Some movies are so difficult to watch that they stick with you for awhile. The latest in a line of horror remakes is Last House on the Left, originally done by Wes Craven back in 1972. The original movie was difficult to watch, but the remake might just have outdone the original as far as sticking in your brain. Our primal instinct for revenge has a way of bringing out that part of us that we like to keep under wraps most of the time. Last House on the Left reaches down and forces you to embrace it.
While the movie itself certainly has some flaws, and is far from being as suspenseful as the original, it does a wonderful job of making us get involved in the story. That is the mark of any great horror movie, and Last House on the Left succeeds wildly with this. You want to see the villains get what is coming.
The plot itself is sordid, and you kind of can predict the film regardless of whether you have seen the original or not. The basic premise for The Last House on the Left is that a young girl is abused by a gang of viscious thugs, and then the thugs end up coming to the girl’s house by accident for shelter during a storm. They are now in a position to get their come uppance… and then some.
The cast is largely fantastic in The Last House on the Left and is led by Sara Paxton as the young teenager Mari. Tony Goldwyn is hauntingly wonderful as her father John as well. The cast is perfect for the tone and undercurrents that run through the movie. Garret Dillahunt steals the show in my opinion as a villain named Krug.
What is confusing to me is how this movie ever was able to secure an “R” rating. If ever a movie pushes the envelope, it is The Last House on the Left. The movie is loaded with sexual violence, and much of it almost feels as though it is real in a very bad way. That said, the movie does need those horrible moments to build the fact that you are wanting the criminals to get the payback they deserve. The lows must be low to make the highs powerful in a film like this. The entire movie is about this storyline, so the plot is all it has. Little time is used to build characters or take side trips to ease tension.
The Last House on the Left is good at what it is. A horror flick that is focused on revenge, and gore. It is uncompromising in it’s portrayal of the ugly side of society, and you will walk away feeling a bit dirty. Oddly enough, however, you will find yourself still feeling satisfied and wondering why. That is the success of The Last House on the Left on the whole. It will make you think and feel about crime and revenge.
Grade: B-
