Hmm. I liked it, I liked it a lot at some points as well. But ever since I left the theatre it's kept going down in my mind. It's honestly not a badly made movie, everything is handled, imo, impeccably, but there was something lacking from it. You know when you drive your car in the snow, and it kinda jilts and slides, then you let go of the peddle and it's back on course, then it repeats itself till your home. Thats what the movie felt like at times, back and forth. But I digress. The movie itself is pretty entertaining. The rape scene is done.so.well. So well that a couple left the theatre right after. You could sense the authenticity of it, it's an awkward scene, it's a tense and gripping scene as well. Sarah Paxton was excellent. I used to hate this broad but she grew some balls for this role. Well done. The last half of the movie, were all hell breaks loose was pretty kick ass and the last scene was well done. I don't know if it was better or worse than the original, but it was much more serious. Overall I liked it, but this is not a movie for everyone. B

as good as mainstream, "safe" horror (aka a not too remarkable concept) gets nowadays. Really well-filmed, pretty well-acted (they could've done a much better job on the villains, but overall the acting rarely ruins the scares), and quite bad-ass towards the end. Nothing special, I would've done a few things differently myself, but if it's this or The Unbornvited, this is probably the way to go.

B

A good suspense film, it exceeded my expectations. The cast is its strong suit. Garret Dillahunt and Sara Paxton shine the brightest. He is unforgettable as the film's primary antagonist -- every glance, every movement, every syllable, overflowing with menace and sleaze. And she gives a dedicated, haunting performance as a teenager who is pushed to the edge -- kicked and punched, raped, shot -- and must fight for survival. It's hard to believe she, only a few years ago, was starring as a cheerful mermaid in Aquamarine.

This is an auspicious English language debut for international director Dennis Iliadis. The material, to be blunt, isn't great, but he's cast it perfectly and stages the emotional, blood-and-guts-splattered setpieces with aplomb, notably a six-person brawl inside the confines of an SUV. It's fast, it's intimate, and it's nasty.

The film's major misstep comes late in the third act: in a scene heavily featured in the trailer and TV spots, revenge-minded father Tony Goldwyn paralyzes villainous Garret Dillahunt and places his head in a microwave. It proceeds to explode, roll credits. Though it's always nice to end with a jolt, this scene should have been left on the cutting room floor. Every other murder the parents (Goldwyn and Monica Potter) commit could be seen as self-defense, however brutal, but here they enter super-sadistic, Jigsaw-esque territory. How will they explain this inventive slaying to the police? Also, aren't modern microwaves designed to not function when the door is open?

Otherwise, satisfying and definitely recommended.

B+

I really kind of loved it.

It's sort of ridiculously unfair to compare this to the original, isn't it? I mean, it pretty much utterly and thoroughly exposes it as the total piece of shit we all know it is.

I doubt it will happen, but I hope this marks a seismic shift in the American horror landscape. I think Dennis Iliadis really shows what is capable - formally, structurally, tonally - in a horror film, and every other filmmaker that has attempted to make an American horror picture anytime in the last ten years or so should really be embarrassed. It's a dressing down of sorts, a scolding directed at the limp-wristed, artistically bankrupt modern horror movie. It takes significant vision and talent to expose the poetry and lyricism and humanism in sheer brutality, but every truly great horror movie does it, including this one. This is a deeply affecting experience, marked evenly with stunning beauty and harrowing ugliness. It's a formal marvel, filled with abstract compositions and tension-wringing set pieces, and it's edited like a dream. I loved it.

Also, to comment on the (ridiculously) controversial coda, I think it may be slightly tonally out of place, but it's so marvelously executed that it hardly matters.

****

makeshift and I agree! I am happy!

Watched it tonight and LOVED it. I need to write down my thoughts, but it's the best horror movie I've seen all year. Granted, it's still early, but this puts MY BLOODY VALENTINE and especially FRIDAY THE 13TH to shame!

Fackin' awesome.

BKB probably shouldn't see this, though. The rape scene is actually pretty brutal in this.

It seems the people who really appreciate Aja's The Hills Have Eyes got this as well.

wow...sort of shocked at the support. I will try to get to this, with my friend that loves horror flicks, because of all the love here. Personally I thought the plot was ridiculous and trailer good but nothing that made me really want to see it (I normally don't like horror flicks, despite my enjoyment of F13).

