The Last House on the Left (2009)

Director:

Dennis Iliadis

Writers (WGA):

Adam Alleca (screenplay) and
Carl Ellsworth (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

If bad people hurt someone you love, how far would you go to hurt them back?

Plot:

After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang led by a prison escapee unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging the parents of one of the victims -- a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics.

Plot Keywords:

Lake | Car Accident | Swimming | Motel | Rape

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Garret Dillahunt	...	Krug
Michael Bowen	...	Morton
Joshua Cox	...	Giles (as Josh Cox)
Riki Lindhome	...	Sadie
Aaron Paul	...	Francis
Sara Paxton	...	Mari
Monica Potter	...	Emma
Tony Goldwyn	...	John
Martha MacIsaac	...	Paige
Spencer Treat Clark	...	Justin
Usha Khan	...	Maid

Directed by
Dennis Iliadis

Writing credits (WGA)
Adam Alleca		(screenplay) and
Carl Ellsworth		(screenplay)
Wes Craven		(earlier film)

Produced by
Greig Buckle	....	line producer
Jonathan Craven	....	co-producer
Wes Craven	....	producer
Sean S. Cunningham	....	producer (as Sean Cunningham)
Vlokkie Gordon	....	associate producer: Film Afrika
Ray Haboush	....	executive producer
Marianne Maddalena	....	producer
Bryan Thomas	....	associate producer
David Wicht	....	associate producer: Film Afrika
Cody Zwieg	....	co-producer

Original Music by
John Murphy

Cinematography by
Sharone Meir

Film Editing by
Peter McNulty

Casting by
Scout Masterson
Nancy Nayor

Production Design by
Johnny Breedt

Art Direction by
Shira Hockman
Cecelia van Straaten

Set Decoration by
Melinda Launspach

Costume Design by
Katherine Jane Bryant

Makeup Department
Chiara Allegrucci	....	hair stylist
Chiara Allegrucci	....	makeup artist
Christie Badenhorst	....	prosthetics assistant
Talia Barak	....	assistant makeup artist
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects designer
Rob Carlisle	....	prosthetics supervisor
Zanmarie Hanekom	....	hair stylist
Zanmarie Hanekom	....	makeup artist
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects designer (as Greg Nicotero)
Lisa-Marie Pansegrouw	....	prosthetics assistant
Ashley Powell	....	prosthetics assistant
Kerry Skelton	....	makeup artist
Clinton Smith	....	on-set prosthetics supervisor
Simone Stubbs	....	makeup artist
Megan Tanner	....	key hair stylist
Megan Tanner	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Nick Abdo	....	post-production supervisor
Cellin Gluck	....	production supervisor
Andrew Rona	....	executive in charge of production
Meryl Schutte	....	production supervisor
Marisa Soneman	....	production manager
Beetle Van Graan	....	unit manager (as Beatle Van Graan)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hayley Ross	....	second assistant director
Shamiel Soni	....	second second assistant director
Leigh Tanchel	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Vincent 'Bright' Agha	....	art department runner (as Bright Agha)
Martin Thabo Baloyi	....	carpenter (as Martin Baloyi)
Jacques Croeser	....	carpenter
Zane Davis	....	junior carpenter
Thamsanga Dela	....	greens casual
Graham Derrocks	....	construction foreman
Stkoliwe Dotwana	....	construction casual
Nkosiphemdule Dukwana	....	construction casual
Bonga Folokwe	....	junior carpenter
Lwando Folokwe	....	construction casual
Mnonpholi Sadam Folokwe	....	junior carpenter
Thobani Folokwe	....	construction casual
Zameko Albert Gobani	....	greens casual
Clint Gordon	....	head greensman
Marit Jansen	....	graphic designer
Joe Jece	....	carpenter
Magmoed Katjie	....	junior carpenter
Nick Lauer	....	construction manager
Walleed Lombaard	....	assistant stand-by props
Nicolus Lusse	....	junior carpenter
Danial Mabina	....	assistant greensman
Joseph Mabiza	....	construction storeman
Kerwin Macks	....	construction welder
Lynn MacMillan	....	painter
Louis Marais	....	carpenter
Arlo Markantonatos	....	props buyer
Shaun Marlon Nasson	....	leading hand (as Shaun Nasson)
Lusanda Mente	....	construction casual
Mzingisi Mente	....	construction casual
Tendayi Mhonda	....	greens casual
Aziz Midlekoop	....	carpenter
Ole Boseng Mosikwa	....	junior carpenter
Amos Mphokele	....	plasterer
Malcolm Mpofu	....	greens casual
Isaac Ndlovu	....	junior carpenter (as Isaac Ndluvo)
Friday Ngwena	....	carpenter (as Friday Ngwenya)
Andrew Orlando	....	property master
Thabang Phohonga	....	construction casual
Kgosietsile Simon Potsane	....	carpenter (as Simon Potsane)
Marius Pretorius	....	scenic (as Marius-Lee Pretorius)
Liezel Reddek	....	scenic
Mark Risk	....	storyboard artist
Mustikim Salie	....	construction supervisor
Bongani Samthaba	....	plasterer
Vicky Sawkins	....	on-set dresser
Masixole Sazana	....	construction casual
Zukile Sitako	....	greens casual
Peter Siyabonga	....	construction casual
Christopher Skotshi	....	painter
Yaasir Soeker	....	junior carpenter
Kyle Soule	....	carpenter
Johnny Tembo	....	stand-by swing gang
Allison Tucker	....	art department coordinator
Kerry van Lillienfeld	....	stand-by props
Tanya Van Tonder	....	on-set dresser
Andre Van Vuuren	....	carpenter
Chris von Edigy	....	painter
Bernard Wilderboer	....	painter
Nazmie Williams	....	leading hand
Raymond Wilson	....	construction foreman
Rae Wynna-Roberts	....	head scenic (as Rae Wynne-Roberts)
David Wynne-Roberts	....	scenic
Chris Zuidema	....	greens casual

