Last House on the Left (2009)
Reviewed by: Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor
Rating: 7 out of 10
Movie Details: View here
Cast:
Sara Paxton as Mari Collingwood
Monica Potter as Emma Collingwood
Tony Goldwyn as John Collingwood
Garret Dillahunt as Krug
Riki Lindhome as Sadie
Aaron Paul as Francis
Martha MacIsaac as Paige
Spencer Treat Clark as Justin
Directed by Dennis Iliadis
Review:
Spoilers abound...just wanted to offer you fair warning.
One could argue there's nothing redeemable about Wes Craven's directorial debut The Last House on the Left. It's too sleazy. Too raw. A pointless exercise in perverse violence. (Mind you, these are complaints I've heard from those with weak stomachs.) Some think it was an ideal candidate for a remake. But it's for these reasons, and much more, why I embrace the '72 film. There's a seething energy about it that's white hot. It's a confrontational strip of celluloid I wasn't too keen on seeing updated, in spite of its wacky flaws (and I do mean wacky - helloooo, chicken lady!). Yet here I am with a positive endorsement. Director Dennis Iliadis' take, to me at least, feels like a second draft. A polish. That's to say, some remakes today go out of their way to adjust the story - become a "re-imagining" (see: Rob Zombie's Halloween) - but Last House doesn't meddle the structure, it simply tweaks the purpose of the foundation.
The scenario remains cut and dry. Two teenage girls, Mari and Paige, meet a boy (in this film, "Justin" instead of the drug-addicted, twitchy "Junior"). Boy accidentally introduces the two to his family, a trio of lethal miscreants named Krug, Sadie and Francis, and together, Mari and Paige, are dragged along for a not so joyful ride that leads to humiliation, beatings and rape. With both girls left for dead, Krug and company find the nearest house to hole up for the night, unbeknown to them that this is where Mari's parents, Emma and John, reside. Later, Mari turns up worse for wear and Emma and John lash out at their new house guests to protect their daughter.
Like I said, familiar ground.
The most notable difference this time around is the omnipresent mean spirit that pervaded the original film has been eschewed in favor of classic suspense. Where Craven went for the gut with moments like "piss your pants" or forcing the teenage girls to strike each other (another level of discomfort altogether), director Iliadis milks a fair amount of simmering tension during Krug's first meeting with Mari and Paige and their drive out into the woods. Iliadis reserves any strength for the film's rape sequence and the subsequent protection/revenge equation. Mari's violation at the hands of Krug remains brutal and unflinching. And Paige's demise via a tag team knifing is still a shocker. Save for the rape, the sequence in the woods lacks the original's slow burn, unpleasant suffering. The tempo is sped up to carry the audience back to the Collingwood home where Krug, Sadie and Francis will receive their just comeuppance. I craved more moments with this trio so, if for anything, I could despise them more.
But writer Carl Ellsworth's thematic agenda is slightly different here. The thrust of it lies mainly on the parents who are forced to do unthinkable acts of violence. Not out of revenge but survival - which is something I don't necessarily agree with, but for the purpose of this film it works just fine. Emma and John's methods are nasty and not as "prepared" as seen in the '72 film - which makes the results all the more organic and plausible. I yearned for a more animalistic turn, however, something to rival or exceed the extremes set forth by Krug's earlier actions. Still, they deliver swift, bloody kills and Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter do a fantastic job running the gamut of emotions. (Performance-wise, the same goes for Dillahunt, Paxton and the rest of the cast whose characters all ring true.)
Last House can't shake some screenwriting 101 moments - Mari is a swimmer which predictably comes into play (don't worry, she's not in a race to avoid rape) - and its denouement is satisfying on a visceral level but it feels out of place. For a redo which does an expert job of kicking its exploitation roots, this scene threatens to drag it right back into the hole. Regardless, the core of the original film is here. And overall, this is much better than any remake of Last House has any right to be. It's been finessed and, dare I say, made something more palatable for mainstream audiences. Still, I'm okay with that. The fat has been trimmed to make the journey a lean, mature thriller that hasn't lost much of its potency. Enter if you dare.
