Having not been a big fan of the original Wes Craven film I had mixed expectations about this modern day remake The Last House On The Left (2009). The original film written and directed by Craven is a cult classic more because of the taboos it broke when originally released especially in terms of the rape and murder brought upon to the main characters. It is a film more remembered for its exploitation aspects and the fact that it is Craven’s first major motion picture then it is for actually being a good film.
The new film written by Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth and directed by Dennis Iliadis couldn’t rely on breaking cinematic taboos or violent carnage because its all been seen and done before (just take a look at what the French have been releasing over the last few years with Inside, High Tension, and Frontiers). The new film expands on the original story while also relying mostly on mood, suspense, and very good performances by the entire cast.
Craven, who produces the remake, has made it a career with polished horror films for the main stream audience from the Scream franchise to the more recent Red Eye and The Hills Have Eyes remake (and its sequel) and that same aesthetic is on display here. This film has none of the low budget trappings of Craven’s earlier films but is refined and has a few name actors with Monica Potter (of Along Came A Spider and television’s Boston Legal) and Tony Goldwyn (of Ghost, Kuffs, and for you horror film-fans Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives), to name a few.
I could go into detail about the plot of the film but when it comes to remakes the plot never really changes from the original and I don’t like to sound like a broken record but I will say that this film, as directed by Iliadis, is more suspenseful and exciting then the Craven original and actually makes for a better cinematic film. Unlike the Craven film (which isn’t really a film for everyone), this newer version is a film that most audiences can enjoy in the same guilty pleasure as Craven’s more recent Scream franchise or films like Saw, Hostel, or Halloween (2008).
The new film written by Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth and directed by Dennis Iliadis couldn’t rely on breaking cinematic taboos or violent carnage because its all been seen and done before (just take a look at what the French have been releasing over the last few years with Inside, High Tension, and Frontiers). The new film expands on the original story while also relying mostly on mood, suspense, and very good performances by the entire cast.
Craven, who produces the remake, has made it a career with polished horror films for the main stream audience from the Scream franchise to the more recent Red Eye and The Hills Have Eyes remake (and its sequel) and that same aesthetic is on display here. This film has none of the low budget trappings of Craven’s earlier films but is refined and has a few name actors with Monica Potter (of Along Came A Spider and television’s Boston Legal) and Tony Goldwyn (of Ghost, Kuffs, and for you horror film-fans Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives), to name a few.
I could go into detail about the plot of the film but when it comes to remakes the plot never really changes from the original and I don’t like to sound like a broken record but I will say that this film, as directed by Iliadis, is more suspenseful and exciting then the Craven original and actually makes for a better cinematic film. Unlike the Craven film (which isn’t really a film for everyone), this newer version is a film that most audiences can enjoy in the same guilty pleasure as Craven’s more recent Scream franchise or films like Saw, Hostel, or Halloween (2008).
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