Sound Department
Rick Ash	....	supervising re-recording engineer
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Noah Blough	....	foley editor
Dominique Decaudain	....	foley artist (as Dominique Tabach)
Kathleen Edwards	....	additional adr assistant
Gary Gegan	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sandy Gendler	....	supervising adr & dialogue editor
Devin Johnson	....	assistant sound effects editor
Jon Johnson	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Doug Mountain	....	supervising sound engineer (as Douglas Mountain)
Jeffrey Perkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Miguel Rivera	....	dialogue/adr editor
Steve Schatz	....	sound mixing recordist
Brad Sokol	....	first assistant sound editor
Lucy Sustar	....	foley mixer
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Ben Wilkins	....	sound editor
Jay Fisher	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Wesley Barnard	....	special effects technician
Tyrell Kemlo	....	special effects technician
Timothy Muchokoti	....	workshop assistant
Gian Palermo	....	special effects office coordinator
Paul Pieterse	....	special effects coordinator
John Smith	....	special effects technician
Sithembiso Sontshaka	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Davina Bilow	....	digital compositor (as Davina Sanchez)
Madalina Bland	....	roto artist
Daniel Brimer	....	visual effects producer
Greg Cheng	....	digital artist
Michael Dean Connolly	....	visual effects assistant
Brandon Flyte	....	digital compositor
Jamison Scott Goei	....	visual effects supervisor
Chris Hopkins	....	3D visual effects artist
Chris Hopkins	....	digital compositor
Maggie Kraisamutr	....	digital compositor: Rez-Illusion
Mark Maccora	....	digital compositor
Melanie Miller	....	visual effects coordinator: Rez-Illusion
Sookie Park	....	lead compositor
Ahren Thomas	....	digital compositor
Sebastien Betsch	....	digital painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Jaqueline Barnes	....	stunts
Roly Jansen	....	stunt vehicles
Pyno Keets	....	stunts
Tyrell Kemlo	....	stunts
Shirley Kirshman	....	stunts
Colleen Knox	....	stunts
Leander Lacy	....	stunt coordinator (as Leander Lacey)
Jenny Lill	....	stunts
Gizelle Loots	....	stunts
Anthony Mo Marais	....	stunt coordinator (as Anthony Marais)
Paul Pieterse	....	stunts
Peter Spiropoulous	....	stunts (as Pete Spyropoulos)
Cordell McQueen	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
George Amos	....	first assistant: "b" camera
Justin Brokensha	....	first assistant camera
Trevor Michael Brown	....	camera operator
Greg Cameron	....	key grip
Pierre de Villiers	....	video playback operator
Bernett de Wet	....	rigging gaffer (as Bernie De Wet)
Jean DeKock	....	sparks
Wiseman Dinizulu	....	sparks
Dudley Fillies	....	rigging best boy
Kevin Groom	....	darkroom loader
Justin Hawkins	....	second assistant camera
Adam Liebenberg	....	rigger
Jacob Mafolo	....	best boy grip
Elliot Mashiyani	....	generator operator
Regan Mitchel	....	grip
Regan Mitchell	....	grip assistant
Julious Mudeh	....	second assistant camera
Alfred Mxathule	....	rigging electrician
Hickson Mxathule	....	rigging electrician
Justin Paterson	....	best boy
Richard Rolf	....	Steadicam operator
Wayne Shields	....	gaffer
Michael Snyman	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Leroux Swanepol	....	sparks
Lacey Terrell	....	still photographer
Jaco van Niekerk	....	key rigger
Jason Venter	....	grip

