Monica Potter Movie:

		List Price: $39.98		Label: Universal Studios Salesrank: 3581 Released: August 18, 2009
		Our Price: $13.94
		Used Price: $11.99
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Renowned horror director Wes Craven returns to the scene of the most notorious thrillers of all time in this darkly disturbing reimagining of The Last House on the Left. After kidnapping and ruthlessly assaulting two teen girls, a sadistic killer and his gang unknowingly find shelter from a storm at the home of one of the victim's parents-- two ordinary people who will go to increasingly gruesome extremes to get revenge. Loaded with shocking twists guaranteed to leave you on edge, it's the ominous film critics call, "One of the best horror remakes ever made" (Scott Weinberg, Fearnet.com).

Description of The Last House on the Left [Blu-ray]:
A hot-button topic in the horror community from the minute it was announced, the 2009 remake of Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham’s controversial Last House on the Left will undoubtedly leave audiences polarized in regard to both its treatment of the source material and its level of violence. As with the original film, which drew inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring (and was itself based on 13th century Scandinavian legend), director Dennis Illadis’ film traces the downward spiral of two teenage girls (Sara Paxton and Martha MacIsaac from Superbad) who fall prey to a quartet of degenerates. The perpetrators then seek refuge in a nearby vacation home--which happens to be occupied by Paxton’s parents. Both versions spare no quarter in detailing the torments inflicted on the two girls, as well as the ruthlessly efficient revenge metered out to the killers by the parents; the difference, however, lies with the intent. Craven and Cunningham (who serve as executive producers for the remake) sought to shock Nixon/Vietnam-era audiences by showing the limits to which the "average" citizen could be pushed by violent acts; Illadis, however, is simply content to deliver a glossy, overamped thriller that neither delights in nor condemns the atrocities committed by its characters. The result is a flat, often tedious exercise in nihilism buoyed only by its cast, especially Paxton, Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter as her parents, and Garrett Dillahunt (No Country for Old Men) as the malevolent leader of the depraved foursome. Fans of the original need not bother with this version; newcomers should seek out Craven’s version, which has lost none of its power to overwhelm. --Paul Gaita

Amazon.com
The legendarily scuzzy 1972 shocker Last House on the Left gets all dressed up in this slick remake, which retro-fits the original storyline to an isolated lakeside cabin. This time out, unsuspecting teen Mari (Sara Paxton) makes the crucial mistake of going to buy some weed at a rundown motel room with a stranger (Spencer Treat Clark). It must have sounded like a good idea at the time. Soon Mari and her pal (Martha MacIsaac) are confronted by the stranger's diseased posse, and the real trouble begins. The set-up of the 1972 picture, which director Wes Craven borrowed from Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, is a blunt exercise in brutality followed by revenge, the twist being that the revenge is as savage as the initial transgression. This structure remains in the remake, although a few key plot points are changed, with little improvement. Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn play Mari's parents, who at some point will be called upon to put aside their merlot and their civilized constraints and get to it; Garret Dillahunt, coming off his strong work in Deadwood and No Country for Old Men, is far too qualified to be playing the stock role of the creep-in-chief. There is something distinctly strange about watching a film that took much of its original power from its cheapness, an outlaw energy that is completely lost in this dressed-up, professionally made remake. Here the scenes of rape and murder are presented not as pulpy shouts from the subculture but as necessary ingredients in a respectable machinery, which somehow makes them more dispiriting and unpleasant to watch. That this film is a technical advance on the original film on every level--acting, writing, photography--does not make it a better film. --Robert Horton

The Last House on the Left [Blu-ray] Reviews:
What more can you ask of a Reboot?
2009-11-05 - I'll keep this short and sweet. This was gruesome and twistedly faithful to the original in spirit and effect. I totally expected to be the one tortured when watching, well I should have left my preconceived notions at the door. The acting was sharp, the plot devices made just enough sense that it never broke my disbelief and I admittedly had to briefly look away from some scenes.

The setup was stellar and the ending did not disappoint. I give it a 5 but if it was possible I would have given it more.

Good for the genre and great by comparison of other remakes.

I would definitely suggest it to anyone that enjoys the genr

Not Impressed
2009-10-31 - I really thought this was going to be something amazing based on the trailer. I wasn't a big fan of the original, but this looked interesting. I like a lot of the new remakes that have bee coming out.

This is a well made film. And I appreciate that a lot of the original cheese was removed. The rape scene was appalling and unless I just supressed the memory of the first film, it's much worse. Given the horror of what Mary endures, I didn't feel like the kill/revenge scenes were as satisfying as the original. I felt the parents often bumbled around and made a lot of cliché horror movie mistakes. It's definitely an intense movie that keeps you on the edge of the seat, but I also heard myself screamng "OH COME ON!" an awful lot.

If anyone is interested, the Italian film, Night Train Murders (1975) was a much better rip-off of Last House on the Left.

An extra star for the effort
2009-10-30 - I'm sure this remake was well-intentioned, and while it did stick to the basic premise of the original, it really did fall flat in terms of how much dislike was built up for the criminals and how much satisfaction was built up in the parents' response. It wasn't boring, but not nearly as disturbing as the first LHOTL. For some reason, things were tamed down a great deal, and it was an overall detriment to the film. An updating of the original, with all shocks intact, would've been far more effective.

What would you do?
2009-10-27 - It's quiet hard to make critical comments to such a piece of work.First if you've already seen the ORIGINAL you have the best preperation for this one.If not be warned this chiller makes you feel uncomfortable from the beginning.Is it the story or it is just the question through this whole picture WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I don't wanna start this whole Vigilante discussion but the film gives the best excuse.
The Movie itself is perfectly made, i find it even better in some scenes most of all the family situaton.Goldwyn and Potter are truly believable and Dillahunt as Krug is abolutely first grade.
The DVD itself has good transfer, the sound is ok, the extras are some deleted scenes and a small doc.
I strongly advice this one not to be watched alone,it could deliver some dicussion points.
Strongly Recommended.


Very good, but very graphic!
2009-10-27 - This is a very well done movie, but there is one seen that was a bit much for me. You definitely want something really bad to happen to the "bad guys" in this. I do like that Wes Craven did the remake of his original film; you get the same vision for the film that way.........just done in a different time. Mentally prepare yourself for a few disturbing images when you watch the director's cut. Awesome ending though!