As we all know, the horror remake has become a genre in its own way. With each remake, we constantly complain that Hollywood is running out of ideas and is turning to the cheap thrills of half assed remakes to get their buck as quickly as they can. Virtually every major horror film of the 1970's and 1980's has already been remade, or is on its way (hello, Hellraiser and A Nightmare On Elm Street!). While there have been some terrible abominations to their originals, the 2009 version of Wes Craven's "The Last House On the Left" is not even close to those, surpassing the others to become the best horror remake to date. While some may say, "that's like being the best video game movie!", I assure you, this is a thriller that thrills, scares, and knows how to get the audience involved with the film.
As is a movie that isn't all that deep itself, and has a basic premise with no major plot twist, I'll keep this review short. I'm not going to be an idiot and say that this is a movie that has deep, thought provoking characters with oodles of development - it's not that kind of film. Dennis Iliadis knows what he has to work with and uses it to his advantage, shooting a riveting thriller that, while showcasing enough blood to drown a small village, is never overdone. "The Last House On the Left" doesn't delve into the easy escape route of the torture porn/unnecessary sex romp that other remakes have (I'm looking at you, Friday the 13th). It's gruesome and bloody when it needs to be, and this is why the audience can enjoy it.
Another detail I really liked about this one was the extreme attention paid to the suspense. At around 2 hours, this one runs pretty long for a horror film, and most of it is the build up to the climactic showdown in the house of which the title speaks. However, there's enough thrills and suspense in this to keep us interested, even though the actual house doesn't play a role until the second half of the movie. I also liked the script from Carl Ellsworth, who again manages to create an entertaining atmosphere, much like he did in Red Eye and Disturbia. Is the guy going to win any Oscars? No, as most of the dialog in his movies is pretty below average, but the guy knows how to write entertaining movies.
I guess the acting here is acceptable, especially for a horror film (oh how I long for a great actor to be in a horror film again...where did the Sigourney Weaver's of the world go?), but it's nothing to write home about. Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn are acceptable as parents acting instinctively to protect their daughter, while Sara Paxton is impressive in a role that will not remind anyone that this is the same girl that did "Aquamarine". As for the villains, again, they are passable, but I really think Josh Brolin would've owned Garrett Dillahunt's role, while Aaron Paul's part would've been perfect for a guy like Ben Foster. What's that? Yes I'm aware that those two would probably never sign on to a movie like this, I'm just having a bit of wishful thinking. Dillahunt's character was well written enough to the point where he didn't need to add anything to make him menacing, but there was a lot of potential there.
All in all, this is one of the better horror films of recent memory (better than pretty much any mainstream 2008 horror film, that's for sure), and in my opinion the best remake of them all. It's not cheap, it's well made, and it's got what looks like a lot of effort in it. I really enjoyed it for what it was, and came out pleasantly surprised.
As is a movie that isn't all that deep itself, and has a basic premise with no major plot twist, I'll keep this review short. I'm not going to be an idiot and say that this is a movie that has deep, thought provoking characters with oodles of development - it's not that kind of film. Dennis Iliadis knows what he has to work with and uses it to his advantage, shooting a riveting thriller that, while showcasing enough blood to drown a small village, is never overdone. "The Last House On the Left" doesn't delve into the easy escape route of the torture porn/unnecessary sex romp that other remakes have (I'm looking at you, Friday the 13th). It's gruesome and bloody when it needs to be, and this is why the audience can enjoy it.
Another detail I really liked about this one was the extreme attention paid to the suspense. At around 2 hours, this one runs pretty long for a horror film, and most of it is the build up to the climactic showdown in the house of which the title speaks. However, there's enough thrills and suspense in this to keep us interested, even though the actual house doesn't play a role until the second half of the movie. I also liked the script from Carl Ellsworth, who again manages to create an entertaining atmosphere, much like he did in Red Eye and Disturbia. Is the guy going to win any Oscars? No, as most of the dialog in his movies is pretty below average, but the guy knows how to write entertaining movies.
I guess the acting here is acceptable, especially for a horror film (oh how I long for a great actor to be in a horror film again...where did the Sigourney Weaver's of the world go?), but it's nothing to write home about. Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn are acceptable as parents acting instinctively to protect their daughter, while Sara Paxton is impressive in a role that will not remind anyone that this is the same girl that did "Aquamarine". As for the villains, again, they are passable, but I really think Josh Brolin would've owned Garrett Dillahunt's role, while Aaron Paul's part would've been perfect for a guy like Ben Foster. What's that? Yes I'm aware that those two would probably never sign on to a movie like this, I'm just having a bit of wishful thinking. Dillahunt's character was well written enough to the point where he didn't need to add anything to make him menacing, but there was a lot of potential there.
All in all, this is one of the better horror films of recent memory (better than pretty much any mainstream 2008 horror film, that's for sure), and in my opinion the best remake of them all. It's not cheap, it's well made, and it's got what looks like a lot of effort in it. I really enjoyed it for what it was, and came out pleasantly surprised.