Normally, I'm a huge fan of remakes. I just enjoy seeing a different director/actor/screenwriter's take on the original movie that may or may not have been especially great. Last House on the Left has the good fortune of a little-known cast and a virtually unknown director, which makes the overall quality of the movie all the more impressive.
Mari Collingwood and her parents drive to their summer cabin in the woods for a nice, relaxing vacation. When Mari goes to spend the night with her good friend, Paige, all sorts of problems arise that question the fabric of human nature, good versus evil, and how far you'd go for the one you love.
The rape scene that the original is so well known for is just as brutal here, if not moreso. It's done in an incredibly effective and saddening way, one which I won't describe here. There are some really good questions raised in this movie, one of the biggest asked right in the tagline - "If bad people hurt someone you love, how far would you go to hurt them back?" It's a very interesting question that's just as relevant now as it was more than thirty years ago.
Like mentioned before, the cast of this remake is one of the aspects that elevates it above the original. The acting is just absolute perfection by all of those involved. Sara Paxton was really the shining star of the movie, going places as an actress that I never thought she'd be able to. She shows a lot of range, and is especially great in some of the more challenging scenes. Her phenomenal acting greatly contributes to something that makes the movie work so well. It really gets under your skin, and that's because you can relate to these women. You can relate to the parents. It's all done so realistically, and that's largely in part to the fantastic performances. Martha MacIsaac, who was great in 2007's Superbad, shows a completely different side in this movie as Paige, who really wants to escape the increasingly terrifying situations.
The parents were amazing as well. Monica Potter comes off beautifully as the average mother, one who not-so-willingly resorts to violence. She really loves her daughter, and it comes into major play later in the movie. Her best scene is when she and her husband John discover Mari on the porch, and bring her inside. When he tells her that the daughter has been raped, you just feel the emotion poring out of her. Tony Goldwyn, who I only remember from Ghost, definitely comes off strong as a father who acts on rage. He's furious that people who do something like this to someone he loves so much. His ferocity later in the movie is slickly-acted and it makes the final act all the more effective.
Obviously in any movie like this, the antagonists are an extremely important part of making the movie both believable and relateable. One of the most effective scenes in the original is kept intact here. After the rape scene, no one, not even Krug (the main baddie) himself can believe how far they just took things. It all elevates so quickly. It's nice that they made the villains so believable and so vile and terrible. Krug is played very well by Garrett Dilahunt, who carries a lot of the movie on his shoulders. Riki Lindhome, who had big shoes to fill considering how iconic the Sadie in the original film was, does a spectacular job here even though she has a little less to do overall. All of her lines hit the mark, and she's always believable. She never quite gets as crazy as the original Sadie, but in doing so, she almost creates another character all together. Spencer Treat Clark was perfect, and I enjoyed him all the more after seeing him in The Babysitters. He brought a subtle quietness to the character of Justin, and made you feel something for a character that could have gone either way in the hands of a lesser actor. Last but certainly not least was Aaron Paul as Francis, an actor I recognized from Big Love. His performance was pretty damn perfect, especially later in the film when he had more difficult scenes. He just did an incredible job, and delivered some of his lines with the skills of a seasoned pro like Johnny Depp. He has a quiet creepiness about him that worked well for the movie and especially for his character.
Like any good horror film, the director either makes or breaks the effectiveness of it all. Dennis Iliadis is one of the genre's most skilled filmmakers after only one film, and here's to hoping he's here to stay. The intensity of chase scenes is coupled with incredible cinematography and shots. He makes swimming look absolutely gorgeous. This movie is just the perfect example of how an incredible director can have such a profound effect on a film. Iliadis is just absolutely fantastic, and he makes this movie his own.
Overall, it's just fantastic to see all of the support Wes Craven has given to this film, and it was all well-deserved. This will most definitely be one of the best movies of '09. Fantastic cast, good metaphors, a meaningful ending, outrageous kills, an emotionally draining journey into the depravity of humanity, and an awesomely great director make Last House on the Left an astounding piece of genre film-making that ought to be remembered for years to come. Its in-your-face brutality, shockingly tender chase scenes, and edge-of-your-seat thrills make one unbelievably perfect movie.
