The Last House on the Left

release year: 2009
genre: drama
viewing setting: home DVD, 8/30/09

synopsis: During a vacation in the middle of nowhere, a girl is tortured and left for dead, her tormentors end up as guests of the girl's parents, who eventually figure out what happened and take revenge.

impressions: This movie shows you what happens when ordinary people need to step up and become killers themselves. At least that's how I interpreted it. There's an element of "hey, we have to defend ourselves, or else" but it's darkly interesting to watch the girl's parents work together to defeat the bad guys. And what bad guys these are...they kill at random and for no reason. They deserve what they get, and they get it good. As always, I need to throw in the "if the girls weren't so stupid in the first place, none of this would have happened" disclaimer.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A broken/cut nose being stitched up in graphic detail. Also a hand caught in a sink's garbage disposal.

acting: Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter are the parents, Sara Paxton is the daughter, Martha MacIsaac is the daughter's stupid friend. Garret Dillahunt (who was the terminator Cromartie in the first episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is the leader of the evil gang, and he gives a strong performance here. Aaron Paul and Riki Lindhome are the other bad guys.

final word: Disturbing depiction of human evil and what it does to non-evil people.

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