Seriously, people, why all the fuss?

Posted by Movie_Maven

March 18, 2009 |

I have read numerous reviews of the remake of Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left” (2009) and what strikes me as interesting is how, first of all, most of the reviews are quite bad and, secondly, that everyone has to comment on the “uncomfortableness” and “unnecessariness” (yes, I know it’s not a word!) of the rape scene; not to mention the subsequent excessive gore of the revenge aspect of the film. When the original debuted in 1972 (which, in fact, was a remake of Ingmar Bergmen’s “Jungfrukallan” (1960) which I have not as yet seen), it was precisely the rape scene and resulting horror which made it a slice of cinematic (although unpleasant) history. Remember, folks, that the original was banned in both the U.K. and Australia until the early 2000s.

I have seen both versions and, while I prefer the original because of the atmosphere of the movie at the time of its release, I am not put off by the remake. In fact, the remake boasts some very creative uses of the aforementioned gore (something that a gorehound like myself enjoys) and some adequate acting, although the final scene is both stupid and pointless.

The rape scene was neither overly graphic nor especially disturbing (if you want disturbing, rent Gaspar Noe’s “Irreversible“), but it was well-acted; not usually a staple of a horror classic remake.

Some of the casting decisions in this remake were less than inspired. Monica Potter, while beautiful, does not really command the screen and her character was not well-developed; although I suppose that is an unfortunate side-effect of the genre. Equally, Tony Goldwyn (OMG I didn’t even recognize him!! I thought that he was Steven Weber for much of the film) was not that effective. In fact, I wasn’t overly enamored with any of the leads except for Sara Paxton who gave an above-average performance of Mari.

There were some creative liberties taken with this remake which, in my opinion, detracted from the overall impact with which the original was most effective. In particular, ***SPOILER*** that Mari survives; however, the added plot element of the Collingwood’s having recently lost a son provided the impetus for this alteration. And let’s not forget the non-plot use of gratuitous nudity tossed in, apparently, to appease contemporary audiences.

At any rate, the film is one of the best horror remakes I remember having been made in recent years, and that Michael Bay was not associated with it is a plus.

The major complaint I had with my “experience” was that three really stupid and inconsiderate individuals brought their very young children into the theatre, (way to go Harkins Theatre Group for having such a non-restrictive policy which allows very young children into an R-rated movie!!) as well as the rude woman behind me who talked and kicked my seat through the entire film despite my asking her to stop and, subsequently, complaining to the manager. I look forward to being able to view it again on DVD. If that makes me sick and twisted, so be it.