Casting Department
Joe Cappelletti	....	adr voice casting
Nora Jobling	....	casting intern
Ty Kamerman	....	casting intern (as Tyler Kamerman)
Trixze Smith	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles (as Trixzie Smith)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dee Alberts	....	wardrobe assistant
Shaida Dramat	....	seamstress (as Shahida Dramat)
Nawaal Hendriks	....	on-set costumer (as Nawaal Hendricks)
Jacomina Jankowitz	....	on-set costumer
Allison Leach	....	assistant costume designer
Tendayi Matangaidze	....	wardrobe assistant
Daryl Matthee	....	costume breakdown
Neil McClean	....	costume supervisor
Maritha Visagie	....	costume breakdown (as Marietha Visagie)
Tiffany White	....	costume buyer: U.S.
Miriam Williams	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Travis J. Andersen	....	post-production assistant
Travis Flynn	....	digital colorist assist
Louise Mycielski	....	post-production coordinator: South Africa
Faust Pierfederici	....	digital preview colorist
Brendan Walsh	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Tyler Barton	....	score recording engineer
Nick Baxter	....	scoring mixer
Dick Bernstein	....	temp music editor
Gustavo Borner	....	scoring mixer
Stephen Coleman	....	orchestrator
Ed Gerrard	....	music supervisor
Simon James	....	orchestra contractor
Brian Richards	....	music editor
Scott Somerville	....	score engineer

Transportation Department
Charles Adams	....	driver
George Alexander	....	driver
Derek Applekryn	....	unit support: Helderberg
James Baillie	....	driver
Colin Breedt	....	action vehicles coordinator
Paul Paleko Chunkason	....	driver
Andrew Crause	....	unit support: Helderberg
Reny Djieutcheu	....	driver (as Remi Djieutcheu)
Charlton Dominic	....	driver
Rushdi Fisher	....	driver
George Hendriks	....	driver (as George Hendricks)
Shaun Holland	....	driver
Eusmane Kante	....	driver
Joseph Legobate	....	driver
Alfred Mkwanazi	....	driver
Fred Mulindwa	....	base camp captain
Heiki Nashongo	....	unit captain
Lager Peters	....	set captain
William Rondganger	....	driver
Sam Samassi	....	driver
Albert Sandani	....	driver
Lester Sweetman	....	transport manager
Johannes Thejane	....	driver (as Johannes Moleko)
Dale Upton	....	driver
Erica Van Den Raad	....	transport administrator
Dale Wigley	....	driver

