Haunted house movies have been a staple of the horror genre for as long as scary stories have existed. That’s why it can be a challenge to try and bring anything new to the concept. With so many stories that are set in some type of haunted location, it has pretty much been taken in every direction imaginable. That takes us to Blumhouse’s new film, You Should Have Left, from highly successful screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, the first Mission: Impossible, and Panic Room).
This haunted house tale follows Theo Conroy (Kevin Bacon). He is attempting to build a new life for himself with his younger actress wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) and their young daughter Ella (Avery Essex). However, he is unable to move past the public backlash leveled against him thanks to something from his past. He finally decides that they need to get away for a while. Finding a perfect vacation home in the Wales countryside, they begin what they hope to be a long needed bit of R and R. But once they settle in, Theo begins to suspect something is off about the place. Time seems to work differently, the layout of the rooms and hallways don’t seem to match the structure, and some rooms are bigger on the inside than on the outside. Nothing about the house seems to work in terms of basic physics. But the odd structure will be the least of Theo’s problems, as it soon becomes clear there’s something worse inside that seems to be after him and his family. He’ll have to confront the truth about his past if he wants to make it out with his life. While it may not be the freshest take on the haunted house genre, You Should Have Left works with its various ingredients to craft a genuinely terrifying experience. It’s one of the few horror movies that will make your head spin as the story unfolds. The many branching and weaving halls of the house are impossible keep track of, which perfectly unsettles you for when the scary stuff starts to amp up. The production design is truly where the movie excels. It’s the house at the center of the film that creates a true sense of dread. The bare bones design and Kafkaesque layout make you feel lost once the characters enter the front door. Everything about it just seems like a normal home, but just enough is stripped away for you to get the idea that there’s something more menacing just underneath the surface. This is also aided by the unsettling score by composer Geoff Zanelli. As if the house itself wasn’t scary enough, his musical accompaniment will really put you on edge. His mixture of modern electronic pings and old fashioned horror tones does a great job of making the most mundane of scenes seem frightening. Really everything about this movie is designed to fill you with dread, which is the point of these types of films. And they accomplish this almost without fail. Of course, that’s bad news for Kevin Bacon, who delivers a great performance as the central character Theo. This is the first big role he’s had since 2016’s Patriots Day, and he shows that he’s fully up to the task to helm a horror film. His sense of fear and dwindling sanity seem genuine, as if he really is losing his mind inside the house. Amanda Seyfried also gives a great performance as Susanna that will probably end up being unappreciated. Her character is more a stereotypical depiction of a Hollywood actress than a fully-fledged human character. However, while she has her moments of light-headedness, she truly cares for the people around her. She plays this role well, toting the line between funny and annoying without falling more towards the latter. However, the film does stumble in places, and that’s mostly in its screenplay. While Koepp does an admirable job directing the picture, his script often delves into weird directions. The dialogue sometimes doesn’t feel natural, with characters spouting soft swears during scary set pieces that almost deflate the tension he’s established. He was probably trying to create comic relief, but it doesn’t land as well as he seems to think it does. The movie has a more satirical side to it that the trailers didn’t really give off. The opening scenes are make fun of how some film productions are handled, with Bacon’s character attempting to get on the set of his wife’s new movie while she’s performing a sex scene. That almost leaves something to be desired, as the movie had the potential to be a satire of Hollywood’s current, overly-sensitive state. But the film never takes the time to develop these ideas. While it’s still a scary film, it’s hard to ignore the glimmers of something greater shining through the cracks. You Should Have Left is quite a terrifying film; thanks to its expertly mind-bending production design, unsettling music, and great performances from Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried. It doesn’t do much to fully reinvent the haunted house formula, but it works with what it has and succeeds anyway. And while it could have been more subversive in its themes, it’s still a fun time for anyone looking to get scared at home.
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