The original "Last House" is just so dumb. I know many hail it for being "disturbing" due to the vile, sadistic villains and the humiliation, rape and gory murders -- but I didn't find it disturbing at all because the preposterous storyline accompanied by the goofy music and bumbling cops made it impossible to take serious. Consequently, just like I don't consider the violence in, say, a Road Runner cartoon disturbing so I didn't find "Last House" disturbing. Dumb? Yes. An interesting early 70's curiosity? Yes. Disturbing? No.
The filmmaking of this 2009 remake, on the other hand, is top-of-the-line -- the cinematography, music, cast, acting, mood, suspense, etc. all work together to make a superior piece of cinematic art -- yes, even though it's "just a horror flick." I was particularly impressed with the way the film juxtaposes the beauty of nature & people/family with the hideousness of human evil. Take, for example, the opening scenes of the beautiful woods & music followed by the thug's murderous escape and the later sequence where a fleeing girl is shot while swimming through a lake. The film was incidentally shot in Helderberg Nature Preserve, Western Cape, South Africa, a fine stand-in for somewhere-in-the-sticks, USA.
Thankfully, the numerous preposterous elements of the original story have been fixed.
Also, the message of Justin is excellent: People are not cursed to follow the wicked/foolish ways of their bloodline. Simple wisdom and force of righteous will breaks the curse. Redemption is there, if you want it.
I also liked the way the film depicts the duplicity of the thug gang, particularly the leader Krug (Garret Dillahunt). He's the ultimate POS but watch him cover-up his intrinsic wickedness with his knack for social acclimation -- a fake smile, innocent small talk and a well-placed "Amen."
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