Episode 3 of John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is more like a romantic drama than a horror documentary. Taking inspiration from a lot of cult classics like Halloween, It, The Shinning, and many more, the third episode seemed more like a montage of those films than a docufiction. The horror elements in this episode were poorly executed, making the entire episode disappointing and boring. The third episode titled “The House Next Door” is the story of Dr. Torrence, who falls in love with a teen girl in his neighborhood. But their romantic endeavor didn’t end well, as a horrific tragedy took place.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Torrance And Lisa Meet?
The third episode of John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is about the haunted house in the neighborhood of Dr. Torrence, who is seen giving interviews to the filmmakers. Along with Torrence, we saw his friends giving interviews about the haunted house, sharing their feelings and beliefs about it. Torrence had an insane amount of interest in that house for some reason. He was terrified of the house while being deeply fascinated by it. When Torrence was a little kid, a family had moved into that house. Jennifer, a little child of Torrence’s age, became the reason for him to obsess over the house even more. Every day, with the help of his telescope, Torrence used to peer into the windows and the balcony of the house, only to catch a glimpse of Jennifer. But one fateful night, he found Jennifer disappearing into the darkness right in front of his eyes. It terrified Torrence, but he couldn’t do anything about that. In the next morning, Torrance came to know that Jennifer’s family had moved out. However, Torrence strongly believed that something very terrible might have happened to them, prompting them to leave the house as soon as possible.
After years had passed and Torrence grew up to become a teenage boy, he found another family moving into the haunted house in his neighborhood. While his family was thinking of welcoming their new neighbors by throwing a barbecue party, Torrence wanted his parents to warn the family about the house. But his parents disregarded the fact that something was wrong with that house. Torrence once again looked out his window, and with the help of his telescope, he started peering into the house. He laid his eyes on Lisa, who was the older daughter of the family, with a gothic look. Torrence immediately fell in love with her at the very first sight. He believed Lisa was different from the other girls he had seen in his neighborhood, prompting him to muster up his courage to approach her.
At the welcoming barbeque party, Torrence learned about Lisa’s father, who was a dentist named Dr. Kennedy. Their outward appearance was charming, but something was really off about them. Lisa was not fond of gatherings, so she better cornered herself to find a suitable place to smoke. Torrance tried to start a conversation with her, but he had very terrible experiences conversing with girls. However, Lisa realized that Torrence was attracted to her and decided to befriend him. Soon the friendship took another form, and the two started getting closer to each other romantically. They started hanging out with each other secretly and started making out inside Dr. Kennedy’s barn house. But every time Kennedy walked into the house, Torrance managed to save his back by hiding himself.
What Happened To Lisa? Who Was Dr. Kennedy?
One night, when Torrence was looking out his window with his telescope, he found some bizarre happenings inside the haunted house. The lights were flickering, making the whole atmosphere grim. It appeared that someone was hurting Lisa, who was trying to send signals to Torrence. He even found someone scratching over the family photograph of the Kennedys. The next day, Torrence asked Lisa if she was okay in that house or if something weird had been noticed in there. Lisa sneaked into his room that night and asked him to keep his distance from her; otherwise, their relationship would bring further troubles into both of their lives. But the next night, when Torrence couldn’t hold back his curiosity and started peering into the windows with his telescope, he found Dr. Kennedy with a chainsaw in his hand roaming around the house. He looked terrifying and dangerous. In order to save Lisa from the horror, Torrence hurried inside the house and sneaked into her bedroom. He warned Lisa about Kennedy, but Lisa asked him to leave. Torrance was terrified, but in his mind, he was determined to save his beloved. He felt remorseful for not being able to help Jennifer, but he knew he would be able to rescue Lisa from the evil lurking behind the walls of this house. As Torrence started looking for Kennedy, he ended up in his room, where he found several animals hanging upside down like those in the slaughterhouse. As soon as Torrence tried to leave the house, Kennedy had him. Kennedy started intimidating him, asking him not to hang out with his daughter anymore. He pulled out a drilling machine and was about to hurt Torrence, but Lisa arrived there, stabbing her father with a syringe.
As Kennedy was injured and not able to get up and grab them, Torrence and Lisa ran away. Lisa’s mother and little sister were also hiding inside the room, but Kennedy’s wife let her little daughter leave the place and run for her life. Lisa and her sister left the house and rushed into Torrance’s place. Torrence’s mother welcomed them and let them stay at their house for the night. However, the next morning, when Torrence woke up, he came to know that the family had moved out. Kennedy, taking his whole family, including Lisa, had left the place and communicated with nobody about where they were going. This happened all of a sudden, leaving Torrence with no idea what happened to Lisa and Dr. Kennedy. All he could remember was Lisa’s face and the beautiful moments he had spent with her, which he would never be able to forget.
