Review of The Last House on the Left (2009) by Sean C — 07 Aug 2010
The original is considered a defining moment in the horror genre effectively launching director Wes Craven (who after the fuss that greeted his original film said he would never direct another horror flick.
..liar!) and producer Sean S. Cunningham who went on to launch the very lucrative Friday the 13th franchise. The original is a grim uncompromising grubby little flick that juxtaposes the degradation and eventual rape and murder of two young girls by criminals with the attics of two comedy cops.
It jarred badly leaving a very nasty taste in the mouth. So here's the remake a term people get snotty about saying there's no point to them. Well if a story is worth telling it's gonna get told again.
In the case of The Last House on the Left did we really want it telling again? Well to start with this isn't that bad and in parts it actually improves on the original. Gone are those irritating cops for starters and although still violent it doesn't leave you feeling grubby at the end.
The acting is better although some changes in the plot feel like compromises to a template Hollywood feels should be adhered to. Until the criminals arrive at the parent's house this is a nice tight flick after that it becomes sluggish with too contrived a build up.
It was definitely a four star flick till then. I could have done without the microwave moment as much as I like shock value it just didn't sit well with the rest of the content.
This review of The Last House on the Left (2009) was written by Sean C on 07 Aug 2010.
The Last House on the Left has generally received mixed reviews.
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