Movie made by Portsmouth film-maker wins support of novelist Stephen King

A MOVIE produced by a Portsmouth-born film-maker has won support from legendary novelist Stephen King, who recommended it to his millions of fans.
The cast of The Neighbor including William Fichtner, centreThe cast of The Neighbor including William Fichtner, centre
The cast of The Neighbor including William Fichtner, centre

Oliver Ridge, who grew up in Queens Road, North End, caught the attention of the renowned author with his film, The Neighbor.

The film stars The Dark Knight actor William Fichtner as a middle-aged man in a stagnant marriage, who finds his life upended when an attractive young woman and her seemingly abusive husband, move in next door.

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King, whose books including Carrie, The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption have been made into blockbuster movies, told his 4.5m followers on Twitter: ‘The Neighbor: now streaming. Low-key, but what a bravura performance from William Fichtner, one of American’s great unsung actors.’

Oliver, who is 30 and working in Los Angeles as a producer for production company Blood Moon Creative, said: ‘Stephen King is a legend in my household, so I was overwhelmed that our film won praise for someone of that calibre – I had a bit of a freak out!

‘I’m glad he liked the movie and especially that he recognised William Fichtner’s extraordinary performance.

‘It was a joy to go in every day and watch him work. We’ve seen him in some huge films but never in a role like this.

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‘We had to wait for him to finish Independence Day 2 before working with him, and he was worth waiting for.

‘With the story told from his character’s perspective, he holds the film.’

The Neighbor, previously titled Last Days of Summer is Oliver’s first feature film – and was a winner at the prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2016.

It was released in cinemas and video on demand in the US at the beginning of the year and will be shown on streaming services in the UK in the coming months.