Other crew
Hugh Barret	....	financial controller: Film Afrika
Paul Brassell	....	assistant location manager
Billi Bruins	....	production accountant
Carol A. Compton	....	script clearance
Veronica Davonte	....	chaperone
Brandon Elliott	....	stand-in
Liesl Ernst	....	accountant
Carly Feingold	....	production executive
Jimmy Fraser	....	co-marine coordinator
Jimmy Fraser	....	marine coordinator
Olivia Gorgens	....	stand-in
Richelle Graham	....	stand-in
Brett Green	....	stand-in
Peter Grehan	....	set armorer
Alex Heineman	....	production executive
George Hendriks	....	chaperone (as George Hendricks)
Brett Hodgkinson	....	set production assistant
Frederich Fiela Jonck	....	production assistant
Benny Kekiseke	....	unit assistant
Joseph Kekiseke	....	unit assistant
Grant Kilian	....	production assistant
Marie Krige	....	payroll accountant
Valerie Legrain-Doussau	....	legal and business affairs
Brett Levisohn	....	epk director
Tarryn Locke	....	receptionist
Dan Maddalena	....	unit publicist
Bizeki Magwanda	....	chaperone
Alex Matcham	....	production controller
Matt McKinney	....	assistant: Marianne Maddalena
Vincent Ndikumana	....	chaperone
Nomsa Ntlokwana	....	cook
Chantal Oliver	....	assistant to producer
Lance Peters	....	key armorer
Ntombenqaba Precious Petros	....	receptionist
Brendan Plane	....	on-set medic
Yavor Radkov	....	chaperone
Blake Reigle	....	assistant: Sean Cunningham
Simon Rhodes	....	assistant production coordinator
Peggy Robinson	....	production supervisor
Andrew Rona	....	studio executive
Nicole Schafer	....	assistant: Dennis Iliadis
Andrew Schwarz	....	production assistant
Jill L. Smith	....	legal services
Peter Spiropoulous	....	chaperone (as Peter Spyropoulos)
Ria Van Heerden	....	script supervisor
Etienne Van Niekerk	....	location manager (as Etiene Van Niekerk)
Sandra van Zyl	....	accounting assistant
Kevin Wasner	....	effects
Christian Zuidema	....	environmental control officer

Thanks
Johan Cronje	....	special thanks
Gavin Fitzgerald	....	special thanks
Mark Haslett	....	thanks
Jim Histed	....	special thanks
Aliki Martinou	....	special thanks
Andrew Morse	....	special thanks
Ali Tycast	....	special thanks
John van den Heuvel	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Rogue Pictures (presents)
• Scion Films (in association with)
• Midnight Entertainment

Distributors

• Finnkino (2009) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Forum Cinemas (2009) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Pictures (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2009) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Film Distributors (2009) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Rogue Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Canada (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Village Films (2009) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Film1 (2010) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Geneon Universal Entertainment (2010) (Japan) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2010) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (unrated)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (unrated)
• Veronica (2012) (Netherlands) (TV)

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (special makeup effects) (as KNB EFX Group)
• Rez-Illusion (visual effects)
• Pacific Title (opticals)

Other Companies

• Film Afrika Worldwide  production services: South Africa
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Friends of Helderberg  special thanks
• Frog Squad  marine support services
• Grays Casting  casting: Johannesburg
• Helderberg Nature Preserve  special thanks
• Helen Ficalora Jewelry Design  special thanks (as Helen Ficalora Jewelry)
• IndieClear  script clearance
• Intelligent Media  international monitoring agency
• Kayos  casting: Capetown
• Lourensford Wine Estate  special thanks (as Lourensford Estate)
• Murphy PR  publicity
• Northwest Sinfonia  music performed by
• Packair Airfreight  special thanks (as Packair Airfreight, Inc.)
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Stage & Screen Travel  special thanks (as Stage and Screen Travel Services)
• Technicolor  release printing
• The Department of Trade and Industry of South Africa  produced with the assistance of

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sadistic brutal violence including a rape and disturbing images, language, nudity and some drug use

Runtime:

110 min | 114 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44897) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:18 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-18 | Netherlands:16 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (nf) | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Mexico:C | Australia:R | Norway:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Denmark:15 | Sweden:15 | Austria:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Italy:VM18

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Company:

Rogue Pictures

Trivia:

Star Tony Goldwyn was at first reluctant about appearing in the film because of its violent content. Goldwyn changed his mind however after viewing director Dennis Iliadis's earlier film Hardcore (2004).

