He could have gone the route of so many child actors before him who've been ditched before puberty, but who would have guessed that weird kid from the Disney Channel's "Evens Stevens" could grow up and become a real actor?

Shia LaBeouf may not have found the role that finally shoots him to superstardom or the one that names him "The Next Big Thing," but by the looks of "Disturbia," he's well on his way.

After a car accident that kills his father, Kale (LaBeouf) withdraws from life. A random comment from his Spanish teacher enrages Kale, and finds said teacher's face at the receiving end of a closed fist. Taking pity on Kale's situation, a judge sentences him to a summer of house arrest.

His mother (a bloated-looking Carrie-Ann Moss) doesn't have much more patience with her rebellious son. She cuts off his iTunes, Xbox and cable, leaving him to his own devices -- making towers from glued together Twinkies and spying on the neighbors, including new hottie neighbor Ashley (Sarah Roemer).

But all this spying becomes more intriguing and dangerous when Kale, Ashley and friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) suspect that another neighbor, Mr. Turner (David Morse), is a serial killer. He fits the description of a man that was seen with a missing girl and there are plenty of coincidences that would lead anyone to think that he's up to no good.

Watching his house one night, the group sees a red headed club girl head into the house and screams of terror soon follow. But no one believes them and Turner is aware of their prying eyes.

Director D.J. Caruso may specialize in television drama, but he knows a little something about serial killer movies. He did direct "Taking Lives" (starring Angelina Jolie) which had its fair share of creepiness.

Some people claim the film to be an updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," and it's not something that should be denied, but "Disturbia" is its own film. The similarities between the films are, of course, that the protagonist is confined to his home and suspects a murder has taken place. But consider "Disturbia" more of an homage than a replica.

For some reason, Morse has the market cornered on sinister characters that people love to hate. He has a domineering attitude that is just dripping with sleaze and deserves malice in return.

"Disturbia," although it's just a notch above a teen thriller in the suspense genre, has a good plot with likeable characters. The plotline works so that audiences are craving to know how far Kale will go to prove that Mr. Turner is the killer.