Apart from enjoying time off, there are certain times when it would be nice to be on vacation if for no other reason than to be excused from reviewing a particular film. That time would be now.
But no, I was stuck in a darkened theater watching a remake of Wes Craven’s “The Last House on the Left,” now directed by Greek filmmaker Dennis Iliadis. Not being a devoted fan of horror films, I have never seen the Wes Craven original, and this latest version, graphically brutal and grisly, leaves me with no burning desire to catch up with what I missed.
From the very outset, and as a warning to parents, it must be noted that “The Last House on the Left” is so over-the-top violent, brutal and gruesome in its depiction of sadistic behavior that it has to be one of the most repugnant films of recent times. However, I say this without having seen any of the “Saw” films, which I imagine were also hideous and ghastly. I am not sure why there is such a market for this type of horror, but the only possible saving grace is that vengeance is usually exacted upon the perpetrators of evil, leading to some sort of redemption.
The film begins with the Collingwood family going on vacation to their remote lakeside summer home. John (Tony Goldwyn), a surgeon, and his wife Emma (Monica Potter), joined by teen daughter Mari (Sara Paxton), are still getting over the loss of their son from the year before. Shortly after arriving at the lake, Mari decides to go out for the evening with her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac). The girls meet a rather shy young man, Justin (Spencer Treat Clark), who invites them to a motel room to smoke a few joints.
Their pleasant fun is soon interrupted by the arrival of Justin’s malicious father, Krug (Garret Dillahunt), his Uncle (Aaron Paul), and his father’s girlfriend Sadie (Riki Lindhome). One of them is an escaped convict and they are all wanted for murder. The girls are seen as posing a risk, and so they are kidnapped for a ride into the woods. Both girls are brutally assaulted. Mari is victimized by a rape so violent and atrocious that it is extremely painful to watch. This is shock cinema at its worst, resulting in brutality so extreme that it seriously offends good sense.
The upshot is that the badly battered and sodomized Mari is left for dead in the forest, while the malefactors seek shelter from the stormy weather. Being in the middle of nowhere, this leads them to the Collingwood lakeside home, where John and Emma, obviously unaware of what has transpired, invite them to take refuge in the guest house.
For a time, there’s a decent buildup of tension, knowing the hosts and the visitors are unaware of each other’s relationship to Mari. Though I won’t reveal the details, the film veers off into the revenge thriller when John and Emma become alert to the vicious thugs in their midst and decide to fight back for vengeance.
“The Last House on the Left” is full of sadistic, grisly violence, especially the heinous and seemingly endless rape scene. It’s a form of torture having to sit through this mess. I can’t fathom any good reason to see this gruesome horror film and can only suggest that “The Last House on the Left” should be condemned.
Had it not been for a prior commitment, I would have been able to attend the screening of “Race to Witch Mountain,” affording the opportunity to write about something undoubtedly better and far less traumatizing.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
As a contrast to this week’s movie review, I want to tell you about the DVD release of “Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest,” a family entertainment of brilliant animation realized by acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Ocelot.
The fairytale story involves two children who grew up together.
Azur, the blue-eyed son of a nobleman, and Amar, the dark-eyed child of a nurse, listened to enchanting stories, but their favorite was about a beautiful fairy waiting to be released from captivity by a good and heroic prince.
The two boys are as close as brothers, until the day Azur’s father cruelly separates them, banishing Asmar from his home and sending Azur away to private school. Years later, Azur and Asmar are reunited, but as grown-ups they become rivals in the quest to rescue a beautiful fairy princess.
“Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest” is a magical story that is made even more enchanting about the superior quality of its colorful animation.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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