Comments
Posted by: Our Time Has Come on March 12, 2009 at 19:43:20
I've been waiting for a remake to the original forever now
huge fan of the 72 film,absolute classic horror flick
and I'm also a fan of the death metal band if the same name
I hope more films like this become more serious and mainstream
I'm sick and tired of the ghost story pg13 teen fests
all pu$$yhorror to me
Good job to the cast and crew of LHotL
Posted by: omarramos on March 12, 2009 at 20:22:24
Good to see real r-rated horror movies making a comeback at the box office.Friday the 13th.MBV 3-D and Underworld.Lets keep supporting these films and put an end to all this pg-13 crap.
Looking forward to this remake.See all you gorehounds at the movies.
Posted by: Evan on March 12, 2009 at 21:01:20
Promise im not going to give anything away but over at bloody-disgusting he talked about his outrage about how absolutly terrible the ending to this is and almost ruins the entire movie..suprised you didnt say anything to warn us about that like that site did..im still pumped for this movie and this is the first time ill ever say im glad that the ending was told to me early because ill probably leave the theater when it gets to it..cant wait to hear the response to it on this site this weekend
Posted by: Evan on March 12, 2009 at 21:02:59
maybe you did in the last paragraph actully..if that is what you are talking about my bad
Posted by: vealsucks on March 12, 2009 at 21:07:49
Why is rape always exploited in the horror genre and has made modern audiences desensitized to the atrocious nature of this heinous act???
It's like you guys crave rape scenes in your movies because you are misogynist pigs who want to see women weaker than you on film.
I have only seen one film where a rape scene has been used for philosophical purposes and not for exploitation and that was just recently in Watchmen.
By the way, I'm a guy and not some feminist troll. I just want one of you horror fans to explain to me why your genre uses rapes as staples of violence and with no justification but chauvinist purposes.
Let's treat women with more respect here. And if you claim that men and women are treated equally nowadays, you need to get out of your cave and stop believing what the media tells you about postmodern feminism.
Posted by: Evan on March 12, 2009 at 21:16:39
yet you watch these movies just as much as up..hypocrit much?
Posted by: Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor on March 12, 2009 at 21:21:23
Evan, I talk about the ending here:
"its denouement is satisfying on a visceral level but it feels out of place"
Posted by: vealsucks on March 12, 2009 at 21:54:12
Evan,
No, I do not. In studying film, I am supposed to be open-minded and watch films that I do not find satisfying. On top of that, I review films for a local newspaper. So, I am supposed to watch as many films as possible not just for my own person knowledge but also when new releases come out, I go and see all of them to later review two.
It's funny how you resorted to an ad hominem attack instead of just answering the question because you probably get off on torture porn Evan. Go back to watching Hostel before your shift at McDonald's starts.
Posted by: Kevin on March 12, 2009 at 22:27:22
Hmmm...Mr. Rotten led me astray with the horrible, timidly violent, non-shocking Friday the 13th, so I'm just going to have to just ignore this one.
Posted by: ico on March 12, 2009 at 22:51:24
vealsucks
In this movie it's simply used to make you hate them and to have validation for what the parents do to them. Rape is used in horror films because it's something disgusting and visceral and thats what the horror audience wants.
Posted by: ico on March 12, 2009 at 22:57:05
I've got a question thats alittle off topic.
What would you say is Wes Cravens most famous movie vs. his best movie. In other (more simpler) words, what would you say is his most famous film and was is actually his best.
Posted by: Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor on March 12, 2009 at 23:12:49
"Yeah, **** that Ryan Rotten guy for writing a review for a Friday the 13th film based on the context of the series, I'm not gonna listen to him ever again!" Ha...you guys are killin' me.
Kevin, sorry I led you astray. Peruse the countless other reviews I've done here - pretty positive we'll see eye-to-eye on something. Or maybe not, 'cause Friday the 13th is the end-all be-all of horror?
Posted by: brooklynpsycho on March 12, 2009 at 23:58:27
I just got back from seeing a free screening of Last House on the Left and I must say, OMG! Not only were the actors great, and the kills gory, but the score was amazing too. I left that theater so satisfied, it was not even funny. I can go on and on and on on how good it was, but I don't want to spoil it for you. For me, it was a complete package. I will definitely see it again and again. I highly recommend it.
