Directed by Dennis Illiadis
Review based upon the US Universal DVD release
I took a break from reviewing movies to work on my own set of horror stories over the last six weeks, in part because I was sick and tired of watching the endless slew of genre remakes that the studios keep turning out these days. Most of the horror flicks I’ve seen this year have been unoriginal retreads of the same old formulas, with any originality coming from well outside Hollywood. Ironically, when deciding which new review to write first, I decided on the 2009 reimagining (we all know how much they love that phrase) of Wes Craven’s 1972 revenge-horror of the same name. But what could a remake bring to this gruelling original film? And is a modern version even necessary?
Directed by Dennis Illiadis, “The Last House on the Left” focuses around the story of Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton) along with her father John (Tony Goldwyn) and mother Emma (Monica Potter). After taking a family break to their remote cabin near a lake, Mari leaves her parents to meet with Paige (Martha McIsaac), a friend that she hasn’t seen since before the premature death of her brother. After chatting to Justin (Spencer Treat Clark) at the shop where Paige works, the two girls go back to his hotel to smoke some weed, only to find their solitude interrupted by Justin’s father Krug (Garret Dillahunt) along with his brother Francis (Aaron Paul) and girlfriend Sadie (Riki Lindhome). Krug is an escaped murderer who immediately kidnaps the two girls, driving them out into the forest with evidently twisted intentions. Attempting to escape near to her parent’s cabin, the car crashes and Mari is forced to watch as her friend is brutally killed in revenge. Assaulted and shot, Mari is eventually left for dead in the river as Krug and his gang seek refuge at the house of the Collingwood family, unaware that these are the parents of the girl they just tortured. But when Mari manages to make her way back to the lake house barely alive, John and Emma learn the truth and have to make a decision; will they exact revenge on the three criminals tha
t attacked their daughter? And will such actions make them as depraved as Krug himself?The original Wes Craven version of “The Last House on the Left” was in many ways a typical 70’s exploitation flick. Shot with a very low budget and containing some quite nasty moments, the movie also had some major tonal issues, largely as a result of the bizarre humour from the police characters that could be said to undermine several key moments. The 1972 film also contained a very strong social commentary relating to the Vietnam War, and I was curious to know how Illiadis would deal with this in his new interpretation.
At its core, the remake of “The Last House on the Left” is a taught and brilliantly executed piece of cinema. Screenwriters Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth along with Director Illiadis have stripped the story down to the basics, choosing to focus on the character dynamics and removing the previously grating humour. In addition, while the Vietnam references are now clearly redundant, the gap is filled by a relatively complex analysis of parental and child dynamics as well a thoughtful examination of morality. Illiadis spends a great deal of time inspecting whether the Collingwoods are just in their actions, comparing them to Krug’s band of thugs with a clarity lacking in the original.
The shot technique employed within this movie is arguably more sophisticated than anything directed by his contemporary Marcus Nispel (the man responsible for both the “Friday the 13th” and “Texas Chainsaw” updates), focussing on objects out of focus and obscure items in the foreground to really heighten tension in a manner of which Hitchcock would be proud. Illiadis is a great find; bizarrely with only one previous directorial credit, the obscure crime thriller “Hardcore” in 2004. Here he plays with the audience’s nerves like an auteur, wringing every drop of tension and dread from an already uncomfortably all-too-believable screenplay.
Performances are consistent and strong, with Sara Paxton especially sympathetic and empathetic as Mari, and Garret Dillahunt as Krug easily gives David Hess from the Craven version a run for his money in the sicko stakes. Putting in a truly repulsive portrayal that interestingly mirrors the parental dynamics between John and Mari Collingwood, Dillahunt’s interplay with other characters is nothing but convincing.
Unfortunately, while this review has been very positive until this point, it should be noted that the final 5 minutes of “The Last House on the Left” almost completely sabotages the brilliance of what came before. In what is perhaps the most frustrating experience of the year so far, the studio (I sincerely hope this wasn’t a decision made by Illiadis himself) has left the film with TWO distinct endings tagged onto the same print. The first works thanks to delivering a suitably downbeat ending, and the film should have ended at that point. Instead of taking such a brave leap however, the 2009
“Last House” takes a wide swerve into the ridiculous, tagging on an additional punchline ending that provides the audience with a gory money shot involving a malfunctioning microwave and someone’s head.Why have I made such a clear spoiler reference without a warning? Simply because I urge everyone to stay away from the last section of this otherwise note-perfect work. As soon as you see the boat cruising into the distance, walk out of the cinema or turn off your DVD player and don’t look back. To quote the 1973 tagline; keep repeating, it’s only the last 5 minutes, it’s only the last 5 minutes… and it’s a needless example of shitty studio interference. This movie is light on gore for a reason; it’s subtle, minimalist and therefore disturbing as a result. But studios think that horror fans simply bay for blood, insisting on shoving a violent moment that serves no narrative purpose into the last few minutes. My message to the executives is this: we’re smarter than you and so are the people behind the camera, so have more faith in them and your sophisticated audience and less in your insulting assumptions. Please don’t sabotage something this good again, ever.
So, all in all, the 2009 reimagining of “The Last House on the Left” is a tense horror flick that’s an unsettling and harrowing piece of cinema. Like the Wes Craven movie before it, Director lliadis is a talent to watch for the future of the genre. Whilst the final moments are the most enraging I’ve endured in recent memory, the excellence of the preceding 105 minutes is more than enough to recommend it to anyone. The remake may still lead us to question the entertainment value of such a grim story, but this film is one of the most interesting and complex remakes in recent memory. Very highly recommended… if you can avoid the second ending!
7.5 out of 10
This is a technically excellent genre flick that plays with the audience brilliantly until the ending, which is a complete cop-out… It could have been a modern masterpiece
