PLOT: A family rents a house in the Welsh countryside that seems to be bigger on the inside than on the outside, with rooms that appear and disappear.
REVIEW: Twenty-one years ago, writer/director David Koepp teamed up with star Kevin Bacon for STIR OF ECHOES, a film I'm surprised doesn't get referenced very often, as I felt it was one of the best horror movies of that era. Now Koepp and Bacon have reunited for another horror project, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT (WATCH IT HERE), and… well, I won't be surprised if people aren't talking about this one in the future, but it's still interesting enough to warrant a viewing or two.
Like STIR OF ECHOES was based on a novel by Richard Matheson, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT is based on a novella by Daniel Kehlmann. Bacon plays Theo Conroy, a man who's on the run from his dark past and worries that people are going to recognize him when he goes out in public – so it's not clear exactly how he ended up in a relationship with high profile actress Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) while trying not to draw attention to himself. Unfortunately, Theo has discovered that marrying a woman who is decades younger than him has brought a whole new set of worries into his life, as now he's concerned that Susanna is going to stray because he can't satisfy her sexual needs. This guy has troubles, for sure.
Susanna is working on a production that will be filming in London soon, so the couple decides to rent a house in the Welsh countryside for Theo and their six-year-old daughter Ella (Avery Essex) to stay in while Susanna is at work. That turns out to be a bad idea, as the place they have found has labyrinthine hallways, hidden rooms, and doors that appear and disappear. It seems to be bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and sadly it's not a TARDIS. Theo loses hours performing the simple task of turning off lights, he finds that someone has scrawled the message "You should have left" in his journal, and he's plagued by horrific nightmares. Theo is so troubled that Koepp could have played up the idea that his sanity is crumbling, but there's never much question that what's going on in the house is worse than what's going on in Theo's head.
Even the locals know there's something wrong with the place, and they seem very wary of its mysterious owner, a man named Stetler. I think the identity of the actor playing Stetler is supposed to be a surprise, but it's another thing that's probably more obvious than was intended.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT isn't entirely effective, but it has some creepy moments and Koepp makes the weird occurrences in the house visually interesting. He also assembled a cast that makes the story more involving than it would have been otherwise. Theo isn't always the most likeable character, but Bacon is naturally captivating and is able to lead the viewer through scenes even when we're questioning his actions. Seyfried doesn't have as much to do as Susanna, but she does well with what she was given, and Essex proves to be an impressive child actress.
While I felt that the movie was decent enough overall, I was also left wondering if it might have had more of an impact if different choices were made. Maybe if we were able to question Theo's sanity more, or if the Conroys weren't such a mess of doubt and suspicion. Theo's past ensures that he will always have a dark cloud hanging over him, but it might have been more disturbing if these things were happening to a happier couple. There's something about YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT that makes it feel like the movie didn't reach its full potential.
As it is, it's a fine way to spend 93 minutes, even if you'll be shrugging about it later.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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