(andPOP) - It's tough to turn down Steven Spielberg.
"When the Great One calls and summons you, you better show up," says director D.J. Caruso.
Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director and founder of DreamWorks Pictures, asked Caruso to oversee the teen-thriller "Disturbia," which opens in theatres on Friday.
As Caruso explains, the ultimate decision was, of course, to accept the job, but he admits it wasn't exactly a no-brainer.
"I was originally on the fence because I don’t want to just get labelled as a thriller guy," says Caruso, who has directed "Two for the Money" (Al Pacino) and "Taking Lives" (Angelina Jolie). "But ultimately I'm glad I did it because I hadn’t made a movie like this before or for this age bracket. And when he calls, he's so passionate about it and he really infused me with his enthusiasm."
It was that enthusiasm that got him hooked. It was the possibilities with how he could shape the film that sealed the deal.
"Disturbia" stars Shia LaBeouf ("Holes," "I, Robot") as Kale, a once average teen, who becomes problematic after his father is killed in a car crash, in the car Kale was driving. He is sentenced to house arrest for the summer after hitting his teacher.
A pair of his father's binoculars becomes his best friend. With them, he spies on – and falls for – his striking new neighbour, Ashley (Sarah Roemer). They also lead him to discover the sinister man across the street (David Morse). Girls are disappearing around the city. Kale thinks he found the culprit.
But Caruso ignores the thriller aspect of the film until midway through. He's seen effective teen dramas, and he's seen almost plotless, yet successful, horror films.
"I wanted to see if you can combine the genres," he explained.
"Take the teenage-angst love story about a kid who is damaged because of a the tragedy, and he falls in love with the girl next door who the audience and he probably doesn’t think he could get. If we can combine that with the classic thriller element, would it work? And that’s how the storyline evolved."
It's the binoculars that have naturally led to comparisons to "Rear Window," the 1954 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In "Rear Window," James Stewart's character is convinced a neighbour has committed a murder. Caruso admits he sought to contemporise the film, but says the comparisons should stop at the binoculars.
"It's not a remake. We definitely are paying homage to Hitchcock and the idea of a man trapped in his house looking out, but there are a lot of other movies that influenced me much more than 'Rear Window.'"
One of those films, not coincidently, is the Spielberg-written "Poltergeist," the 1982 horror about a family haunted by ghosts, who appear friendly at first but then reveal their true malice.
"If people are pissed [about the 'Rear Window' comparisons], I think if they see the movie, they'll think differently."
Directing a film for teens was something new for Caruso. At 42, still relatively young though far removed from his teenaged days, he often asked LaBeouf for help with the dialogue and LaBeouf altered some lines to make them sound more appropriate.
To get into the minds of teens, Caruso thought back to when he was a teen. Like Kale, Caruso was infatuated with the girl next door.
"I immediately fell in love so it was easy for me to apply what I knew and exhibit that through Shia's character."
Caruso also shares another trait with Kale.
"Oh heck ya, of course I spied on her," Caruso says. "It was a one-sided relationship."
Read more about "Disturbia" as D.J. Caruso tells andPOP about using System of a Down's music in the film.
