Though often cited as one of the defining films of contemporary horror, Wes craven's 1972 original The Last House on the Left was by no means an accomplished piece of filmmaking. It was cheap, gritty, amateurish and tonally speaking it was all over the place. It nevertheless had an immense impact due to its defiantly violent and wholly unpleasant content. The rape and murder of teenage girls in a piece of entertainment raises questions today, it is no wonder this was so shocking in the altogether more conservative times of over three decades ago.

This version of the tale is an altogether slicker affair which despite being a far more accomplished film than its predecessor in nearly every concievable way is somehow less effective for it. The direction is solid and displays some interesting moments with some interesting underwater shots and an extremely distinctive and pleasing visual style. The isolated house and its forested surrounding look gorgeous and the visuals are ably supported by an effectively understated score. Filling this landscape are a cast of characters who are, but for one slightly pointless exception, clearly divided into the 'good' and, not so much 'bad' as 'bafflingly muderous'. These characters are inhabited by a great ensembe cast, most of whom are given lots to sink their teeth into. Dillahunt in particular gives a stand out performance as the villainous Krug, the leader of the merry band of criminals who meet their comeuppance. Sara Paxton also delivers a convincing and vulnerable performance in the difficult role of teen rape victim, Mari.

The story follows the original very closely but for a few small but ideologically important points. Whereas in the original, Mari's father attacked Krug and his band entirely motivated by revenge, here defence and escape are the primary incenticves. Although this does make the violence that our heroes inflict easier to reconcile with our sympathies for them, it also radically tones down the impact of the whole film and completely blunts the underlying theme. That is really the heart of the problem with this film. It is just irrelevant.

The original pushed boundaries with its graphic depiction of casual rape and murder. This film does depict those same repugnant crimes and while they have lost none of their vileness, they have lost alot of their shock value. It simply is not shocking to see these horrific actions shown in films anymore, it is always unpleasant and uncomfortable viewing but this sort of thing is seen in mainstream television these days. While this may very well be a sad indictment of the de-sensitised times we live in this simple fact renders the film so unnecessary that it feels like staying until the end credits is merely a courtesy to the hard work put in by all concerned.

Rating: 6/10

Review By Matt Compton