Hey follks. Capone in Chicago here.

I was an admirer of last year's sadistic thriller THE STRANGERS, the story of a young couple who are terrorized in their proverbial cabin in the woods by three masked assailants, featuring one of the most somber endings of any studio-made scare film in years. We've seen a lot of films that have glorified the pain and injury criminals, monsters and evil doers can inflict on the innocent, but this remake of Wes Craven's groundbreaking (and hardcore amateur production) THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT offers up this question: What would happen if the victim(s) or relatives of the victim(s) got a chance to exact a little revenge? They aren't so much fighting back as they are just unleashing decades of film victims' rage on their attackers.

It may seem like a subtle difference. Graphic violence is graphic violence, right? Actually, I don't believe that for one second. Intent is everything in these movies, and I believe that Craven's original intent was to shock us with rape, humiliation, torture and sheer brutality. The good news about this remake is that the brutality is intact, but the humiliation and torture has been curbed (the rape is still there; you should know that going in). But along with absolute, undiluted meanness of the villains, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT delivers something that the source material didn't have much of--great acting and a visual style. In truth, Craven did have a style, a documentary look to his story that made it seem far too real for many to stomach. But Greek director Dennis Iliadis (Hardcore) has a real eye for capturing the suffocating woodland surroundings in which the film is set, without making anything about this movie seem slick or polished. He also makes the movie as scary as shit.

Screenwriters Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth have trimmed the fat from Craven's screenplay, removing not only the most sadistic moments, but also the out-of-place comic relief. I'm in no way knocking Craven's film--I just watched it the other day, and it still shakes me up 36 years after its initial release. But the acting in the new film just sends it into the stratosphere. Garret Dillahunt's Krug isn't some raging maniac with a smirk on his face whenever he does something naughty. He's an angry, hateful man who holds no value in human life, but he's no monster. If anything, he's all too human. His sidekicks (Riki Lindhome as Sadie, Aaron Paul as Francis and Spencer Treat Clark as Krug's son Justin) are all kind of disposable as characters, but their sheer numbers make them so much more threatening as they kidnap and torment young Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton) and her friend (SUPERBAD's Martha MacIsaac), while Mari and her parents are on vacation.

I've seen some people refer to THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT as a "rape movie." This movie isn't about rape; there's rape in it, and it's about as awful as you can imagine. But the film is really about what actions would drive two peaceful parents (Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter) into the abyss of violence to avenge what has been done to their daughter. Without giving too much away (especially to those of you who have seen the original), the bad guys end up at the doorstep of the parents looking for shelter on a rainy evening. The parents have no idea who these seemingly kindly strangers are, but they soon discover they are responsible for what happened to their daughter and take action. These third-act scenes are the film's absolute best, as Iliadis transfers the fear we felt about Krug & Co. and turns it into anticipation about what the parents are up to. Bring oxygen, because you're going to be holding your breath for minutes at a time.

A fellow critic friend of mine floated his concluding thoughts on the LAST HOUSE remake, saying it was the best horror film remake since Zack Snyder's DAWN OF THE DEAD. I can't argue with that, but I actually think Last House is the better remake of the two. It took a great film that needed some improvements and did just that while still honoring Craven's messed-up vision. I might also argue that LAST HOUSE isn't a horror film at all; it's an intense drama with very little blood (if you exclude a final shot involving a microwave that is silly but still 100 percent satisfying) and some of the best performances you'll see in a film like this. It makes a difference and maybe studios churning out horror these days will take note that solid acting sells these movies, not young actors borrowed from shitty television shows. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is not for everyone, let's make that clear--but you know who you are and what you are and why you love this stuff. This film is best of its breed, but even outside of the realm of scare films, it hold up. And if it gets too much for you, just remind yourself, "It's only a movie."

-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com