Jack Ketchums movies

[Ratlehed]

I here alot about Jack Ketchums books and how good they are. Unfortunatley there transitions from books to movies isnt very good.

I first saw The Girl Next Door. Its based on a true story. Back in the Stand By Me days two sisters get sent to live with there crazy Aunt. Who ends up torturing them and getting her sons and thier friends in on the whole thing. The movie has some very violent scenes and some horrifying moments. The acting is on and off. But what wrecks it is how it was made. The movie looks like a LIFETIME movie. Its so cheesy looking. It takes away from the movie. The Girl Next Door could've have been a good 3 star movie. But alot of little annoyances drag it down to 2 stars.

I watched THE LOST last night. Again, a good story thats based on true event. Its about a loser named Ray Pye. He has a serious case of "short mans syndrome". He even puts crushed beer cans in his boots to make him look taller. It also makes him walk like a duck. I dont know how much of the movie is true. But the villian isnt at all very threatining. He's 5 feet all and 120pounds. Think Joe Pesci at age 22. Yet for some reason everyone is scared of this guy. At the end he gets a gun and takes like 7 people hostage. At anytime they could've taken him down. It would be pretty easy too knock someone over when their boots are full of beer cans. I could see if he took 2 of the girls hostage that it would be tough for them to get away. Also he's driving around town in a big black lead sled of a car and the cops cant find him. The movie is also way too long. Its close to 2 hours in length. It could've been easily 90 mins. The acting is good and the F/X are decent. Erin "Misty Mundae" Brown and Ruby LaRocca from "Flesh for the Beast" and "Gladitor Eroticus" are good for the 5 mins. they are in the film. Dee Wallace Stone has a cameo. In the end it gets 1.5 outta 4 stars.



Anyone see these movies or read the books???

[Zombie Boy]

Hello!

I am a huge fan of Ketchum, and have been for many years. I am quite excited at the recent spate of cinematic adaptations of his work. I have not seen TGDT yet, because the book really affected me and, frankly, I'm scared to see it acted out, but I did see The Lost a few years ago at a convention screening. I was very impressed by it. As far as why the other characters are scared of Ray Pye, you have to bear in mind that the character only surrounded himself with people weaker than him, people whom he could psychologically manipulate. And when he went off the deep end, it is not difficult to be scared of someone who is willing to pull the trigger. Action movies make it look easy to shoot someone, point-blank, with no remorse, but it really takes a special kind of deviant to be willing to have brain-matter splattered back on their own face.

What I am really eager for is Lucky Mckee's take on Red. The casting looks superb, and Mckee has proven himself to be a filmmaker with vision.

[Ratlehed]

Hello!

I am a huge fan of Ketchum, and have been for many years. I am quite excited at the recent spate of cinematic adaptations of his work. I have not seen TGDT yet, because the book really affected me and, frankly, I'm scared to see it acted out, but I did see The Lost a few years ago at a convention screening. I was very impressed by it. As far as why the other characters are scared of Ray Pye, you have to bear in mind that the character only surrounded himself with people weaker than him, people whom he could psychologically manipulate. And when he went off the deep end, it is not difficult to be scared of someone who is willing to pull the trigger. Action movies make it look easy to shoot someone, point-blank, with no remorse, but it really takes a special kind of deviant to be willing to have brain-matter splattered back on their own face.

What I am really eager for is Lucky Mckee's take on Red. The casting looks superb, and Mckee has proven himself to be a filmmaker with vision.



That is true Ray Pye did surround himself with much younger people and people with weak minds. The actor played him well as a self obsorbed charectar. Ray also didnt mess with the cops or the much larger former prison guy he got coke from. I also didnt know the movie was supposed to take place in the 50's. So that would explain the cops not really doing anything. I guess the book is much better. Too many charectars are squeezed into the movie.


The Girl Next Door movie has some violent moments. But no gore. Alot is implied. Which is better for a low budget movie. I'd rather imagine it then see bad F/X. But its filmed so weird that it bothered me. It looked to "made for TV".


I really liked Lucky McKee's flicks MAY and MOH: Sick Girl. I would check out RED.

[snoopmish]

I have yet to see either of those films. But The Girl Next Door is a fictional account of what happened....there is another movie made about what happened that is from actual court transcripts called "An American Crime". It stars Catherine Keener and Ellen Page.....I plan to see both.

[Ratlehed]

I have yet to see either of those films. But The Girl Next Door is a fictional account of what happened....there is another movie made about what happened that is from actual court transcripts called "An American Crime". It stars Catherine Keener and Ellen Page.....I plan to see both.

Never heard of "An American Crime". I'll have to check it out. Like I mentioned. The story is there. But the movie didnt pan out well. So hopefully "An American Crime" does it better.

[visual_tension]

I read The Girl Next Door a while ago and just recently watched the film. I was not impressed.

[copious]

I LOVED the book of TGND but I thought the movie was dull as hell and not NEAR as dark as the book.

I bought The Lost book but still haven't finished reading it yet and I plan on watching the movie.

[Cronos]

I've only seen The Girl Next Door, thought that was pretty good overall. Haven't read any of his stuff.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I'm really interested by this author and movies based on his books lately. Just picked up a copy of The Lost for $8 and will be going back for the other Ketchum movies they got sitting on the shelf.

[jtwist78]

Thought The Girl Next Door was a pretty good film - I can see what you mean by the 'made for tv' look

Just started the book, which is most likely 100X more unsettling than the film

[SuperMarcey]

I can't find his books, but I have seen The Girl Next Door, great film. An American Crime which is more of a true account of the real case is good as well.

[Ratlehed]

I wanted to see Offspring. It was on FEARnet for awhile. But I didnt read anything good about the movie. So I never took the time to check it out.

[EZM22]

I've never read Ketchum's books, but I did see Offspring and it was a huge steaming pile of shite.

Badly-acted, cheesy-looking, low budget crapfest. You'd be forgiven for thinking of Ketchum as nothing more than a writer of shitty lurid potboilers if that's your only exposure to him. It was for me.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I also didnt know the movie was supposed to take place in the 50's.

Don't think there would be a 1965 Buick Riveria Ray drive's, the Sharon Tate reference in the end and the use of coke in the film if it was.