The duo behind Stir of Echoes joins forces with Blumhouse for this intoxicating psychological thriller.
There’s just no stopping Blumhouse, is there? Jason Blum’s horror production company has given a home to innovative up and coming horror filmmakers such as Jordan Peele and Christopher Landon, while allowing established names within the genre, most notably M. Night Shyamalan, enjoy renewed success. There have been the obvious missteps, of course. Truth or Dare was a trifle and Fantasy Island, though an admirable idea, was a totally mishandled affair. Still, there’s no question that the company’s love for the genre is far reaching. From resurrected franchises like Halloween, to newer ones like Happy Death Day, to non-genre pieces such as Whiplash and BlacKkKlansman, there’s very little stopping Blumhouse from eagerly exploring a variety of storytelling and filmmaking voices. And while their latest release, the Kevin Bacon-starring You Should Have Left, won’t be every genre fan’s cup of tea, it is in many ways, a testament to the specific and undeniable love Blumhouse has for its projects.
Directed by David Koepp, You Should Have Left centers on a retired successful banker named Theo (Bacon), who decides to take his young actress wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) and their daughter Ella (Avery Tiiu Essex) to a house in the Welsh countryside as a way to escape from their Los Angeles existence. Although things seem fine at first, it isn’t long until mysterious dreams and happenings around the oddly-designed house begin to wreak havoc on the family and push Theo to the edge.
You Should Have Left is being sold as a horror film, and this is easy to see why given the movie’s overall marketing and how horror remains the prime genre Blumhouse is associated with. But You Should Have Left is actually a psychological thriller with surreal elements; and a pretty good one too. This seems to be conscious on Koepp’s part, who takes a small moment early on in a bathroom scene with Bacon where a classic jump scare is teased, but not used. Even though Koepp eventually does give in to such tactics, he does so incredibly (and refreshingly) sparingly, knowing there’s enough thrills within his character’s mind to satisfy instead. The chills of the movie all take place in the home which feels right out of a designer showroom or an open house from a slightly alternate universe. It’s the house where the real menace and tension can be found as Theo finds his grip on the reality he’s worked so hard to achieve is slipping away. The off-putting, but intriguing architecture gives way to one instance after another which causes Theo to question his sanity. In the family’s first night, a journey downstairs sees Theo following a trail of lights he attempts to turn off before going to bed. As soon as he’s flipped one switch off, another light appears down a room he didn’t see, down a hall he didn’t even know was there. That’s just the start as Theo discovers time beginning to move inexplicably fast while an investigation of the house’s dimensions reveal the inside of it being larger than the outside.
Horror or thriller, You Should Have Left is not short on real-world themes which drive its darker elements. There are quite a few here; all dealing with Theo and the life he’s made with Susanna. We open on the couple and their young daughter in what is more or less a blissful marriage that requires its share of work, but is on the whole a union that is functioning. We learn how hard Theo worked in order to get to there, including overcoming a public scandal which damaged both his name and his soul. While most films of this kind would sometimes show their characters fighting for a second chance at doing life right, overcoming whatever horrors they must in order to do so, You Should Have Left sees its main character already having achieved this feat and is now fighting to hold onto it against the dark forces surrounding him who aim to take it away. Ideas of choice, character, guilt and devotion are all called into question as Theo and Susanna wrestle with problems the other didn’t know they had, continuously coming back together only to be ripped apart once again. When the family finds it more and more impossible to physically leave their new surroundings, we see Theo at his most desperate. The last act of You Should Have Left sees its complicated main character hopelessly, but determinedly outrunning his past. But the past has him trapped, both literally and metaphorically, forcing him to confront what he spent years trying to forget.
Bacon’s always been a great character actor and can usually shine given the right supporting role. Yet he’s never been hailed as much for his leading turns. This is unfair since the actor manages to take the kinds of risks both in the projects he chooses and the performances he delivers which should’ve granted him a level of success he’s never really been afforded. Further proof of his commitment can be seen here as Bacon enjoys one of his richest roles in years. Theo allows the actor to exercise paranoia and madness, which he does without overplaying those emotions. More than that, Bacon displays a kind of vulnerability which keeps the film grounded and gives Theo layers we might not have otherwise known were there. This may be the actor’s show, but Seyfried is certainly a key part of it. The actress does a fantastic job playing a woman trying hard to hide her flaws by trying to convince herself that’s she’s actually in control of the life she’s living. It’s not her most accomplished turn, but still further proof that Seyfried is an actress whose range is worthy of further exploration.
Genre fans should be elated at seeing Koepp and Bacon coming back together over two decades following their teaming on 1999’s Stir of Echoes. That supernatural tale may have been overshadowed by the monster success of The Sixth Sense, but quickly became an underrated favorite for many and a high point for both actor and director. The two enjoy the same kind of shorthand this time around as Bacon knows to to effectively sync up to Koepp’s wavelength and help create a movie experience which is both unsettling and eerie, while at the same time being a surprisingly serviceable character study. I’m sure there will be plenty of fans who will beg for more jump scares, while others will surely say the movie is nothing more than a Black Mirror episode. But You Should Have Left will reach those its meant to reach who will doubtless count it as a singular psychological thrill ride made by those who know the genre well.
