It seems that there have been a few really enjoyable horror films around these days. You know the ones, they keep you guessing and at one or two points you get that scare that lifts you out of your chair and makes your heart beat faster. True horror aficionados live for these exquisite ‘Levitation Scenes' and will stay through some pretty awful films if they come with a few of those moments.
"You Should Have Left" is one of the better ones and comes with everything a true psychological horror film has to offer and more. For one thing, there's Kevin Bacon, right there on the screen and not three degrees apart from himself. You gotta love The Bacon. Then there's the beautiful Amanda Seyfried, as pretty and vulnerable as ever. Next, you have an interesting script based on the best selling novel, and lastly, there's David Koepp, a talented director with a singular vision.
You wouldn't think matching Bacon who is 61 years old with 34-year-old Seyfried in a marriage could be a basis for a good horror film, rather you'd expect it to be more of a murder mystery, but here it works great by setting up an insurmountable problem that's almost certain to end in disaster.
Here's The Storyline…
In an effort to patch up their failing relationship, Theo Conroy (Bacon), a rich middle-aged retiree, takes his young actress wife Susanna (Seyfried) and their six-year-old daughter Ella (Essex) on a quickly planned vacation to a beautiful but isolated House Rental in Wales.
What starts out as a perfect place to enjoy each other's company, soon turns into a series of strange events that lead to arguments, fears, anxiety, shocks, and to the slow unraveling of Theo's mind. It all leads to the shocking discovery, that try as they may, they cannot leave the house. For some sinister reason, this house, with a strangely twisted history, wants to keep them forever.
If this film seems to be satisfyingly familiar to you, it's understandable, because Bacon teamed up with David Koepp on another successful psychological horror film, 1999's "Stir of Echoes". You don't think of Kevin Bacon as being in many horror films, but then you look at his career and you see films like "Friday The Thirteenth", "Flatliners", "Tremors", and "Hollow Man". You never know what to expect from him, but it's always going to be good.
"You Should Have Left" is On-Demand Everywhere Beginning Thursday, June 18th.
My take…"You Should Have Left" is a good Horror film, with a great cast and some really good scares. The film is splendidly crafted, delightfully entangled, and an excellent film for a rainy night.
