At first, I was admittedly hesitant to see this redo of the infamous 1972 Craven picture. It's not the fact that it's a remake that put me off. Craven's version itself was already pretty much a remake of The Virgin Spring, and I've seen countless ripoffs of Last House that might as well be remakes themselves. I just figured a studio film wouldn't have much to offer beyond the envelope pushing copycats. I'm happy to say that I was wrong.
Paige and Mari are two teen girls who meet Justin, a teen himself who offers them pot if they come back to his motel room. They take him up on his offer, but they stay too long and are there when the boy's criminal father, Krug, shows up. Along with his equally sadistic brother and girlfriend, Krug forces the two girls to join them as the gang flees town. Their drive is cut short when Mari goes on the defensive, the vehicle running off the road during the conflict. With their method of transportation ruined and nowhere to go, the trio decide to have their way with Paige and Mari, subjecting them to torture and rape as Krug's son watches in disgust. Paige is killed while, unbeknownst to Krug and company, Mari survives the ordeal. After leaving her half dead in the water, they seek refuge at a nearby house, the very house that belongs to Mari's parents.
While this film follows the original pretty closely, it does deviate from it's source in a few major ways. The main difference is clear, that being the survival of Mari. I was against this at first, but it wound up working better than I expected. Still, I will say that I didn't care for the plot point of Mari being a swimmer. It felt like a contrived character trait thrown in just to get her into the water during her escape attempt. It's been several years since I last watched the Craven version, but I would say the brutality against the girls isn't as graphic this time around. It's still an effective sequence, but there's nothing like pulling out intestines or making someone urinate on themselves. On the other hand, the violence against the villains is far more graphic in this version. We also aren't subjected to stupidity like with the original's Sadie carelessly running into a swimming pool for no reason. Oh, and no comedic cops this time either.
I liked how Krug's son showed more signs of guilt in this one, though the actor portraying him was somewhat of a cinder. It would have made sense if Krug was keeping him doped ala the original, but that's not the case here. Thankfully, he's the one weak leak in the acting chain. Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter are both good as the parents who struggle with what's happened to their daughter. As for Krug, Garret Dillahunt is very strong in the role. While I'd likely say that I prefer David Hess in the part overall, I found that I didn't think of Hess once while watching Dillahunt in action. He does the character differently and really makes it his own. All of that aside, I think that the best performance in the film undoubtedly belongs to Riki Lindhome. In Craven's original, I didn't think much of the Sadie character. She was annoying and just seemed to be along for the ride. Here though, Lindhome makes the character just as evil as Krug. She nails the attitude, and even her movements seem like those of a snake in the grass. I also give her kudos for her final fight scene, probably the most exciting segment in the film for me personally.
The location photography is another high mark for the remake. It's nothing like the gritty look of Craven's, but it doesn't need to be. Speaking of the '72 movie, it did make more sense how Krug kept his son doped up in that one. You would think the kid would be long gone in this version without that to stifle his efforts. I also have to mention the ending here, which is quite poor and doesn't make much sense. I really don't know why they decided to end things on that note, as it wouldn't be too hard to think of something better. Taken as a whole, I was pretty impressed by this remake. An incredible film it isn't, but as far as modern remakes go, you won't find many as successful as this one.
Paige and Mari are two teen girls who meet Justin, a teen himself who offers them pot if they come back to his motel room. They take him up on his offer, but they stay too long and are there when the boy's criminal father, Krug, shows up. Along with his equally sadistic brother and girlfriend, Krug forces the two girls to join them as the gang flees town. Their drive is cut short when Mari goes on the defensive, the vehicle running off the road during the conflict. With their method of transportation ruined and nowhere to go, the trio decide to have their way with Paige and Mari, subjecting them to torture and rape as Krug's son watches in disgust. Paige is killed while, unbeknownst to Krug and company, Mari survives the ordeal. After leaving her half dead in the water, they seek refuge at a nearby house, the very house that belongs to Mari's parents.
While this film follows the original pretty closely, it does deviate from it's source in a few major ways. The main difference is clear, that being the survival of Mari. I was against this at first, but it wound up working better than I expected. Still, I will say that I didn't care for the plot point of Mari being a swimmer. It felt like a contrived character trait thrown in just to get her into the water during her escape attempt. It's been several years since I last watched the Craven version, but I would say the brutality against the girls isn't as graphic this time around. It's still an effective sequence, but there's nothing like pulling out intestines or making someone urinate on themselves. On the other hand, the violence against the villains is far more graphic in this version. We also aren't subjected to stupidity like with the original's Sadie carelessly running into a swimming pool for no reason. Oh, and no comedic cops this time either.
I liked how Krug's son showed more signs of guilt in this one, though the actor portraying him was somewhat of a cinder. It would have made sense if Krug was keeping him doped ala the original, but that's not the case here. Thankfully, he's the one weak leak in the acting chain. Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter are both good as the parents who struggle with what's happened to their daughter. As for Krug, Garret Dillahunt is very strong in the role. While I'd likely say that I prefer David Hess in the part overall, I found that I didn't think of Hess once while watching Dillahunt in action. He does the character differently and really makes it his own. All of that aside, I think that the best performance in the film undoubtedly belongs to Riki Lindhome. In Craven's original, I didn't think much of the Sadie character. She was annoying and just seemed to be along for the ride. Here though, Lindhome makes the character just as evil as Krug. She nails the attitude, and even her movements seem like those of a snake in the grass. I also give her kudos for her final fight scene, probably the most exciting segment in the film for me personally.
The location photography is another high mark for the remake. It's nothing like the gritty look of Craven's, but it doesn't need to be. Speaking of the '72 movie, it did make more sense how Krug kept his son doped up in that one. You would think the kid would be long gone in this version without that to stifle his efforts. I also have to mention the ending here, which is quite poor and doesn't make much sense. I really don't know why they decided to end things on that note, as it wouldn't be too hard to think of something better. Taken as a whole, I was pretty impressed by this remake. An incredible film it isn't, but as far as modern remakes go, you won't find many as successful as this one.