Is Lifetime’s The Neighbors Are Watching Inspired by a True Story?
Joining the list of thriller films involving a murder mystery and curious neighbors, Lifetime’s ‘The Neighbors Are Watching’ centers around another gripping tale with plenty of twists and turns. Actress Haylie Duff sits on the director’s chair for this one to narrate the story of a single woman, Amy, with a troubled past who believes she has watched…
Joining the list of thriller films involving a murder mystery and curious neighbors, Lifetime’s ‘The Neighbors Are Watching’ centers around another gripping tale with plenty of twists and turns. Actress Haylie Duff sits on the director’s chair for this one to narrate the story of a single woman, Amy, with a troubled past who believes she has watched her neighbor kill someone. Suspicious of her neighbor Henry’s intentions, she gets dismissed easily by her other neighbors.
Originally titled ‘The House Across the Road,’ the psychological thriller stars Kabby Borders, Will Holland, and Elena Kent. Dealing with a possible murder in a suburban neighborhood and deep character arcs with intriguing backstories, the movie makes us curious about any possible true events that may have inspired it. Here’s everything you need to know about the origin of the narrative of this edge-of-the-seat thriller.
The Neighbors Are Watching Is Not Based on a True Story
No, ‘The Neighbors Are Watching’ is not based on a true story. It is, in fact, inspired a lot by writer Ken Miyamoto’s experience with working on the genre. This original screenplay by Miyamoto marks his second collaboration with Duff after his miniseries ‘Blackout’ went into production with Duff as an actor in it. In a 2014 interview with Screen Craft, Miyamoto admitted that his experiences in his childhood have played a major role in him becoming a storyteller. As a child, he was obsessed with movies and sequels, especially action movies, after which he just started writing.
His major inspiration for writing ‘The Neighbors Are Watching’ and other scripts of the same genre seems to be his love for thrilling plotlines. He has always been fascinated with high concept, action, and suspense, and admitted to watching films and imagining the different approaches he can take with them. This possibly led him to create this thriller involving neighbors who clearly have unresolved issues from their past that lead them into the world of crime. Speaking about his journey, Miyamoto said, “As writers, we have a few different platforms to choose from. We could become novelists, playwrights, poets, bloggers, etc. For me, having grown up surrounded by the visual mediums of film and television, that’s how I thought and conceived. My imagination has ALWAYS been VERY vibrant, even to this day.”
There has been no confirmation from the makers if the plot has been inspired by a 2011 novel of the same name by Debra Ginsberg. The film also deals with obsession while teasing tones of stalkerish behavior, with the lead actress, Borders, spending a lot of time sitting at the window, wondering about the life of her charming yet suspicious neighbor. It appears that the makers of the film have put a lot of effort into making the thriller resonate with the viewers, even if it is not entirely based on a true story.
