Review of The Last House on the Left (2009) by Russell G — 24 Oct 2016

With help, a dangerous fugitive escapes into a rural wooded setting. This setting happens to be near a lake where a married couple and their teenage daughter spend their family summer vacations. The daughter takes the family car and goes into the small town to visit an old friend.

In what is surely any parent's nightmare, the daughter does not return and is unreachable on her phone. Indeed, things take a nasty turn when the fugitive and his cohorts cross paths with the teenage girl and her friend.

There is a nice build up and establishing of the characters, for a horror movie. Like most horror flicks, character development is not the primary focus here, but it does not neglect in building characters and fleshing out evil doers that matter to the story.

It is violent and ugly; one scene, in particular, is hard to watch. This represents an unrestrained type evil that is sadly far too common and real. Mid-way through The story dramatically alters direction and becomes more than just a grisly abduction movie.

The band of violent fugitives comes to the house of the concerned parents, acting like lost campers seeking hospitality. This is where this movie has finesse and becomes more suspenseful. The audience knows everything but both sets of charters only know different pieces of the situation.

It is gripping to watch this tense situation unfold. It is a brilliantly unsettling and darkly ironic story. The rural setting and smooth camerawork are better than expected in a movie like this. The acting is not impressive, but it does not feel like the typical moronic horror acting either.

If you can get around one exceptionally violent and disturbing scene, it holds high-level excitement and thrills.