You Should Have Left
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: David Koepp
Writer: David Koepp, Daniel Kehlmann (novel)
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Bacon, Avery Tiiu Essex
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Rated: R for some violence, disturbing images, sexual content and language
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: To salvage his disintegrating marriage, Theo Conroy takes his wife and their six-year-old daughter to a luxurious home located in a remote Welsh village to reconnect. What looked like a perfect retreat soon spirals into a nightmare.
Review: “You Should Have Left” is a familiar horror tale that finds Theo, a wealthy man (Kevin Bacon) with a sketchy past, married to Susanna (Amanda Seyfried), an actress half his age. The marriage is troubled, though they try to hide it from Ella (Avery Tiiu Essex), their six-year-old child. Theo may have played a role in the death of his ex-wife. Susanna wants to believe that it isn’t true; the mystery excites her. A thrill dulled by time and Theo’s cold and sullen behavior. Were it not for Ella, the marriage would have already ended.
The film’s title, “You Should Have Left,” has just as much to do with the couple’s relationship as it does with the haunted house aspect of the story. In fact, the relationship between Theo and Susanna is the most frightening aspect of the film. Will Theo snap and killed Susanna? Will Ella be there when it happens?
There are, of course, supernatural elements at play here. Already haunted by nightmares, the Welsh countryside and the house on the hill intensify their visions. We only ever meet two of the villagers, but they are anything but friendly. They talk about the house in vague, ominous ways. Are suspicious of anyone who would choose to stay there.
I’ve never read Daniel Kehlmann’s novel, but director/writer David Koepp gives us a story that relies heavily on ambiguity. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s something intriguing about a haunted house that is simply haunted, but “You Should Have Left” isn’t really about the house. It’s about guilt. It almost doesn’t matter if the house is really haunted because the people obviously are.
“You Should Have Left” doesn’t quite stick the landing, there’s a lot of potential left on the table, but the choice to make the psychological horror is much stronger than the supernatural scares is something I can fully get behind.