The Last House on the Left

2009 Horror

A pair of teenage girls are brutally raped and terrorized by a vicious gang of psychopaths, who subsequently find their cruelty returned tenfold when they seek sanctuary in the home of one of the victim's parents in this contemporary reworking of Wes Craven's controversial 1972 shocker. Shortly after arriving at her family's secluded lake house, Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton) and her best friend are abducted by a sadistic prison escapee and his violent crew. Left for dead and nearly in shock after suffering unspeakable abuse at the hands of her captors, Mari realizes that her only hope for survival is to find her way back home. Unfortunately for Mari, her attackers have unwittingly arrived at her parents' home seeking shelter from the authorities. There, Mari's concerned parents, John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter), realize to their horror just what grim fate has befallen their beloved daughter. Suppressing their rage in order to lure the killers into a deadly trap, John and Emma quietly hatch a plan to make the three strangers suffer for their grisly transgressions. more..

Director: Dennis Iliadis

Starring: Sara Paxton,Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Martha MacIsaac

 30 Reviews  3 Awards

Reviews

  • The remake of The Last House on the Left breaks the template, taking the 1972 original into an interesting new direction, with bold camera angles, good actors and a script that heaps on just as much character development as carnage.

    Peter Hartlaub - The San Francisco Chronicle

    27 April 2013

  • Hinges on humiliation and vengeance, which makes it like most other modern horror titles. Its focus on sexual assault, however, puts it in a different, more primal league.

    Michael Phillips - The Chicago Tribune

    27 April 2013

  • A warning: One scene in the middle is almost outrageously cruel and graphic. If you're the type of person who has to be reminded, "It's only a movie," stay away. This is the most depraved and dreadful piece of screen horror since last year's "Funny Games."

    Kyle Smith - New York Post

    27 April 2013

  • Adheres sufficiently closely to the original template so as not to offend purists and manages to pack an intensely visceral punch of its own, most effectively in the extended setup.

    Michael Rechtshaffen - The Hollywood Reporter

    27 April 2013

  • Like the current hit "Taken," Last House 2009 packs a vicarious jolt that might feel cathartic to certain moviegoers.

    Wesley Morris - The Boston Globe

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Horror Film

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2010)

     

  • Best Director

    Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film (2009)

  • Best Actor

    Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (2010)

     

Lists

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