between the actors is horrible. Nothing makes sense and every close-up of an actor's expression or reaction lasts 3 or 4 seconds too long, making it seem like a Mexican Soap Opera (telenovela). Everything about the writing is unrealistic, and all of the actors involved make it that much worse with their campy interpretations of the script. Am I the only one who sees this??? To use the word cheesy to describe this Canadian disaster would be the understatement of the century. Did the director even watch the final cut before it was put on the air???

kavazuma ... or should I say unintentionally hilarious? Either way, this is one of the best comedies I've seen in a long time. I was laughing throughout at the antics of some of the dumbest fictional characters this side of Homer Simpson. It's just one forehead-slapping, painfully stupid scene after another as the clownish, dim-witted cardboard cutouts substituting for actual humanoid characters push, pull, and drag the "plot" to its inevitable and obvious conclusion.If I had to describe this movie to someone, I'd call it a mutated hybrid of Fatal Attraction, Dumb and Dumber, and the Three Stooges, with a "climax" uncannily similar to the episode of Family Guy in which the whole family gets into a knock-down fistfight in the living room.Advice to Benson family: next time you get a new pet, do the poor animal a favor and DON'T name it Fred!

vchimpanzee In the middle of the night, Laura Benson is alone in the house with her daughter Erin when she is awakened by the frantic barking of dog Fred. She goes to see what is going on and finds two burglars, one of whom is pointing a gun at her. She runs to protect Erin and call the cops.When husband Jim gets home from a business trip, he refuses to leave his family again, despite a deadline. Laura goes back to work as a counselor for St. Agnes (we're never told just what that is), but it soon becomes clear SHE is the one in need of counseling.With just Jim's income, selling the house and moving to a gated community doesn't seem the most logical course of action, but it is necessary for Laura to regain her sanity. Or at least that was the theory. Jim sells airplanes, and the more he can be away, the more money he can make, so maybe this will work out after all.The family's first visitor is an affectionate feline who gets the name Fred. He is followed by the annoyingly friendly Janice Rivers and her shy daughter Jenny. Janice is divorced because of abuse (and Jenny's father wants custody), and she tries a little too hard to make sure her new neighbors like her. Jenny and Erin do become friends and try out for the soccer team.Will this ideal community turn out to be better than the "real world"? Well, if it did, what would be the point of the movie? There are a lot of problems that need solving, and plenty of twists that may or may not be the result of what one might expect.Shannon Lawson is the biggest reason to watch. She does a great job as the perky yet disturbed neighbor. She seems like a cross between Edie McClurg and Kelly Bishop in "Gilmore Girls". No, make that Joan Crawford. Yeah, that's better.Ksenia Solo makes a likable but slightly edgy teenage daughter. And Alexandra Paul is quite good-looking, and a capable actress too.Sean Baek doesn't spend much time on screen, but he's scary enough as one of the burglars.There is some violence, but for the most part it's not too graphic. Language is tamer than in most theatrical movies, but one word that seems to trouble broadcast networks gets used quite a bit. I don't recommend this movie to pet lovers who might be easily upset.It's actually a pretty good thriller. For a Lifetime movie, anyway.