Mari Collingwood and her parents drive to their summer cabin in the woods for a nice, relaxing vacation. When Mari goes to spend the night with her good friend, Paige, all sorts of problems arise that question the fabric of human nature, good versus evil, and how far you'd go for the one you love.
The rape scene that the original is so well known for is just as brutal here, if not moreso. It's done in an incredibly effective and saddening way, one which I won't describe here. There are some really good questions raised in this movie, one of the biggest asked right in the tagline - "If bad people hurt someone you love, how far would you go to hurt them back?" It's a very interesting question that's just as relevant now as it was more than thirty years ago.
Like mentioned before, the cast of this remake is one of the aspects that elevates it above the original. The acting is just absolute perfection by all of those involved. Sara Paxton was really the shining star of the movie, going places as an actress that I never thought she'd be able to. She shows a lot of range, and is especially great in some of the more challenging scenes. Her phenomenal acting greatly contributes to something that makes the movie work so well. It really gets under your skin, and that's because you can relate to these women. You can relate to the parents. It's all done so realistically, and that's largely in part to the fantastic performances. Martha MacIsaac, who was great in 2007's Superbad, shows a completely different side in this movie as Paige, who really wants to escape the increasingly terrifying situations.
The parents were amazing as well. Monica Potter comes off beautifully as the average mother, one who not-so-willingly resorts to violence. She really loves her daughter, and it comes into major play later in the movie. Her best scene is when she and her husband John discover Mari on the porch, and bring her inside. When he tells her that the daughter has been raped, you just feel the emotion poring out of her. Tony Goldwyn, who I only remember from Ghost, definitely comes off strong as a father who acts on rage. He's furious that people who do something like this to someone he loves so much. His ferocity later in the movie is slickly-acted and it makes the final act all the more effective.
Obviously in any movie like this, the antagonists are an extremely important part of making the movie both believable and relateable. One of the most effective scenes in the original is kept intact here. After the rape scene, no one, not even Krug (the main baddie) himself can believe how far they just took things. It all elevates so quickly. It's nice that they made the villains so believable and so vile and terrible. Krug is played very well by Garrett Dilahunt, who carries a lot of the movie on his shoulders. Riki Lindhome, who had big shoes to fill considering how iconic the Sadie in the original film was, does a spectacular job here even though she has a little less to do overall. All of her lines hit the mark, and she's always believable. She never quite gets as crazy as the original Sadie, but in doing so, she almost creates another character all together. Spencer Treat Clark was perfect, and I enjoyed him all the more after seeing him in The Babysitters. He brought a subtle quietness to the character of Justin, and made you feel something for a character that could have gone either way in the hands of a lesser actor. Last but certainly not least was Aaron Paul as Francis, an actor I recognized from Big Love. His performance was pretty damn perfect, especially later in the film when he had more difficult scenes. He just did an incredible job, and delivered some of his lines with the skills of a seasoned pro like Johnny Depp. He has a quiet creepiness about him that worked well for the movie and especially for his character.
Like any good horror film, the director either makes or breaks the effectiveness of it all. Dennis Iliadis is one of the genre's most skilled filmmakers after only one film, and here's to hoping he's here to stay. The intensity of chase scenes is coupled with incredible cinematography and shots. He makes swimming look absolutely gorgeous. This movie is just the perfect example of how an incredible director can have such a profound effect on a film. Iliadis is just absolutely fantastic, and he makes this movie his own.
Overall, it's just fantastic to see all of the support Wes Craven has given to this film, and it was all well-deserved. This will most definitely be one of the best movies of '09. Fantastic cast, good metaphors, a meaningful ending, outrageous kills, an emotionally draining journey into the depravity of humanity, and an awesomely great director make Last House on the Left an astounding piece of genre film-making that ought to be remembered for years to come. Its in-your-face brutality, shockingly tender chase scenes, and edge-of-your-seat thrills make one unbelievably perfect movie.