The Boys Next Door (1986)

From their dull lives as high-school outcasts, two misfits, named Bo (Charlie Sheen) and Roy (Maxwell Caulfield), vamoose to L.A. seeking sex and excitement. The film's underlying concept is fine. But given the first three minutes, wherein viewers learn about well-publicized American serial killers, the script sets us up for a way too predictable plot.Even in small matters of business, like when the guys stop to get gasoline, we can see what's coming next. The plot offers very little in the way of surprises or depth. The script is too direct and too shallow. Dialogue lacks subtext. And characters are almost two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. They're stereotypes of losers, so too are the pretty faces of those who reject them.There's no real character development here. Roy especially is filled with anger. But we never learn why. They both are such simpletons, so clueless, that when they unintentionally walk into a gay bar, the result is almost comical. And the film is full of plot clichés, like the standard high-speed car chase along urban streets curiously devoid of traffic.Casting is unfortunate. Both Sheen and Caulfield look too old to be in high school. Yet both actors do a pretty good job in their roles. Cinematography is fairly standard. But given the outdoor scenes, the visuals make the film look dated. So too does the background music, which reeks of 1980s junk music.The main problem here is a script that plots a story that is too direct and too predictable. Casting doesn't help, and neither does the music. I could have wished for main characters with some complexity and whose journey had shades of gray. "The Boys Next Door" is a film of marginal interest. It's not terribly bad. But there are other films out there that tell a similar story better.

The Boys Next Door is everything that 80's teen movies are NOT - and that is why I loved it. It's very realistic and brutally honest in its portrayal of teens who are outcast from their peers, and the effects it has on them. Not to mention both characters come from broken homes where it appears no one pays attention to them - another major problem of kids growing up in the US from the 70's to the present. Charlie Sheen does a great job, but Maxwell Caulfield steals the show.This violence is extremely realistic and disturbing. But it has a point. The language is dead on too - this is the way kids talked in 1985.This movie touches on a side of American society that most would choose to ignore, and that's why it is so powerful. Don't believe the negative reviews. This is an excellent movie.

First off, don't listen to the comments by the moron from Pleasant Valley, New Mexico. Maxwell Caulfield couldn't possibly be doing his version of "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer" since "The Boys Next Door" came out BEFORE it. In fact, since "The Boys Next Door" came out in 1985, it's pretty safe to say that "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer" (which came out in 1986) borrowed from it, not the other way around. Regardless, this movie has a great soundtrack and really funny dialogue ("Two Blacks and a Mexican.") Scenes so outrageous that they're actually funny (gas station beating). Now, while it's not the greatest film in existence, the fact that the (life- like) violence in the movie could really happen (and sad to say, similarly HAS really happened before), make this movie better than a lot of movies out today. The acting is pretty good, especially Maxwell Caulfield (probably his best performance). I'd recommend this movie to anyone, especially if you grew up in the '80s. People who don't like it are usually over-analyzing it a bit too much. Too many people are looking for "social commentary" when watching movies. They usually end up not liking many films. They forget the simplest thing: movies are made to entertain, bottom line.

This movie is 80's gem as for as sheer cinema terror goes. This is an extremely violent movie about two mean-spirited teens that some will discard as sick. But the movie is much more than that. It is a look at what people are truly capable of. This film has captured the essence of violence because the frightening thing is that the two boys don't really have an excuse to do the things they do. They're just plain evil. You want to feel sorry for Charlie Sheen but you just can't. And Maxwell Caulfield can't possibly be redeemed. Their theory of Caveman Day where one just lets loose is taken to the extreme. Caveman Day seems like a good idea until you see what the characters do to others, and the consequences they must face.