Lifetime Review: 'Stalked by My Neighbor'

Moving to a new town can certainly be a big adjustment and provide a lot of challenges, and that can't be more true for teenage photographer Jodi Allen (Kelcie Stranahan). She and her single working mother Andrea (Amy Pietz) used to live in the city, when one tragic night, Jodi was attacked and raped by an intruder while Andrea watched helplessly via webcam. Now, even with Jodi's attacker dead at the hands of police, the mother and daughter decide a change of scenery will help them heal and they move from the bustling city to a peaceful suburbia.

But soon after moving into the town and meeting their neighbors, Jodi believes she sees an intruder in the home of her welcoming neighbor Lisa Miller (Kelly Packard). While a search of Lisa's house yields nothing, Lisa is found the next day bludgeoned to death in her bathroom. Despite being met with doubt and concern from her mother and Lisa's live-in niece Kristen Chambers (Katrina Norman), Jodi decides to investigate Lisa's death, causing her to run into several suspects and find herself in a dark web of conspiracy—one that might just make her its' next victim.

While I wait to view the latest installment in the Stalked By my Doctor series, I decided to think back to this 2015 Lifetime original and see how it stacks up now. While it certainly can't compete with nutty doctor Eric Roberts, Stalked By my Neighbor is a well-construction whodunnit mystery with good casting to keep things interesting. The mystery kicks off on a high note, with Jodi's failure to save Lisa giving her good motivation to investigate her death and prevents her from coming off as just sticking her nose into the murder investigation for the hell of it. While the killer is revealed fairly early in the film (close to the end of the film's second act), this doesn't allow the movie to turn boring or unengaging as a result.

The stand-out of Stalked by My Neighbor, however, isn't the murder mystery; it's the heart and emotion that leads to that mystery. Kelcie Stranahan plays a heart-wrenchingly authentic portrayal of a traumatized girl struggles to move forward from a past assault, and Pietz also plays a mother desperate to move on from a dark past with a similar level of authenticity. Playing off of each other, Stranahan and Pietz portray a realistic mother-daughter relationship that makes it easy to root for both of them to survive the mystery they've become entangled in.

The supporting cast, while playing mostly standard Lifetime Supporting Cast roles, give solid performances in said roles. Grant Harvey acted as a nice love interest for Jodi and Katrina Norman as Lisa's heartbroken niece who may not be as innocuous as she appears. Though in the case of Grant's character, the bad boy with a heart of gold Nick, his character seems to only serve to give someone for Jodi to fall in love with and open up to about her troubled past. But aside from that hiccup, the casting is up to snub with other solid Lifetime thrillers.

Overall, Stalked by My Neighbor is an enjoyable murder mystery with likable characters and a satisfying climax and conclusion. While it's nothing spectacular that will be likely to warrant repeated viewings, this film makes for a good watch when you have nothing to do and want a light Lifetime flick to pass the time with. If you have laundry to do, Stalked by My Neighbor is the perfect flick to make chores much more bearable.

Score: 7 out of 10 SD cards of evidence.