The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left - Directed by Dennis Iliadis, starring Tony Goldwyn, Sara Paxton, and Garret Dillahunt - Unrated (Rated R cut available also)

The Kurgan enjoyed this home invasion flick a bit more than the others out there.




The Last House on the Left is the disturbingly brutal remake of the Wes Craven film of the same name. I never watched the original, so this review will not be a comparison piece at all. The film, about a group of criminals (led by Dillahunt) who terrorize a family in a secluded lake area, isn't exactly a classic, but it does have its moments. I'm usually apprehensive about the sub-genre of horror that deals with lunatics randomly assaulting a family with no clear goal in mind. I know some people dig movies like that, I'm just not one of them. This film, however, made a bit more sense to me. For starters, the young woman of the family (Paxton) and her friend stumble across the crazies (which is how I choose to refer to them) first, rather than the crazies showing up out of nowhere knocking on the window. Then the crazies seemingly stumble onto the young woman's house, where a little bit of tension is created, before it gets really violent.

I'm not going to go into detail on this one. You know what you're in for with a movie like this and The Last House on the Left doesn't disappoint. The standouts (good and bad) include a much talked about creepy and uncomfortable rape scene (aren't they all, though?), some satisfying violence including a garbage disposal, and a ridiculous, but hilarious, scene involving a microwave. Aside from that, what can I say? There's a reason movies like this aren't screened for professional critics when they are released. No one cares what a critic has to say about a horror/terror movie. So why am I wasting my time? I really just wanted to point out that garbage disposal and microwave part. But I guess I could mention that it's good to see Aaron Paul (from AMC's Breaking Bad) getting some film work and I've become a fan of Dillahunt since The Assassination of Jesse James and No Country for Old Men. I must say, though, I wish he would stick to less psychotic characters.

Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

The Last House on the Left

Action/Horror, 2009 (R Rating)Director, Wes Craven

• I watched the unrated DVD version.
• A devious evil threesome kidnap two innocent teenagers who just so happened cross paths with a boy who is helpless to stop them from their murderous intentions.
• Riveting.
• The scene where they attack Mari is very gritty. It was quite long and seemed to go on forever to the point where it became very uncomfortable to watch.
• So much tension.
• I don't think I moved until this one was over.
• My goodness that girl is a fighter.
• I let out a loud "YEAH" at one point. Couldn't help it.
• Towards the end of this movie I literally had to let out a breath because I was holding it and didn't even realize it.
• There is a 1972 version that might be worth watching.

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Just Me

The Last House on the Left

The Last House On The Left

Starring:

Garret Dillahunt, Sara Paxton, Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Aaron Paul, Riki Lindhome, Spencer Treat Clark

Genre: Horror

Rated: R

The Last House on the Left is the latest in the recent line of Horror Reboots to hit the theaters following Texas

Chainsaw, Halloween and Friday the 13^th. The beauty of this film is that to the general public the original will not be wildly known; the original was Horror icon Wes Craven’s (of Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street Fame) very first film back in 1972.

The story centers on an escaped convict, who with the help of his brother and girlfriend assault two young girls and get stranded in the woods. Unknowingly to them the house they go to for help turns out to be the house of one of the assaulted girls.

The Collinwood’s are a well off family who decide to go to their lake house vacation home a year after their son has died.  You can tell that there is some family discomfort going there for the first time since the tragedy; Mari (Sara Paxton) the daughter decides to go to visit her friend Paige(Martha MacIsaac) leaving her parents John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter) to enjoy a quiet evening by themselves. Unfortunately for Paige and Emma they decide to hang out with Justin (Spencer Treat Clark) who happens to be the son of Krug (Garret Dillahunt) a convict who recently escaped with the help of his brother Francis Aaron Paul) and his girlfriend Sadie(Riki Lindhome).

When Krug finds this out he takes Paige and Mari into the woods where they are brutally assaulted.

Through a series of events Krug and his gang become stranded in the woods, they go to the only house with people in it for help the Collinwood’s. John and Emma being kind people, help out Krug and his gang not knowing they just brutally assaulted their daughter.  When they do find out what happened to their daughter they do what they have to do to save their family which does include Revenge.

