'The Last House on the Left' review

Tony Goldwyn, Sara Paxton and Monica Potter (Credit: Lacey Terrell/Rogue)

When squeaky clean Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton) and her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac) decide to smoke dope with shy new boy in town Justin (Spencer Treat Clark), all hell breaks loose. Justin's "family" turns out to be a trio of psychopaths (Garret Dillahunt, Riki Lindhome and Aaron Paul) on the run after brutally murdering two cops, and they plan to do the same to Mari and Paige. But there's a sick twist of fate in store after the crazies carry out their crimes: they're stuck in a remote area and forced to take refuge with Mari's parents John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter), who find out what happened and are all too eager to play judge, jury and executioners.

The buzz: Horror legend Wes Craven produced this remake of his 1972 debut film, a gritty exploitation flick that was both condemned and praised by critics in its time (Roger Ebert has gone on record as a fan). Audiences unfamiliar with the original are going to be genuinely shocked by what's in store for them here. The savagery has actually been toned down, and the fates of some characters slightly altered for a "happier" ending, but gorehounds and shock cinema fans can rest assured that "Last House" still goes places most Hollywood films wouldn't dare—complete with torture, rape and exploding heads.

The verdict: Director Dennis Iliadis has crafted an artier alternative to Craven's exploitation grunge, with shots and sequences arguably more thoughtfully composed than the material deserves. His cast also gives their all, especially Dillahunt as the head psycho and Paxton as his most tormented victim. This is pure primal vengeance melodrama—designed for maximum audience catharsis absent the pretentious miserablist drama of "In the Bedroom" or the smug satire of "Funny Games." And for what it is, it's effective. But lost among the bloodlust is any sense of these characters as human beings. For all of Iliadis' praiseworthy artistic steps forward, his film remains as emotionally empty as the one that spawned it.

Did you know? Not to go off on a rant but... No one in Hollywood wants to get a NC-17, so why isn't there a viable adults only movie rating? There's no reason for kids to see a movie like this, with or without parents, and assigning "Last House" the same rating that goes to movies like "Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog Millionaire" is absurd. MPAA, here's something apparently everyone knows but you: your system is broken.

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