I also really enjoyed this, a solid B+.

It had wonderfully solid cast with no weak links, everyone ranged from solid to great with Paxton being kind of the standout in my eyes. I mean, I never thought she had something like this in her. Like others said already, the lack of ADD editing and the slow-burn of the first third really got you involved in the proceedings so the whole rape/murder sequence did exactly what it should have done without feeling like it was glorifying any of it or glossing over to shy away from the horror of what was happening.

The tension in the sequence where the parents were tending to the people who had just attacked/raped/"murdered" their daughter was top notch. Justin's reaction at seeing Mari's picture on the fridge was great and the entire extended first kill of the uncle was crazy. The very end with the microwave did seem a little out of place but it didn't ruin anything for me and didn't bother me in any way.

I'm definitely getting this on DVD.

I could not have said it better myself. I agree 100%. I even hate to do a review now because everything I'd have wanted to say you've already said better. I was so impressed by how well-done this film was.

I can't say I read your reviews frequently, but just fyi, I will now go watch this movie simply due to your praise. I fully expect to dissagree with your opinion, at least somewhat, but this is an excellent review, and has made me want to watch the movie, which is the point of a praising review, so kudos.

I actually thought it was a really great horror flick. The acting was top notch and there were a couple really disturbing scenes (the rape scene and the whole nose thing).

8/10 (A-)

Alright, I managed to write a review for it. I didn't know if I'd get through one since the longer I wait after seeing a movie to write one the less I seem to know what to say. After seeing the movie I had so many things running through my head that I wanted to say but since I didn't write it right away when I got home I found myself having forgotten most by the next day.

People here have already said a lot of what I wanted to say better than I could have. But here's my review anyway.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009)

After being disappointed by this year's "My Bloody Valentine" and "Friday The 13th," it was refreshing seeing a horror film (though I'd almost call this more of a thriller than a horror film - but it easily could fit into either category) that delivered anything and everything you could want from one. While I expected this to be good, I was not expecting it to be so on the level it was.

"The Last House on the Left" is another in a seemingly endless string of remakes/re-imaginings. The original, released in 1972, was cheap, exploitive trash. And before seeing this version I'd have defended the original. I'd actually liked it, however deeply flawed it was. It was disturbing and despite having a ridiculously slapstick subplot involving two bumbling cops and awful, out-of-place music, it worked. There was definitely room for improvement though, so I welcomed a remake. I just wasn't sure how they were going to do one. I mean, the original was pretty sick and hardcore, and there's no way they could get away with releasing a mainstream horror film with some of the content in that film. And then casting someone like Sara Paxton (Aquamarine, Sydney White) only seemed to confirm my suspicions. There just seemed to be no way she would be down for the viciousness that this story required if it were to be a faithful remake. It almost seemed like you'd have to get complete unknowns who would be willing to go all out for their roles. Imagine my surprise that this stayed pretty faithful to the basic storyline of the original, while adding some surprisingly effective changes. There were a decent number of moments where I was thinking, "Wow, I love that they added this. This is a really nice touch."

The "big scene" is not quite as "out there" as the original in terms of its brutality, but they still managed to keep it effectively nasty with their "less is more" approach. I was surprised they showed as much as they did. Those who haven't seen the original may be surprised to know that this scene was actually worse in it, but believe me, this was shockingly tasteful. Yes, I'm calling a rape scene tasteful. Don't get me wrong, it's still incredibly disturbing, but it's done so well (all while keeping the gritty realism of it), especially the aftermath of it. Director Dennis Iliadis is able to convey the beauty in the ugliness of it all, which is quite a feat. I cannot stress how impressed I was with the directing. In different hands this could have been just another lazy, monotonous horror movie. Or if it had been done by someone like Rob Zombie it would have been more disgusting and exploitive than the original. But I was continuously awed by the rather inspired filmmaking on display here. You don't really expect it from a movie like this. I loved the nice, leisurely paced set-up. This is just a really well-done mainstream genre film.

The acting is really solid for a movie like this. Granted, I really shouldn't say that because there have been some great performances in horror films. The caliber of acting displayed in them has gotten increasingly better, for the most part. But compared to "My Bloody Valentine," "Friday The 13th," the "Saw" movies, and most of the other teeny-bopper horror flicks released, the acting here was impressive. I couldn't believe the game performance by Sara Paxton. I underestimated her. I will definitely look at her with new eyes after this movie. There really wasn't a weak link here.

