It doesn't bother me when new directors update a classic--or not-so-classic--horror movie, but what does bother me is when they sacrifice novel ideas and character progress for a cinematic cash-cow or perhaps a timely release date. Such was the case of a recent remake of the dusty Friday the 13th franchise, which did little to enhance the cult following of the movie's villain, in the midst of a convenient Friday the 13th premiere. Fortunately, this year's second consecutive Friday the 13th offered something much more acceptable, and it too, was another Hollywood remake.Director Dennis Iliadis borrowed the bulk of Wes Craven's scandalous 1972 horror feature The Last House on the Left, which he also scripted, but plot aside, Iliadis' rehatch is visually advanced, and it arouses more emotion than most other films in its class. John & Emma Collingwood (played copacetically by Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter) are the well-off parents of swimming prodigy Mari (played by TV and teen movie beauty Sara Paxton), all of whom leave the city to vacation at their gracious lake house, a year after the death of their son. Soon after their arrival, Mari strands her folks at the house and borrows the vehicle to visit friend Paige (Superbad's Martha MacIsaac) in town.
Paige freely flaunts with havoc, as it seems, and gets the pair entwined with a group of savage felons. Television vet Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood, ER) leads the pack as Krug, who's son Justin (Unbreakable's Spencer Treat Clark) innocently travels with the trio (also made up of Aaron Paul and Riki Lindhome), but refuses to conform. They kill off Paige and leave Mari to die, and then happen to take refuge at the Collingwood's lakeside residence. When a barely-alive Mari finds her way home and her parents realize that their sinister house guests are responsible for their daughter's rape and indignities, they seek merciless vengeance.
The Last House on the Left evokes various sentiments in its 110 minutes, from absolute revulsion during a rape scene, to utter rapture when the Collingwood's redefine vigilante justice. And that's all we can ask from a film, to stimulate our emotions and keep us awake for the ride...to remind us why we go to the movies in the first place. Now don't get me wrong, a classic this movie is not, but it is clear that this revamp is superior to its 37-year-old master, and one that had me begging for more bloody retribution than ever before!
3/5 stars
Emil Tiedemann
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