Goofs:

Continuity: After Mari hits Krug with the rock, she can clearly be seen running away with her shoes ON. Later, after she is shot swimming away from her attackers, we are shown a close up of her foot with her shoes OFF.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Morton:[telling joke to Giles] So the next week, he's even hornier. And this time, he's got twenty bucks instead of ten. He goes back to the whorehouse, he slaps down the twenty, and tells the madam he needs to get off, but he ain't going to screw no goddamn chicken this time. She says it still ain't much, but she can help. She tells him to go to the room at the top of the stairs. This time there's just a bunch of guys jerking off, but one of the jerk off guys assures him "oh hey, it's cool, it's cool" and he waves him over to this whole toilet they're all looking through...
Krug:Oh, can we stop please? I really gotta take a piss.
Morton:Fuck you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Scream 4 (2011)

Soundtrack:

Dirge

A genuinely effective thriller

The biggest problem with horror movies today, specifically major Hollywood productions, is that even more than romantic comedies and the like, it is treated by studios and directors as an entry level position. These aren't, after all, the big dramas or 'prestige' movies. The result is an endless barrage of derivative, uninteresting tripe, many of them remakes produced by the like of Michael Bay and directed by those attempting to get started in the industry. Why this is even more of a problem is because horror films and comedy films depend on one essential thing: timing. Those which fall in the category of 'suspense thrillers', those which don't really seek to scare as much as your average slasher, films like "The Last House on the Left", depend on atmosphere. They depend on the building of suspense and tension and dread, even when the outcome is insanely predictable. These films require a director who has talent with timing, with creating atmosphere, with building suspense, and most of the time, especially recently (sure, there have always been awful horror films, but there was a time when studios financed some respectable films at least), the directors who take on such projects seem either incapable or uninterested in doing all they can to make the film work.

"The Last House on the Left" is a 're-imagining' of Wes Craven's accidental classic from 1972. That film displays Craven's potential, but while certain sequences are compelling it is cheap, clumsy, has a bizarrely chirpy bluegrass score, some awful acting (and some good acting), and the movie's biggest flaw: a Benny Hill-like slapstick subplot. Still, the movie worked. It worked precisely because Craven managed to create that atmosphere. That feel. The biggest fear I had going into this 're-imagining' is that the director Dennis Iliadis would turn out to be another Marcus Nispel, coming off his one previous film from 2004, "Hardcore", a film about prostitutes I had never heard about.

I needn't have worried. The film is far from perfect, but Iliadis' direction is one of the film's strongest points. Along with the excellent photography the film creates a dark, foreboding, grimy atmosphere of horror, and wisely cuts out the original film's slapstick, and also fixes the score: replacing it with gorgeous, haunting compositions which occasionally give way to guitars, but thankfully not too often. Iliadis uses hand-held camera as well as anyone, not over-doing it at all, but filming everything with a stark sort of clarity, and he finds a surprisingly effective rhythm for the film which keeps it from ever being mundane. The director is one to watch out for in the horror and thriller genres. Perhaps his most impressive achievement in the film is the incredibly tasteful and brutally disturbing rape scene. The film, like the original, avoids the pornographic nature of many rape-revenge thrillers, such as "I Spit on Your Grave" or for a more recent example the 'unofficial' remake of "The Last House on the Left" from 2005: "Chaos", which was so gleefully vicious it became sickening, not effectively disturbing.

Michael Phillips said it best: "The way director Iliadis shapes the key misery-inducing sequence, there's no hype or slickness or attempt to make the rape palatable or visually "dynamic." For that you have to go see Watchmen." The performances help. The only weak one is Riki Lindhome as Sadie, the murderous Krug's girlfriend. She takes her top off more than once for the movie's unneeded but inevitable nudity, but does little else. Garret Dillahunt is great as Krug and the rest of the cast good too, especially Monica Potter as Emma, the raped Mary's mother.

I won't spoil the changes to the story for you but it does a lot to separate itself from the original. It's not a straight remake and the changes work. The film's ultimate triumph is its intimacy. Iliadis succeeds in putting you in Mary's place and in her parents' place. Not one who succumbs much to vengeful thinking, I was convinced by the film that I'd have done the same things were I in the place of Mary's father, John, played by Tony Goldwyn.

The film's major flaw is the very last scene, a nonsensical moment belonging more in a Stuart Gordon film than this one. Up to that point, in spite of some mediocre sequences, the film is a triumph of atmosphere and style, and is genuinely well-written. If you're looking for fun or an intellectually stimulating film look elsewhere. For a shockingly, shockingly good rape-revenge thriller look no further. This movie works. It doesn't only stand head and shoulders above every other recent horror remake (and certainly the ones out so far in 2009), but it is in a whole other league when compared to most of the genre films Hollywood forces down our throats.