The filmmakers are quick to acknowledge "Rear Window" as a forerunner for the voyeurism of "Disturbia," a thriller about a housebound teenager convinced his neighbour’s a serial killer. What they don’t have to say is that "Disturbia" is no "Rear Window," because you already knew that. "Rear Window" was Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart and Grace Kelly. "Disturbia" is director D.J. Caruso ("Two for the Money," "The Salton Sea"), and stars Shia LaBeouf and relative newcomer Sarah Roemer.

Comparisons between "Rear Window" and "Disturbia" end with the plot similarity of apartment-bound Stewart spying on a neighbour he believes murdered his wife. Of course, "Disturbia" is not going to measure up to that classic of cloistered paranoia. Yet "Disturbia" is a decent-enough thriller that’s far smarter than most big studio flicks with teen protagonists. The movie’s completely predictable, but LaBeouf comes off as a sturdy leading man with one of his most assured performances yet, while Caruso crafts some mildly clever moments of suspense