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As an extra little bonus for the month of September, the fine folks at Bloody-Disgusting have agreed to take a look at the recent horror remake Last House on the Left. The movie has generated significant buzz this summer -- the original is a cult favorite, and some are calling this "One of the best horror remakes ever made" (Scott Weinberg, Fearnet.com). Below, Tim Anderson conveys his thoughts on the film. Read on, and be sure to pick up your copy on DVD or Blu-ray, or watch it here on Video On Demand. --Tim
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In Hollywood's never-ending quest to strip mine its back catalog of "name recognition" films for the new millennium popcorn gallery, I'm never terribly shocked to see yet another past success get greenlit for the old remake wagon.But, when I heard that legendary director Wes Craven's (A Nightmare on Elm St.) grindhouse cult classic Last House on the Left was coming up for replication, I had to--in much the same way as the original films marketing--keep reminding myself that "it's only a movie".
Truth be told, the 2009 incarnation of Last House on the Left is really just another in a long series of productions of this tale.The first cinematic manifestation came to us in 1960 courtesy of Swedish master Ingmar Bergman's Oscar winning feature The Virgin Spring.But even that wasn't the beginning.Bergman based his film on the original fable--of the tragedy that befalls a beautiful girl in the woods and the subsequent revenge taken upon the brutes who raped her and left her for dead, by the girls parents--on a 13th century Swedish ballad.Craven and Producer Sean Cunningham (Friday the 13th) remade Bergman's film in 1972 ramping up the violence and nihilism as a metaphor for the lost innocence of the 60's.Even just a few years ago Director David DeFalco attempted his own homage to the story with his production Chaos.
So, after several versions the question really becomes could filmmaker Dennis Illiadis bring anything new to the table.Well....that answer is decidedly mixed, but the result is nonetheless impressive.By all accounts, Last House of the Left is an intense and impressive film marking one of the better remakes of the last few years and a likely contender to be amongst the top 10 best horror films of 2009.
In keeping with the original tale, the film follows the tragic rape of Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton).Shot and left for dead, the killers led by Krug (Deadwood's Garrett Dillahunt), wind up taking refuge for the night at the home of Mari's parents (played by Tony Goldwyn & Monica Potter).When a bloody and beaten Mari makes her way back home, the parents piece together that the killers are only a few feet away sleeping off the storm in the guest house.From that point, it's all out war as Goldwyn and Potter exact bloody revenge on those who tried to murder their only daughter.
Last House on the Left is a morality tale that asks the simple question what would you do if your entire life was sent spinning off its axis.How far would you go to protect the ones you love and would that make you as evil as those that tried to take your family away from you?
The beauty of this film--like it predecessors, and right up to a minute before the wildly inappropriate final scene--is that it never answers that question.It revels in ambiguity.It doesn't ask you to identify with the parents and it doesn't ask you to empathize with the killers.It has redeeming and not so redeeming moments a plenty.It would be a stretch to say--with a money-grab 2009 remake--that the studio was aiming for moral ambiguity.But the fact of the matter is the filmmakers more or less delivered it with the same respect as Craven and Bergman did.And by keeping that level of disconnect intact, I think the film not only succeeds as an intense thriller but also as an interesting social commentary.When was the last time you could say that about a nasty bloody and visceral horror film?
The DVD and Blu-ray arrives with a gorgeous transfer and a stellar 5.1 surround mix.Pay attention people because this is a film that is dark, and rain soaked -- taking place in the silhouettes and moonlight, bathed in blankets of foggy atmosphere.It's a nightmare world of shadows and the Blu-ray transfer envelops the screen in that inky blackness dragging the viewer kicking and screaming into the netherworld.To further expand on the film's viewing experience the DVD and Blu-ray both contain a collection of deleted scenes, totaling just under 9 minutes of excised footage--including extended moments in the store with Paxton and co-star Martha MacIsaac and a different take of the films tonally bizarre final shot.The disc is rounded out with a two and a half minute EPK style collection of interviews with the main cast and crew about the making of the film.
In a day when we are inundated with a nonstop barrage of remakes and reimaginings that are uninspired at best and insipid at worst, it's quite a coup that a group of filmmakers would consider taking on a film that most people would admit to seeing but very few would admit to loving, and giving that film--warts and all--a reverent (to a point) remake that doesn't really pull any punches in the pain department.It's hard to say that one version is better than, or more tasteful than, any other when the main subject of your film is rape/revenge.But with that said, the original is considered to be one the kings of the 1970's exploitation film craze.The remake however hardly ever feels exploitative and for that, and its daring ability to keep the crux of the story intact, I would call it a rousing success.
-Tim Anderson, Bloody-Disgusting.com
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