Have you ever wondered what those noises coming from under the door of your neighbor down the hall really were?  Was he watching a Rob Zombie film, or trying to create a real zombie?  Well, the New York Times has created this awesome and engrossing interactive map of Netflix’ most rented films of 2009 to satisfy your curiosity!  You can check it out by zip code or by title.

Netflix Popularity Heat Map, courtesy NYT

While The Curious Case of Benjamin Button seems to have been near-universal in its appeal (that’s near-universal…it’s certainly not in my queue!), other films were…not so universal.  The different stats on Rachel Getting Married versus Lakeview Terrace, for example, provide an intriguing glimpse at the DC area’s demographics.

Truly fascinating!