Wes Craven is one of the godfather’s of horror to bust out of the 80s, along the likes of John Carpenter and Sean S. Cunningham. And like Carpenter, Craven has been eager to sell remake rights to some of his more classic movies, most notably last year’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES.
But it hasn’t stopped there, as he told Shock Till You Drop that THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT will now definitely be remade, and they’re already searching around for a new director to bring it to the big screen. Check it out:
“We don’t want to do it quite so brutal because it’s also just a great story. [Ingmar] Bergman did the story [‘The Virgin Spring’], and before that it was a medieval story so we’re going to try and split the difference. We’re trying to make a deal with a very interesting director [Dennis Iliadis], a Grecian director who did something called ‘Hardcore’ – about street prostitutes in Greece – that I think is an amazing film. We want somebody who is a real artist who can give it his own vision.”
While I’m sure Craven will pick a great director to take control of this beast (the choice of Alexandre Aja for HILLS was perfect), there’s one thing that just ain’t sitting well with me. One: it’s going to be LESS brutal, and two: it’s going to focus on the story. Not that I’m against the story, but the only reason why the first one was so successful and memorable wasn’t the story, but the brutality that it showed! And now they’re taking that away? Come on…
It pains me to say it, but I feel that Craven is following Carpenter’s shoes of ‘selling out’ with all these remakes. I know, I’m a rat bastard for even saying, but it’s true. Carpenter sold out long ago, and Craven is on his way. I smell a NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST remake coming within the next 5 years. The only difference is, Craven is still making some fairly decent movies, and Carpenter hasn’t rocked the screen in a good way since IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS – over a decade ago.
But that’s besides the point. LAST HOUSE may be getting a director soon, and that’s all that matters. To check out the full chat with Craven, including what’s next on his writing plate, click HERE, and stick around for more on THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake as we hear it.