THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LE--errr--CHAOS follows two teenage girls as they head out for a crazy party in the woods, only to be kidnapped, raped, and tortured by four drugged-out criminals. As if it weren't enough to just be a trashy and exploitative rip-off of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, CHAOS is a virtual remake from start to finish that should have had Wes Craven contacting a lawyer. And yet, DeFalco's film is infinitely more effective and true to the original than the tame and self-censored remake of LAST HOUSE that was released in 2009. Raw, gritty, and completely unrestrained, CHAOS intentionally pushes the limits, going well beyond the level of acceptability in several disgusting displays of sex and violence. Only the recent remake of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has come close to achieving the same wincing and stomach-churning effect. Coming off of his terrifying performance in LIGHTNING BUG, actor Kevin Gage is the perfect choice to play the lead villain. His crass, country attitude and overpowering physical strength make him a suitable replacement for David Hess. The rest of the putrid villains have distinct and menacing personalities as well, which can't be said for any of the forgettable actors in 2009's version. Maya Barovich, who essentially takes on the role of Phyllis, adds a devastating performance that can only be compared to the painful display put on by Camille Keaton in the original I SPIT. Is it horrible? Yes. Is it inflammatory? Absolutely. CHAOS is everything that Exploitation filmmakers look to achieve. This is the true LAST HOUSE remake, but the altruistic message that is scrolled at the beginning and the 'Based on an original idea by' credit given to David DeFalco in the end are absolutely absurd.Rating: 7/10.
If you liked CHAOS, check out:
LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS, LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK.
Buy it Online:
Two things I recall vividly from this rip-off:
ReplyDelete#1.Gage's admittedly priceless line about "two little holes becoming one big hole"
#2. My gf at the time (ex now) got reeeeally upset at the interview feature in the extras, where DeFalco is standing around in an actual mortuary trying to lamely call out Roger Ebert. She found his disrespect for real dead people absolutely appalling.
Otherwise, this movie just kinda irritated me.
If I had seen this before the new LAST HOUSE, I likely would have said the same, but after seeing just how bland Hollywood could make a classic Exploitation film, this was a bloody breath of disgusting and disreputable air. I remember there being a huge amount of controversy when the film was released.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I want to see this. The original Last House left such a... bad, dirty feeling on me that I am none too eager to replicate it.
ReplyDeleteThis one is definitely not your cup of Joe Wings!
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