The thrilling, very satisfying third act should please audiences who make it through to it. I was afraid people were going to walk out after the rape scene, but nobody did. As tastefully done as it is, that doesn't make it any less uncomfortable to watch. I could actually hear gasps in the audience.

This is a very adult, very crowd-pleasing horror-thriller. It's also a much better parental revenge thriller than this year's surprise Box Office sensation "Taken." As it stands, it's the best horror film I've seen this year, as well as the best horror remake I've seen since 2003's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." This really puts the original to shame. Everything here is done so much better. Gone is the goofiness that plagued the original. This one takes itself seriously, as a story like this should be taken. You're really better off pretending the original doesn't exist and just seeing this one. Now, seeing both for comparison isn't a bad idea, but if you're only going to sit through one then it should be this one. I'd hate for someone to see the original first and then not want to see this far-superior version because they hated the other one so much.

Horror fans should support this one if they are sick of the watered-down, teeny-bopper horror movies that seem to pollute multiplexes. I'd even recommend this to people who usually can't stand horror movies but like a good thriller. This isn't your typical, idiotic horror film. "The Last House on the Left" is the real deal.

Grade: 9/10 (A-)

good review Mike, anticipating this even more than before.

Thanks. Do you think you'll like it though? Don't get me wrong, I want you to see it, but it's not the most pleasant movie. Stuff like Friday The 13th is easier to take than this.

Still, don't let me talk you out of seeing it. It's a great horror-thriller. Just know what to expect.

Unpleasantness has never been a problem for me with movies, the only thing I dislike is stupidity. The reason I have largely avoided horror in the past is because, from my limited experience, horror films were only good if they made you scared, and frankly I don't love being scared, otherwise they were terrible films. Now I kinda do like being scared, sometimes, and if this is a decent film besides it, which it sounds like, than I will probably enjoy it.
If it's a quality piece of film I will like it, regardless of pleasantness or genre.

Well, it's not scary .

everyone knows my dislike for most horror films but this one surprised me. Everything was very well done except the end with the microwave. That was stupid.

B-

Wow, umm....wow.
Yeah, it's pretty hard to form a coherent sentence after this movie.
Just got back and I'm pretty blown away.
First let me give credit to mike and makeshift, convincing me to see a film that I wouldn't normally have any interest is not an easy thing to do.
Secondly, thank you to both of you.
I won't comment too much on the movie, if you want in depth analysis just looks to mike and makeshift's reviews, I agree with most of their comments.
Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth deserve serious props for crafting a spooky, thought invoking, dark, intense and most of all brutal script that tells a story incredibly well. The dialogue is pretty mediocre for the most part, Krug gets enough lines and their good, but the rest simply don't say enough, I feel like these characters would be talking and they're not. Also the characters are not perfectly crafted, well crafted, but not extremely well. Compared to any "horror movie" they are brilliant, but I don't really consider this a "horror" flick. If anything, I would call this a drama. A horrifying, thrilling, action fueled drama, but still, I think that is the most fitting category. It focuses more on the gruesome and actions of these horrible people than on the horror of the events. Also, it tells you these are people, no matter how insane or bizarre they may be, they are people. And that thought is both disgusting and engrossing. This is all perfectly displayed by Dennis Illadis who does a brilliant job of pulling this all together.
All in all, I only kind of liked it. It's disturbing and disgusting and horrible to watch. But it is also very well down and leads to some fascinating thoughts. Also, at first I didn't like the ending, but it definitely grew on me. At first I felt like the whole movie was about self-defense and the ending compromised that idea. However I realized that it is more about compassion, and the horrible lengths that love can drive us to. There was more I was thinking but I can't wrap my head around it right now. May add more tomorrow, if it comes to me.
8.5/10

Glad you liked it. Especially since it's not your kind of movie.

strictly speaking I don't have a kind of movie, but yeah, it's not something I would normally like. It deserves the praise though, a great film all through, I'm glad you convinced me to see it.

You think the first one is shit?

Wow, I'm shocked.

I think the first one is one of the most effective horror films ever made.