Janis Rivers (Shannon Lawson) is the main villainess from the 2006 Lifetime film, Love Thy Neighbor. She is the next door neighbor of Laura Benson at a gated community that Laura and her family move to after a break-in at her previous home. At first, Janis and Laura get along well, but Laura began to have suspicions about her new neighbor when she witnessed Janis get into a verbal altercation with her ex-husband (and her daughter Jenny's father) when he was late in dropping her off from a visit with him; a fight that Janis tried to explain later on by claiming she feared her ex-husband would try to take Jenny away from her.
Things between Laura and Janis began to turn sour during a dinner conversation when Janis asked Laura to tell her daughter, Erin, to give up her spot on the high school's soccer team so Jenny can play. When Laura refused, Janis began terrorizing her, beginning with getting Erin kicked off the team with a false claim that she was using drugs. Among other things, Janis also sent Laura a threatening note and even had the family's pet cat killed. It is later revealed that Janis is a domestic abuser—with "a good left hook," as Detective Zeller told Laura. She also accused the soccer coach of having an affair with one of the soccer moms when he refused to give Jenny a spot on the team.
After Laura learned about Janis' history and her twisted acts, she inadvertently let Janis into her home, leading to a violent confrontation, which had Janis ranting and showing extreme jealousy over Laura being "so perfect." In a fit of psychotic rage, the evil Janis viciously attacked Erin with a fireplace poker, with every strike aimed towards Erin's ankle. After Erin fled for help, Laura and Janis fought again. The brawl ended with Janis falling through a banister after Laura goaded her to charge at her by insulting Jenny, much to Laura's horror. Janis survived and was taken into custody.
Trivia[]
- Shannon Lawson also appeared on Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye as villainess Hilary Kern.