Firstly, about Disturbia's biggest source of inspiration, Hitchcock's Rear Window. Rear Window is probably Hitchock's film whose concept has been stolen the most.
Disturbia has the same concept. And, yet it doesn't understand that you can't simply change the location of the story. A part of Rear Window's suspense comes from the idea you always know what your neighbors are up to. Since Rear Window is set in an apartment Hitchcock's vision is, at once, plausible, simple, and beautiful. Plausible; because it is easier to believe that you don't know your neighbors in your apartment block. Simple; because you don't need six windows to show the whole neighborhood and camera movement of the character running from a window to another. Beautiful; because it is well-composed. See the shots of Rear Window, and compare them with shots of Disturbia serving the same purpose.
Secondly, I feel like Disturbia has little respect for suspense and for what it means. Suspense not only means having a mystery, but it also implies having respect for your character's anxiety, obsessions, and fears. Vertigo is the perfect representation of this.
It is from this perspective that Disturbia fails the most miserably from a screenwriting standpoint. The "romance" going against suspense is the worst part of it. To say it is a generic "romance" would be an understatement. Yet again (in teenager flick), it insults characters, and this time, more precisely, Sarah Roemer's character, a girl who is defined only by her subjective "attractiveness". It is saddening to see such a depiction of women, especially considering that Grace Kelly's role fifty-three years before was much more than that.
Disturbia has the same concept. And, yet it doesn't understand that you can't simply change the location of the story. A part of Rear Window's suspense comes from the idea you always know what your neighbors are up to. Since Rear Window is set in an apartment Hitchcock's vision is, at once, plausible, simple, and beautiful. Plausible; because it is easier to believe that you don't know your neighbors in your apartment block. Simple; because you don't need six windows to show the whole neighborhood and camera movement of the character running from a window to another. Beautiful; because it is well-composed. See the shots of Rear Window, and compare them with shots of Disturbia serving the same purpose.
Secondly, I feel like Disturbia has little respect for suspense and for what it means. Suspense not only means having a mystery, but it also implies having respect for your character's anxiety, obsessions, and fears. Vertigo is the perfect representation of this.
It is from this perspective that Disturbia fails the most miserably from a screenwriting standpoint. The "romance" going against suspense is the worst part of it. To say it is a generic "romance" would be an understatement. Yet again (in teenager flick), it insults characters, and this time, more precisely, Sarah Roemer's character, a girl who is defined only by her subjective "attractiveness". It is saddening to see such a depiction of women, especially considering that Grace Kelly's role fifty-three years before was much more than that.