(April 13, 2007) — One of the saddest things in Hollywood is to see talented child actors fail to escape their past and succumb to making sub-par films as adults before falling out of the film world completely. Though he hasn’t (and hopefully won’t) reach such an untimely end, Shia LaBeouf seems to be headed into this dangerous direction. Most famous in pre-teen circles for his portrayal of Louis Stevens on the highly popular Disney channel show Even Stevens as well as that of Stanley Yelnats in the film adaptation of Louis Sachar’s Holes , LaBeouf has made many an attempt to affirm himself as a serious adult actor, with his latest effort being Dreamworks Pictures’ teen thriller Disturbia . Directed by D.J. Caruso ( Two for the Money ) and written by Carl Ellsworth ( Red Eye ), Disturbia tells the story of Kale, a teenager put on house arrest for attacking his teacher after he alludes to Kale’s father’s recent death. The film’s catchphrase, “Every killer lives next door to someone,” comes into play when Kale’s boredom leads him to the discovery that his neighbor is a serial killer. He cajoles two of his friends into helping him investigate, using video cameras and cell phones to communicate because of his imprisonment. The film’s opening is beautiful, taking place at a Midwestern river where Kale and his father are fishing. This then segues into horrific footage of a car accident the two get into, ending with the father’s death upon impact. Unfortunately, this is where the film’s potential takes a nosedive. Besides the obviously doomed plotline and ridiculous title, the acting offered in this film makes the viewer a prime candidate for a lobotomy. The only “thrilling” aspect of it is the fact that it has been categorized as such; LaBeouf’s feeble attempts at looking frightened do nothing but send us back to the days of Even Stevens , where he would flare his nostrils and lick his lips as he embarked on his next juvenile bout of mischief. Ellsworth tried to make the film ultra-teenage by adding in a subplot of romance, but whoever cast Sarah Roemer as Kale’s attractive neighbor must be kicking themselves right about now; she did a better job of looking like an extra from a boy band’s video than acting like someone in mortal peril. Opening today, Disturbia is one of those films you watch late one Saturday night when there’s nothing better on. Its quality is so low that you won’t even care if your neighbor really is a killer, let alone whether Kale’s suspicions are true and worthy of folloowing through on.