"The first authentically shocking American film I've seen since Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer over 20 years ago.” - Stephen King

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS THE SHATTERING TRUE STORY JACK KETCHUM’S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

The terrifying tale comes to DVD December 4th

BURBANK, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment, a Starz Home Entertainment company and leader in classic horror DVD, will release the hard-hitting, critically acclaimed true-life shocker Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door on December 4th with an SRP of $26.97. Pre-book is November 1st.

Like Stephen King, Clive Barker and Dean R. Koontz, Jack Ketchum is one of the premier, best-selling horror writers of his time. His 1989 book “The Girl Next Door” was no exception. This harrowing true story of betrayal, violence and terror in a typical 1950s neighborhood, is all the more shocking because it actually happened.

Orphans Meg (Blythe Auffarth, Keeping the Faith) and her disabled sister Susan (Madeline Taylor, in her screen debut) are held captive by their distant aunt Ruth (Emmy®-Award winner Blanche Baker), a tormented and sadistic woman rapidly going insane. Ruth’s madness has infected her three sons, as well as the entire neighborhood. Only 12-year-old David (Daniel Manche, “As the World Turns”) stands between Meg and Susan and what threatens to be their protracted and torturous deaths.

Love and compassion collide head on with lust and evil, in a story of relentless suspense and intensity.

In addition to newcomers Manche, Auffarth and Taylor, the film’s talented cast includes Baker (“Holocaust,” Sixteen Candles, Underdogs), William Atherton (Die Hard, Ghostbusters, The Pelican Brief), Catherine Mary Stewart (The Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet), Grant Show (“Melrose Place,” “Six Feet Under”) and Tony®-Award winner Kevin Chamberlin (“Heroes,” Lucky Number Slevin, Road to Perdition).

This controversial film shocked and stunned audiences and critics alike. “Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door is powerful, dark, and ugly” said BloodyDisgusting. Michael Gingold, of Fangoria, said that “there’s no denying its power. (The film’s) greatest strength is the naturalism and sympathy of Manche and Auffarth’s performances ... and Baker’s quietly ferocious turn.” House of Horrors stated that the film “went to levels of offensiveness that rivaled films like Imprint or Hostel.”

No less an authority than best-selling author Stephen King advised: “If you are easily disturbed, you should not watch this movie. If, on the other hand, you are prepared for a long look into hell, suburban style, The Girl Next Door will not disappoint. This is the dark-side-of-the-moon version of Stand By Me."

Like many Anchor Bay releases, Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door will include an extensive selection of bonus features including:

Widescreen (1.78:1) presentation, enhanced for 16x9 televisions
Audio commentary with Director Gregory Wilson, Producer Andrew van den Houten, and Cinematographer/Co-Producer William M. Miller
Audio commentary with Novelist Jack Ketchum and Screenwriters Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman
Interviews with Cast & Crew
Exclusive Documentary: The making of The Girl Next Door
Theatrical Trailer
Screenplay (DVD-Rom)
Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door will be supported by print advertising in Fangoria and Rue Morgue magazines, two of the most popular publications devoted to the horror genre, as well as an extensive on-line banner ad campaign on selected websites, nationwide cross-promotions with the best-selling book The Girl Next Door and promotional appearances by the author himself at various horror and fan conventions throughout the nation.

Anchor Bay Entertainment is distributed by Starz Home Entertainment, a division of Starz Media. Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films – and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group.