“Something he’ll never see again.”
From the very beginning of this film you will notice two very important things, yes, the villainous gang leader is called Krug (Garret Dillahunt), but therein ends the comparison to the striped sweater-wearing bogeyman, Freddy. And while this Krug doesn’t have a wicked set of press-on nails to rend your flesh from bone, his tenacity for evil is chillingly effective.
Real monsters do exist, and they don’t always show up at your door by kicking it in at gunpoint. Fear the hapless soul that seeks your shelter, you good Christian neighbors – for the very soul you seek to save could be a tyrannous sociopath with a cunning charm and ruthless apathy for life.
I noticed that Wes Craven didn’t take any writing credits for this film, so I can’t tear it apart and compare it to his premiere 1972 “based on a true story” cult-classic. Though this comparison is what cost the film the full five stars, to fans of the original, sadly I am speaking about Sadie. In the original her character was so much more interesting and even compelling to a certain degree.
While Riki Lindhome attempted to bring her own nuances to the Sadie sadist character, she lacked a certain je ne sais quoi that I can’t quite put my finger on in this film. Her character and Krug were about the only really interesting roles in the original, so I was watching their modern performances very closely. Little did I know this new Sadie was a Gilmore Girl, or something, and while her character’s propensity for violence is well portrayed immediately, and her eventual mawkish sympathy is displayed, she lacked the certain veracity that I like to see in my favorite characters. In short, if I ran into her on the street, I wouldn’t get a chill, but the original Sadie (Jeramie Rain) – that is another story.
And since this is another telling of the classic, let me give kudos to the writers and producer Wes Craven for making the Justin character sympathetic and earnest. Spencer Treat Clark will be immediately recognizable to you as Lucius from Gladiator. In every scene he delivered a command performance and stole not just a a few of them. Of less note, but sure to please many is Paige (Martha MacIsaac) who pulled her own weight as the “bad-influence” who gets Mari (Sara Paxton) into all the chaos – just like the original.
The best performance of the film will no doubt never receive an Oscar, but should not be lightly overlooked by critics because it is too graphic or too pandering to a certain despicable demographic. The reality of Mari’s character is she understands her situation and fights at every turn to survive, withstanding mental and physical torture not seen in many mainstream films. The most difficult scene to watch is by far the best acted and shot scene in the film, similar to Halle Berry’s gruff scene which warranted her the sword-wielding golden boy.
The special effects in this movie were very effective, punches, kicks, crashes, stabbings, shootings, this film will not disappoint action buffs. You will feel certain scenes in a visceral way that I can’t describe here – you have to see this film, in theaters. There are just too many excellent scenes that won’t be justified on your LCD – regardless of your bank-roll.
You fathers out there, be advised, you will be squirming and hugging your kids tighter after this film – I know I did. It’s been awhile since I was in a good suspense movie where the entire audience was cheering at the death’s of the villains with so much zeal and enthusiasm. Surely, this is a mark of a great piece of fiction that director Dennis Iliadis should feel proud of creating.
This film was not Funny Games nor The Strangers, you know how in every horror movie or suspense thriller you are constantly screaming at the characters in your mind, do this, do that, don’t do that, you dummy. Well, in this film, you won’t say that once, I challenge you to argue with me here. The parents in this movie are not pussies!
The Last House on the Left will leave you wondering, is it revenge if it feels so god damned good!?!