Posted by: ronniemick on March 13, 2009 at 00:00:32
"Posted by: ico on March 12, 2009 at 22:51:24
vealsucks
In this movie it's simply used to make you hate them and to have validation for what the parents do to them. Rape is used in horror films because it's something disgusting and visceral and that's what the horror audience wants."
I'll add to that. It's not necessarily what horror fans want. But it IS an essential component of the horror genre - the need to disturb. Not all horror fans are in it to feed some misogynist impulse. Horror is often a way for us to deal with the darker side of the human condition, the things that we fear - random violence, murder, our own mortality and yes, rape - in a safe environment, one that we can leave when the lights go up. So before you go around throwing out your intellectual credentials for all to marvel at, vealsucks, maybe you should hold off on the blanket statements. "Torture Porn" has become a catch-all phrase for the genre and I'll be glad when this term becomes obsolete, like "fo'shizzle" and "don't go there".
Personally, rape on film disturbs me (yes, I am male, by the way) so LAST HOUSE isn't a priority for me.
And can we get spellcheck installed here. The typos are killing me!
Posted by: Kevin on March 13, 2009 at 00:07:56
Obviously Ft13th wasn't the end all and be all of horror, or I wouldn't exactly be complaining. I was just convinced, by your review, realy, that it'd be a very brutal modern depiction of one of my favurite horror monsters.
It was stale, boring and the blood/gore was barely there. So, in that context, when you use words like nasty and brutal in this review I'm wary because we obviously don't see eye to eye with what those terms mean.
PS. I tried perusing your other reviews, only that aside from Ft13th I CAN'T find another review of yours on a movie I've seen. Yes, I only looked at a couple dozen reviews, but you'd think someone who's written "countless" amounts of them your name would've shown up on at least one.
Posted by: Josiah on March 13, 2009 at 00:56:23
vealsucks-
"Why is rape always exploited in the horror genre and has made modern audiences desensitized to the atrocious nature of this heinous act???"
Horror movies are made to play on our worst fears, i.e. murder, torture, rape.. etc. From my vantage point, I don't see rape being "exploited" in the horror genre any more than any other of these things that terrify us. Is rape worse than murder? Cause murders outnumber rapes on the big screen tenfold, even in only horror movies.
Rape happens. It sucks, but yes it happens. So naturally, it'll be portrayed in movies, if you consider how art reflects life. Are we only to allow rape in movies when there is a "philosophical purpose??" When was the last time you heard of someone rape someone for philosophical reasons?? Rape is a sadistic, cruel, and ultimately pointless act, just like any of the other horror elements we view in these types of movies. If you don't want to see bad things happen to people, don't watch these movies. I just don't get why you'll willingly watch people being brutally murdered/tortured, without any meaning whatsoever, but when it comes to rape, we need to have a reason to put it on the screen. Please enlighten me on the difference between the two. I look forward to your logical response.
Posted by: ico on March 13, 2009 at 01:05:45
ronniemick & Josiah
Thanks for adding onto my post. I rushed through it afraid that someone else would post the same exact thing while i was typing. Thats basically what i wanted to say.
Anybody have an answer to my second post?
Posted by: Evan on March 13, 2009 at 03:10:10
wow somebody studying film, writes reviews for a paper..yet uses childish come backs such as you work at mcdonalds..i would love to read your reviews in your school newspapers..douch bag..its not like all these movies we walk into with rape in them we see coming or go to see them for that ****..who knows why its such a common thing these days..probably because studios think the more obscene it is the more we will want to see it.. i dont care for rape scenes at all in these movies either..but im not going to hate a movie because it has..also good call in saying go watch hostel since you wrote a long speech about rape scenes and you tell me to go watch a movie that doesnt have one.. either your *****ing about torture porn(which happens to guys as well as girls quite often) or your talking about girls getting raped(which does happen but not as much as your making it sound) make up your mind
and ryan rotten..i picked that up after reading it again thats why i did the second post..did like your review better though as that one i read went on to tell you the ending..a heads up is great but completly ruining it is ****ed up..