Typically in a Horror film there is a Killer who systematically offs everyone but the final person, and then the final person finds a way to kill the killer and escape. The Last House on the Left does not fall into that category.  The great thing about this film is that it is entirely possible there is no killer coming back from the dead or supernatural powers and it is this realism that makes it work.

‘Last House’ Brilliantly Thrilling, Frighteningly Stupid

The Last House on the Left tells the story of two teenage girls: Mari and Paige. After being tricked back into a hotel room by a stoned teen Justin (played by Spencer Treat Clark, The Babysitters), Justin's parents return home to their motel room; and they're not happy about the new guests. After an extremely graphic rape scene, the gang-bangers need a place to crash for the night. So they find the nearest house, home of Mari's parents. They soon discover that these newfound guests have hurt their daughter, and decide to get revenge by performing a series of gruesome tactics on them. This isn't a Friday the 13th

"count-the-victims" sort of movie; this is every parent's nightmare. The worst case scenario of "spending the night at a friend's house". This is exactly what Mari (played by a surprisingly convincing Sara Paxton) said to her mom-and-pop before walking off to what she would soon find out would be the worst evening of her life.

The Last House on the Left is actually the last house for miles. Let me first say, I tried to watch the original Wes Craven classic, but I couldn't handle the rape scene. So I tried again, but Comcast took it off of FearNet before I got a chance to finish it, so I can't compare the two films. I was tempted to see this because I heard that the 1972 version was what put Craven on the map. In fact, Craven's son, John, produced Last House, along with his legendary father and Sean S. Cunningham, who also produced the original movie. I now see why the classic made him a star. The Last House on the Left was strikingly thrilling, not scary, but thrilling. I don't think it's much of a horror as the February remake of Friday the 13th and the Amityville Horror remake were. Sure, there's no Jason or terrifying ghouls like the other films I just mentioned, but there's still a monster that will frighten audiences. The monster of sick people such as rapists, pedophiles and child-abductors-and that's equally as scary. The creepiest part is that that this could happen to you. That's the message that director Dennis Iliadis (Hardcore, his only other flick) wanted to get across to the public. To never let your guard down.

he message couldn't have gotten across well enough with only a PG-13 rating. No, this one needed to be 'R'. The main reason is for the rape scene of Mari and the (spoiler alert!) murder of Paige. You could only feel bad for Mari; Sara Paxton was an absolutely awesome choice for playing the victim. And the cat-and-mouse scenes between Krug (played by a dangerously smart Garret Dillahunt, who's on FOX's Friday night Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles) and Mari and Paige make you sit even more on the edge-of-your-seat!

And, like most of the horror remakes, Last House on the Left is only an hour and 40 minutes long. But I really didn't mind that-until the ending. It's hard to tell youwhy the final scene was bad without giving it away. I'll just say that it involves Dillahunt's character and Mari's parents, Emma (who, guess what! Was in another after-midnight flick, Saw. She was Dr. Gordon's wife; THAT'S where I know her from!) And John (played by Tony Goldwyn, who was the voice of Tarzan in the Disney animated classic) Collingwood. I was going to give it a full 5 stars up until the last minute. I walked out saying the same thing I said when I stepped out of Watchmen-"You've got be kidding be, you're ending it THERE, Hollywood?

"The Last House on the Left is a thrilling so-called "horror" with a powerful message. A rare, faithful remake of a classic. Your kids might be begging you to take them to see Disney's latest Race to Witch Mountain, or your work buddy might be saying he wants to go see hot girls in Miss March, but ditch the kids and tell your buddy to "buzz off"; The Last House on the Left is the one to see this weekend. Same rating I gave the F.13 remake: 4/5 stars.

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-Nick

Super Marcey's The Last House On The Left Review

Rating: 3.5/5

Okay first things first, I love the original film by Wes Craven, even with all its flaws, I love it. It is a disturbing film, especially for a film of the early 70's. It has this brutal, ruthless violence, definitely reflecting the time it was made. Sure it had bumbling cops and some weird music which didn't fit the scenes and bad acting here and there, but for me I can over look those things.

I wasn't really welcoming a remake, I figured it would probably suck. At the same time I thought that it wouldn't hurt to give it a make over if done correctly. I think I can safely say, that they did a lot of things right with this one. I did have some problems with it, but we will get into that later on.

