Synopsis

After his father's death, troubled teenager Kale Brecht is placed under court-ordered house arrest after assaulting a teacher. Confined to his suburban home, he begins spying on his neighbors and becomes convinced that one of them is a serial killer. With help from his friend and the girl next door, Kale investigates from afar while his isolation, grief, and growing suspicions pull him into increasing danger.

Factoids & Trivia

• The title combines "disturb" with "suburbia," reflecting the film's blend of suburban normality and psychological unease.

• The premise was strongly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, although Disturbia was not officially presented as a remake. The copyright holders of Cornell Woolrich's story "It Had to Be Murder," which inspired Rear Window, sued the filmmakers. A federal judge dismissed the infringement claims in 2010.

• The film's seemingly unified neighborhood was assembled from several locations. Exterior material was filmed in Whittier and Pasadena, California, while additional house interiors were built on the Paramount lot.

• The two neighboring houses do not actually stand next door to each other. Kale's house exterior was in Whittier, while other parts of the property were filmed in Pasadena.

• Shia LaBeouf spoke with people who had experienced house arrest while preparing for the role. Their stories helped inspire Kale's increasingly elaborate ways of passing time, including his famous Twinkie tower.

• David Morse kept his distance from LaBeouf and the other young performers during filming to maintain the character's intimidating presence. The two actors reportedly became friendly after production ended.

• During production, LaBeouf also undertook physical training for Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, gaining roughly 25 pounds of muscle.