Posted by: Evan on March 13, 2009 at 03:14:12
and im sure nothing this movie does in the torture or the rape scenes will be anything compared to the ones in the original...i still to this day dont think ive seen a more disturbing movie
Posted by: Evan on March 13, 2009 at 03:19:56
last thing,,,
Friday the 13th wasnt the end all be all horror movie..but def cemented platinum dunes place in the halls of **** remakes..unless they line up a bad ass cast im skippin NOES..cant take that co. messin up another classic
Posted by: francesco on March 13, 2009 at 05:30:19
can't believe there are people that they are JUST against Platinum for the remake of TCM, F13 and NOES!
guys, F13 made 65M$ and every poll u'll find u'll see people loved it.
so HATERS go to hell!
Posted by: Just saw it.... on March 13, 2009 at 06:22:25
You basically summed exactly how I felt about it. For a remake it was pretty good but some parts seemed short and I felt the death of Krug should have been more drawn out then the death of Francis especially since he was an evil bastard.
Posted by: Burke Guthrie on March 13, 2009 at 08:17:21
going to see the remake tonight, looking forward to it, it sounds like they did a great job and craven is proud im sure, as for the rape scene it is an important point in the movie to show the sadistic side of krug and to build your anger up for the revenge. you have to be a fan of horror to dig it i guess, or maybe the guy who reviews movie and didnt like it hopes a hot chick reads it and he may get some, who knows, keep the horror coming remake or not just make them and make them good....
Posted by: Ike on March 13, 2009 at 13:21:29
The thing with this movie or should I say about the first version of it is simple. Last house is and always will be one of the most disturbing films out there. As a horror fan since I was a small child, Ive seen maybe thousands of them. The true horror of this movie isnt some dead guy in a mask or some monster the size of a building. Its the simple fact this could happen to anyone at anytime. True horror comes from real life. Rape is a horrable and unforgivable crime. I still remember when I saw Last House on the left. To say it had impact is an understatement. It is the only movie I remember well. I have only ever seen it once ever. When people ask me if they should see it I always say the same thing, yes you should. It really drives home exactly what horrable things people can do to eachother and isnt that what really horror is? My sister never seen the first but she wants to see this new one, so I will go and see it with her and see if it will stay in my mind like the first did in 72........
Posted by: Paul on March 14, 2009 at 22:53:21
I must agree with Evan.
And I'm sorry Vealsucks, but how about you go and see the movie and then talk. I was MORE disturbed by the rape in Watchmen. And in my opinion, the rape scene in Last House was more significant to the movie's purpose than the one in Watchmen (the movie version, at least).
And let me define torture porn for you. Torture porn films, such as, yes, Hostel, have all of their female leads running around completely naked and getting stabbed and tortured, while of course, still naked. This is NOT The Last House on the Left AT ALL.
The two girls who get attacked, Mari and Paige, never have ANY body parts showing. Never. In fact, the only girl to not have a shirt on was the crazy psycho ***** killer. And even those weren't bad, since both times she was eitehr sleeping and changing.
If you want to attack a horror movie for having un-needed rape scene, attack The Hills Have Eyes and the remake of Halloween.
And watch, within the year when Peter Jackson's adaption of "The Lovely Bones", the movie will be praised to full extent and get a best picture nomination (Watch, it will) even though the rape in that back was much more violent and sadistic and the girl actually dies.
You know, just because we like horror movies does not mean we're all mindless losers that have nothing to do but watch horror movies and "get off" on them. Sorry that you can't manage to enjoy all genres, since you're studying film. And no, I actually don't work at McDonalds. Thank you very much. I did work at a deli once, though.
These movies aren't made to exploit women and treat them as lesser beings. I hate to break it to you pal, but rape happens. You know, a lot. So you're going to complain about a horror movie that uses things that ACTUALLY happen and are ACTUALLY scary instead of ghosts and guys in masks with machetes, chainsaws, and pick axes? Got it. Totally understand.
I look foward to your reply to continue bashing those who liked the movie.
1 2
Add a comment