The Last House on the Left (2009 film)

The Last House on the Left
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDennis Iliadis
Screenplay by
Based onThe Last House on the Left
by Wes Craven
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySharone Meir
Edited byPeter McNulty
Music byJohn Murphy
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[1][2]
Release date
  • March 13, 2009 (2009-03-13) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes
Countries
  • United States[4]
  • South Africa[4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[2]
Box office$46 million

The Last House on the Left is a 2009 rape and revenge film directed by Dennis Iliadis and written by Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth. A remake of the 1972 film of the same name, it stars Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Garret Dillahunt, Aaron Paul, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Martha MacIsaac, and Sara Paxton. The film follows Mari Collingwood, a teenager who is abducted, raped, and left for dead by a family of violent fugitives. When her parents learn what was done to her, they seek vengeance against the family, who have taken shelter at their summer home during a thunderstorm.

The rights to The Last House on the Left were picked up by Rogue Pictures in 2006, with the remake being the first film produced by Craven's newly formed studio Midnight Pictures. Craven, who wrote and directed the original film, was interested to see what kind of film could be made on a larger budget, as the limited funds forced him to remove scenes he had wanted to film to tell a complete story. One of the elements Iliadis wanted to avoid with the film, given its graphic nature, was turning it into "torture porn". For Craven and Iliadis, the film primarily illustrates how even the most normal of families can be driven to commit evil acts if pushed too far.

The original script by Alleca included elements of supernatural horror, which prompted the studio to reject it and bring in Ellsworth for rewrites. Principal photography began in March 2008 in Cape Town and Helderberg Nature Reserve and concluded in May. The Last House on the Left was theatrically released in the United States on March 13, 2009, and was a modest box office success, grossing $46 million against its $15 million budget. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with several deeming it worthy of praise in comparison to other horror films and remakes in general, while others considered it inferior to the original.

  1. ^ a b "The Last House on the Left (2009)". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Last House on the Left (2009) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Last House on the Left details". Metacritic. Fandom Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "The Last House on the Left (2008) [sic]". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2023.