The Evil Next Door

Lore & Background

The Evil Next Door was the feature film debut of co-writers and co-directors Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson. The story centers on Shirin (played by Dilan Gwyn), who moves into a new home with her boyfriend Fredrik (Linus Wahlgren) and his young son Lucas. Lucas, still grieving his mother's recent death, asks whether dead people can return, and soon speaks of a new friend next door—despite the adjacent half of the house being vacant for years. As Shirin investigates, she uncovers a terrible secret and an evil entity that targets Lucas.

Reader's Guide

The Evil Next Door received a limited theatrical release in North America and made its streaming debut on 25 June 2021, with an international release on 8 January 2021 by Magnet Releasing. Its box office was modest, grossing $1,010 in the United States and Canada and a worldwide total of $1.4 million. Critical reception was mixed; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 29% approval rating from seven critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Reviewers noted that while the film's Bogeyman lacks a proper origin story, its supernatural abilities and child-consumption premise remain standard horror fare. The film's significance lies in its debut of Mellander and Danielsson as feature filmmakers and its contribution to Swedish horror cinema.

Did You Know?

• The film is the feature film debut of writers and directors Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson.
• The film premiered in Sweden on 23 October 2020.
• It grossed $1,010 in the United States and Canada and $1.4 million worldwide.
• On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 29% based on reviews from seven critics.

A Feature Debut in Swedish Horror

The Evil Next Door, known in its native Swedish as Andra sidan, arrived in 2020 as the feature film debut of two Swedish filmmakers, Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson. Working together as both writers and directors, the pair crafted a mystery horror drama that would serve as their introduction to the feature-length format. The project positioned them squarely within the Scandinavian genre tradition, blending elements of mystery with supernatural horror and dramatic character work. The film's Swedish-language origins and its focus on a domestic, family-centered narrative gave it a distinctly Nordic flavor, setting it apart from the more action-driven horror films that often dominate international genre releases. As a debut, the film represented a significant creative leap for both Mellander and Danielsson, who had to establish their visual language, narrative instincts, and genre sensibilities all at once. The result was a tightly focused story that relied on atmosphere, suspense, and the slow unraveling of a domestic secret rather than on spectacle or large-scale set pieces.

A Story of Grief and the Unseen

At its core, the film follows Shirin, played by Dilan Gwyn, as she moves into a new home with her boyfriend Fredrik and his young son Lucas, who is five years old. The premise begins with what appears to be a straightforward family setup, but the emotional undercurrent is immediately established: Lucas is still processing the recent death of his mother. His innocent question to Shirin about whether dead people can truly return sets the tone for a story that intertwines childhood grief with supernatural dread. The turning point arrives when Lucas mentions a new friend who lives next door, a detail that sends Shirin into a state of growing suspicion. The other half of the house has been empty for years, making the boy's claim impossible on its surface. As Shirin investigates, she uncovers a terrible secret embedded in the house itself, and the narrative escalates into a full-blown horror as something malevolent sets its sights on Lucas. The story operates as a slow-burn mystery that gradually reveals the true nature of the threat.

The Ensemble Behind the Screen

The cast of The Evil Next Door brings together a mix of Swedish and international performers to populate its domestic horror world. Dilan Gwyn anchors the film as Shirin, the new stepmother figure whose suspicion drives the narrative forward, while Linus Wahlgren portrays Fredrik, the boyfriend and Lucas's father. The young protagonist Lucas is supported by a supporting ensemble that includes Janna Granström as Julia, Karin Holmberg as Katja, and Sovi Rydén in an additional role. The supernatural antagonist is brought to life by Troy James, who plays the Monster, a creature whose primary motivation is the consumption of children. Supporting the domestic and procedural elements of the story are Jakob Fahlstedt as a police officer, Niklas Jarneheim as a real estate agent, and Henrik Norlén as Peter Lindvall. Eddie Eriksson Dominguez also appears in the cast. The ensemble work serves the film's intimate, house-bound setting, where a relatively small number of characters must carry the emotional and suspenseful weight of the entire narrative without relying on large ensemble dynamics.

Box Office, Streaming, and Critical Divide

The film's path to audiences was staggered across multiple markets and platforms. Its world premiere came in Sweden on 23 October 2020, followed by an international release on 8 January 2021 handled by Magnet Releasing. In North America, the film received a limited theatrical window before making its streaming debut on 25 June 2021. At the box office, the numbers were modest: the film earned just over one thousand dollars in the United States and Canada combined, while its worldwide gross reached approximately 1.4 million dollars. Critical reception was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 29 percent approval rating based on seven critic reviews, with an average score of 5.9 out of 10. Jeanette White of Comic Book Resources noted that while the Bogeyman lacks a proper origin story, its supernatural abilities and desire to consume children remain pretty standard horror genre fare. In contrast, Joanna K. Neilson of Horror DNA awarded the film four out of five stars, expressing a personal desire to experience another terrifying night with the story.