For those reading this that do not know, this a revenge story. Wes Craven based his original film off of the 1960 film The Virgin Spring by Ingmar Bergman. The basic premise for all three films, a young woman is raped and attacked (killed too?) by a group, who then seek shelter in the home of the young woman's parents, the parents figure out what they did and well they seek revenge.

So this remake starts off with two cops in the car with a criminal called Krug (Garret Dillahunt), mid transport he escapes. We then meet  Mari (Sara Paxton) who meets up with her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac). They hang out after Mari and her parents come to town for some time off. While Paige is at work they meet Justin (Spencer Treat Clark) who tells them at his motel he has some top weed. They go with him, and whilst hanging out in the motel room, Krug and the gang show up. Needless to say certain things happen to the girls and Krug and co wind up at Mari's parents (Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn) house. One thing leads to another and they find out what happens and you don't want to be in Krug and co's shoes.

So to the good stuff, the acting is all round pretty good. Unlike the original the parents can actually act, and they both put on a strong show. No bumbling cops either, which gave the film a more serious tone. At times the violence in this was very brutal and it was actually hard to watch, much like the original. The rape scene is down right brutal and awful, and its supposed to make you feel nothing for Krug, other then you wanting someone to smash his head in. You really feel for Mari, and Sara Paxton put on such a great and strong performance. Garret Dillahunt who I am a big fan of, was probably the perfect casting for Krug. He was cold, he was brutal and he was ruthless. Aaron Paul as Francis did a good job as well, he played all the right notes. Sadie played by Riki Lindhome was not a very fleshed out character and I just didn't think she did too well. Spencer Treat Clark who people might remember as the kid from Gladiator is really quite amazing as Justin. He brings so much to the character and despite everything you really feel sympathy for him.

In the original (I hate to keep comparing but I can't do it any other way), Krug and co feel anything but human. After they attack the girls, there is a sense that they are dehumanised, there is nothing left for them. Krug and co here don't feel like that, they feel more like typical film bad guys. I think they really needed to have that demanised feel, and I didn't get that. I think this is heading into spoiler territory (Although if you watch the trailer, it is already spoiled) Mari in the original died, in this she did not. It felt like the film didn't have the balls to kill her. In a way it worked, but I think the revenge would have felt a lot more justified if she had been killed. The parents do get really brutal, and the violence at times was a bit over the top, especially a scene with a microwave and it is just so over the top and silly it really does not fit the film.

While this film tried to change things for the better, for the most part it worked, but I think it really needed more balls like the original. But both these films are really a product of the times they came from.

(Review written September 3rd 2009, first posted on SuperMarcey.com)

Recommendations: Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009), Milk, Hurt Locker, The (Kathryn Bigelow, 2009)

Last updated: 2010-02-14 20:50:26 by SuperMarcey

The Last House on the Left

I was curious how long it would take before the groundbreaking horror cult film "The Last House On The Left" would be remade after the remakes of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes". In 1972 this small low budget slasher film was something moviegoers hadn't seen before with it's graphic violence and depraved subject matter. This was a horror movie with a graphic beating and rape scene and then a plan of revenge that was quite unique and sick. The first time I saw the original was a few years back and what I found was a movie that looked like a mixture of a snuff film and a badly acted amateur student film with a cheesy 70's music score. I have been so desensitized by horror and violence in films that I found this laughable and not really scary. Then I thought about how audiences hadn't seen stuff like the things that happened here before which includes a horrendous rape scene and death and then some offbeat kills including dismemberment. I thought that it had to be shocking at the time for audiences so it was I guess actually effective though I didn't care for it.

It wasn't a fun time at the movies and I find the remake has the same effect. I also found this movie not to be scary like the first one but very disturbing and horrific.I do have to admit though it is effective in what it is trying to do. It is pretty much the same with a rape scene in the beginning though I must say the new creators have toned it down from the first film. A teenage girl is raped and survives and the killers who become stranded after a car crash walk to a house that happens to be the house of the parents of the girl they raped. Then like the first one the parents find out and plot their revenge. This time the parents react as opposed to the first when the father comes up with a fiendish plot. This is your classic revenge film and you do want to see the killers get what they deserved so it is effective. I don't know,the movie does it's job but like the first I didn't really care for this movie either. To think that this movie like the first one was based on Bergman's "The Virgin Spring". It does though create a debate on whether the father could use a microwave the way he does to kill someone.

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Vincent Snavely