The Last House on the Left (2009)
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After their daughter is abducted and assaulted by a gang of violent fugitives, a couple must decide how far they are willing to go to seek justice.
The story
The film follows Mari Collingwood and her best friend Paige, two teenagers who are abducted by a family of violent fugitives. After Paige is murdered and Mari is raped and left for dead, her parents, John and Emma, seek vengeance against the family, who have taken shelter at their summer home during a thunderstorm. The story explores the lengths a desperate family will go to in the wake of a horrific crime.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Krug Stillo, a notorious killer, is released from custody and joins his brother Francis and their girlfriend Sadie to kidnap two teenagers, Mari and Paige. After a violent struggle, the girls are taken to a remote area where Paige is murdered and Mari is raped. Mari manages to escape and reaches her parents' home, where she collapses. The parents, John and Emma, discover the truth and find the fugitives in their guest house. A violent confrontation ensues, during which the parents kill Francis and Sadie. In the final confrontation, John and Emma manage to incapacitate Krug, and John ultimately kills him by placing his head in a microwave.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States; South Africa
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Dennis Iliadis
- Writers
- Adam Alleca · writer; Carl Ellsworth · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tony Goldwyn · Dr. John Collingwood; Monica Potter · Emma Collingwood; Garret Dillahunt · Krug Stillo; Aaron Paul · Francis Stillo; Spencer Treat Clark · Justin Stillo; Riki Lindhome · Sadie; Martha MacIsaac · Paige; Sara Paxton · Mari Collingwood
- Genres
- rape and revenge; crime thriller; horror thriller
- Themes
- vengeance; maternal/paternal protection; moral ambiguity
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; home invasion; survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1972 film of the same name
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its character development and acting while others criticized it as 'torture porn' or 'stomach-churningly anti-human' due to its graphic violence.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 42% · scale: percentage · review count: 167; Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Production trivia
- The original script included supernatural horror elements that were removed by the studio.; The film was a box office success, grossing $46 million against a $15 million budget.; The production included a medical technician to provide insight on how characters would react to injuries.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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