The Last House on the
Left (1972) vs. The Last House on the Left (2009)
Original
Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960), The
Last House On The Left is a parent's worst nightmare come to terrifying life. 17-year-olds
Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head into the city for a rock
concert, but once there, they're kidnapped by three sadistic escaped convicts
led by Krug Stillo (David Hess). After the gang drives the girls into the
woods, where they do unspeakable things, the crew ends up at the home of none
other than Mari's parents, John (Gaylord St. James) and Estelle (Cynthia Carr).
This movie is shocking and hard to watch. Yes, there is gore
but that's not the scene that will get to you. The scene in the woods with the
two girls is the most horrible, shocking and brutal scenes in movies.
This was director, Wes Craven’s first film, and I feel bad
saying this but I’m just not a fan of it.
The Last House on the Left accomplishes what it wants to
accomplish. There is a clear story and the threats in the movie make it a true
horror. Yet, with the over the top violence and brutality does not make it an
enjoyable film.
Remake
Now, even though the first one was created for the purpose
to shock and make you squirm, this one was targeted to a more mainstream
audience.
The important plot points return for the remake, but the
gore and violence are enhanced.
The film feels more of a revenge flick then a straight
horror movie and that’s fine because it works for the most part.
Where it fails miserably is when it takes away the moral
ambiguity that the original film had. The original film had a certain level of
intelligence.
With that said, the remake was a decent and effective addition.
It does deviate from the original a little but in the end it works.
So, which is better?
This is a hard one to call, because I’m not a huge fan of
either one of them. They both deal with sensitive subjects and I feel the
original does it slightly better, even though it’s far from a perfect film.
Yet, the remake was made better and had good performances
and a decent script. It might not be as smart at the original but I found it more engaging.
Remake Wins
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