Editorial: Re-visiting The Last House on the Left

 

How far would you go to protect the ones you love?

What would you do if you find out someone has hurt the one you love? Then how far would you go to exact revenge?

During the 70s, we had an array of horror movies that are known as cult movies today and among those were movies that were based on ruthless revenge.

One of them was THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.

While the 1972 version had enough gore and violence to turn people away at that time and prompt critics to give negative reviews, the film was still remembered by many as the perfect revenge thriller. 

The Last House on the Left is basically a story about a family of three, heading to the lake only for the teenage daughter, Mari, to end up going off with a friend who then accidentally encounter criminals. These criminals ruthlessly assault the girls, eventually killing them both. 

The criminals end up taking shelter in Mari’s house without realizing it. When Mari’s parents overhear what happened to their daughter, they decide to take revenge and subject the criminals to a violent punishment. 

In the 2009 version the violence is toned down and the movie ends on a satisfying note where Mari survives and is reunited with her family. 

If there is one movie, horror fans believe to be a good remake of a classic, then it is THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. 

In the movie, it is already established that Mari is an expert swimmer, This skill is going to come in handy later in the movie. Soon after, the events from the original movie occur although in this version, the guy they meet is called Justin and he is shown to have a conscience. 

After Mari and her friend meet Justin, they end up at a motel room where Justin’s family members then show up. As luck would have it, they are all criminals. Since they have escaped police custody, they immediately take Mari and Paige hostage and drive them away from the motel. 

Mari tries to trick them by going the direction of her house so that she can try to escape. However, she is caught and the car crashes into a tree. Angered by her attempt to escape, the girls are beaten up and Paige is stabbed while Mari is assaulted. 

Mari tries one more time to escape, this time trying to swim in the lake to get away. She is unfortunately shot and assumed to be dead. In the original, Mari does not survive the gunshot. 

When a storm breaks, the criminals are forced to seek shelter and as it turns out, they find a house on the left. And as it happens, Mari’s parents Emma and John generously invite the criminals in so they can take shelter. 

Justin, who is nervous about the way things turned out, finds a photo of Mari and her parents, and realizes that the house he and his family are in, belongs to Mari’s family. 

He leaves the chain he got from Mari on the table. When the parents find it, they are immediately alerted to the identity of the guests. 

As luck would have it, Mari ends up at her doorstep too. When she notices the guests, she is frightened and the parents soon realize the assault their daughter had to face. 

They must take Mari to a hospital while also dealing with criminals in their house. 

And so the parents engage in the most violent revenge tactics they can think of. After all, these people hurt their daughter. 

The next part of the movie deals with action scenes, and the tension as the parents try to exact revenge on the criminals without them knowing. Emma and John also have to make sure the criminals don’t find out that Mari is their daughter and very much alive. 

Eventually, the leader of the group, wise ups to what is going on. Justin sides with Mari’s parents and awarded with a stab from his family. He still survives, and after killing everyone and knocking out the criminal leader, the four escape in a boat. 

Later, we see John return to the cabin and find out that since he is a doctor, he has access to paralyzing drugs. He has drugged the leader of the group, and put his head in a microwave oven. John turns on the oven, and pop goes the criminal’s head. 

This movie manages to get the viewers involved in the story, sympathize with Mari, support her parents’ decision to exact revenge upon the attackers, and then give us a satisfying ending. 

There’s something gratifying about watching the evildoers get their comeuppance in movies even if they don’t do so in real life. This is probably why movies with revenge story lines tend to work out. 

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is a satisfying revenge thriller that leaves a lasting impression. The extreme violence that was depicted in the original version is mitigated in the 2009 film but that comes as a blessing for those horror fans who find it distressing to watch excessive brutality on screen. 

The movie is a well-made adaptation of the original that retains the premise but also adds its own identity to it. 

The Last House on the Left is a must-watch for all horror fans.