Maison D'Etre (The Last House On The Left (DVD))

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	The Last House On The Left (DVD)
Date:	27/08/09 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Violent, gritty and well-paced

Disadvantages: Still doesn't get underneath the concept and fails to convince

A review of just the film, this is the 2009 remake of the 1972 Wes Craven horror 'classic'. The region 2 DVD is due to be released on October 19th and is an extended version compared to the cinematic release.

Emma and John take a trip to their country retreat for a family vacation. On the first night, teenager Mari asks permission to visit her friend Paige in the city and, reluctantly, her mother hands over the car keys and tells her to have fun. In the store where Mari's friend Paige works, they hook up with a dubious-looking teenager named Justin and are lured back to a motel room on the promise of some seriously good weed. Justin comes good on his promise, but their fun is soon interrupted by the arrival of Justin's father, uncle and father's girlfriend. It suddenly becomes very clear to Mari and Paige that they're in serious danger, but nobody in the room has any idea of just how brutal things are about to get....

Wes Craven's violent 1972 shocker has long been considered as one of the nastiest of the infamous video nasties. In truth, the actual production is an enormous disappointment. The claims of nastiness are grossly exaggerated and whilst the subject matter is unquestionably unpleasant, the delivery is generally dull and occasionally downright stupid. Such is the way of modern cinema that thirty-seven years after the film was first released, a remake was almost inevitable and it was left to debut director Denis Iliadis to re-interpret the tale for a modern audience.

In its own right, Last House now has enough conviction to stand on its own as a competent thriller. Iliadis brews a nasty, foreboding and often unsettling atmosphere that's a good barometer for what is to come. The film almost certainly works better for anyone who has no prior knowledge of the original version, partly because the narrative essentially sticks to the same series of events. As such, the film's key shocks really only work for those who don't know they're coming, although the curiosity of seeing if anything new is coming might inspire die-hard fans. Screenwriters Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth have made a few subtle changes (and possibly one or two fundamental ones) but the story still basically plays out as a nasty little cautionary tale about the dangers of fraternising with strangers.

Unlike some of the other recent remakes such as Friday the 13th or My Bloody Valentine, the studio has opted not to try and go for something glossier and more polished with this version of Last House. The film still retains a grimy, distasteful finish to it, which arguably complements the subject matter better than a big budget makeover. Crucially, the cast is freed from the unnecessary complication of having recognisable names and faces to appeal to the younger demographic, and Iliadis focuses instead on making a brutal and tense horror thriller. In terms of horror, this is one of those productions that revolve around a small number of key, very nasty moments rather than a relentless barrage of bloodshed and gore. Other reviewers have gone as far as to say that they thought the violence was quite tame. This is a strange observation to make when you consider that there's a very graphic stabbing, multiple shootings, a strangulation, some mutilation and a (slightly bizarre) closing scene that really doesn't spare the grue. The decision to round off the film with such a climax (no spoilers here) is questionable at best. A dream sequence from the original film featuring a chisel and someone's teeth is often considered the most memorable moment in the 1972 version and it's hard not to think that the 2009 climax is this version's 'teeth and chisel' moment. It's quite satisfying but daft in comparison to the rest of the film, whichever way you look at it.

But it's not just the physical violence that makes Last House something of an ordeal; it's primarily the sexual violence. Just like the first film, the central narrative involves a harrowing and graphic rape that seems to last for far longer than it needs to. Clearly, it is the writers' intention to really make the audience hate the perpetrator of such a crime, but I'm quite sure that any female audience members would really struggle with this part of the film. Iliadis really over-eggs the cake here, in fairness, and such a graphic depiction of the act starts just to feel like attention seeking. It's a relief for those on screen and those in front of it when he finally calls it to a halt. Iliadis's directorial style is not exactly subtle throughout. He lacks the scope and imagination to do interesting things and just decides to hit everything like a sledgehammer, which sometimes works and sometimes fails. There's a curious scene near the beginning where Iladis's camera snakes its way towards the family's boathouse and then veers around it at the last moment as though the director chickened out of doing something more interesting. There are a number of moments in the film that feel like this.

Sadly, rather like the original, the writers here just don't seem to be able to decide what the point of Last House on the Left actually is. The original was actually a re-make itself, taking a typically obscure Ingmar Bergman picture and beefing up what was an absolute tale of crime and retribution. Those themes run just as strongly here as ever, but again, crucially, the writing just doesn't seem to make a point. The villains are completely one-dimensional, bad to the core for no other reason than they need to be and it starts to feel a little lost, not unlike Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. The trouble with such reprehensible characters is that, after a time, they can become caricatures with no substance. We don't really understand WHY they decide to behave this way, nor, for example, why the only female in the crew is able and willing to watch her partner rape another woman. There was an opportunity here to add something that was sorely missing from the original, but instead, the void is left equally empty. The same mistakes are made with Mari's parents, who swing from being instinctive to manipulative. In fairness, in a shift from the original narrative, the couple find themselves faced with a more pressing dilemma here, which does, at least, add a certain priority to their actions but they remain a little unconvincing.

There are solid performances all round, notably from teenager Sara Paxton, with an emotionally demanding role brought about by the terrible things she must be seen to endure. Best friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac) is a little less sympathetic but MacIsaac is equally convincing. Parents Emma and John (Monica Potter and Tony Goldywn respectively) are competent enough, just about coping with the shift in emotions, even if Potter is perhaps a little wishy-washy. Garret Dillaunt is scarily convincing as bad guy Krug, a quiet, monstrous brew of violence and repressed sexuality, although he is a little superficial when all is said and done. Girlfiend Sadie (Riki Lindhorne) is sneerily appropriate and as Krug's son Justin, Spencer Treat Clark offsets the inherent brutality perfectly.

When it's good, Last House is really good, with sporadic moments of terrifying brutality and, particularly for those new to the tale, it still heftily wields the narrative twists. But it remains a very unconvincing revenge tale. The audience just doesn't understand enough about the perpetrators to really fear them and by the time the final credits have rolled, it all starts to become a bit pantomime. Crucially, it's definitely better than the original, but it still doesn't quite tick all the necessary boxes for the perfect retribution tale.

Summary: You never know.....