Shia LeBeouf stars as Kale, a 17-year-old high school student who has just lost his father in a traffic accident. We are shown that grisly sequence, too realistic for comfort, at the very beginning, and are on the edge of our seats from then on, never knowing what to expect.

Flash-forward one year. We are in Kale’s freewheeling Spanish class, run by a somewhat sadistic teacher. When the prof makes a derogatory remark about Kale’s dad, Kale decks him and is brought up on charges of assault and battery. The judge, knowing that Kale has recently lost his father, shortens his sentence to three months of house arrest. Kale must wear an electronic bracelet around his ankle that will alert the police if he goes more than 100 feet away from the transender.

Cabin fever soon sets in. Kale makes building sculptures out of Twinkies, tries to wash his clothes, and eats till he’s sick, but he’s still bored. So he grabs his binoculars and starts to spy on the neighbors. He tells his geek bud, Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), that it’s reality TV taken to a new level.

Two neighbors are of special interest to Kale. One is the gorgeous Ashley (Sarah Roemer), who’s just moved in next door and spends a lot of time in a skimpy swimsuit in her outdoor pool. Then there’s the weird guy on the other side, Mr. Turner (baby-faced David Morse), who mows his lawn all the time and kills any rabbit that tries to invade his garden. Kale and Ronnie befriend Ashley, then pool their cameras and other electronic equipment to keep Turner under surveillance. They discover that his behavior is indeed suspicious. Of course, the police do not believe Kale, and he’s left to his own devices to protect his girl and his mother (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Many critics have compared Disturbia to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window because of the spying element and the main character’s inability to move about freely. I found it much more like Fright Night, in which a young teen observes a vampire killing people next door and, when the police laugh at him, must investigate on his own. The films are similar in astutely balancing terror and suspense with the sweetness and angst of coming of age.

LeBeouf proves up to the task of carrying this movie. It seems only a matter of time before he lands that breakout role that will make him a superstar. The rest of the cast seems ideal. The way they are played, we really love the heroes and despise the villain. There are no gray areas there. Good camerawork and Geoff Zanelli’s well-written musical score contribute to the sense of impending doom that builds throughout the first two-thirds of the movie and does not let up during the terror of the final act.

Disturbia is a highly entertaining movie that doubles as teen movie and thriller and comes up a winner in both categories.

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