“You Should Have Left” will make you want to double check the reviews on your next vacation rental. This psychological thriller starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried is a twist on the classic haunted house theme.
The film is based on a book by German author Daniel Kehlmann. Writer-director David Koepp ("Jurassic Park" and "Mission: Impossible,”) partners with Blumhouse to tackle the screenplay for YSHL. Koepp previously worked with Bacon on “Stir of Echoes.”
Now they have re-teamed to bring this eerie book to life. There is a lot of time spent in the beginning setting up the relationship between Bacon’s character Theo and his much-younger wife and Susanna (Seyfried). The pair seem woefully mismatched which Bacon says was a specific choice they made for the film.
“We tried to tap into this idea that in this marriage, this man is paranoid,” Bacon explains. “He’s married to a woman who is way too young for him and clearly in the prime of her life. And I’m on the backside of my life.”
That paranoia plays out in a Welsh countryside vacation home, where the hallways seem to go on forever and people disappear through doors. Theo’s insecurities about his age and career combined with exhaustion, have him questioning what is real and what is a dream. Creepy shadows, dark rooms and window reflections lend themselves to the thrill in this thriller. But Seyfried says there was only one thing that was scary to her.
“For me the scariest part of this film was the marriage,” Seyfried says. “You’re like, there’s something really wrong with these people. I think the two characters are really interesting because they are hiding a whole helluva lot.”
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Add to the mix Avery Essex (“Modern Family”) as their six-year-old daughter and we see some strange choices. You’re also left wondering why on earth they would think a six-year-old would enjoy a creepy, isolated house in the Welsh countryside as a vacation. But that’s just one question you’ll be asking while watching this movie along with, should they have left?
“You Should Have Left” stars Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seyfried and Avery Essex. It was written and directed by David Koepp and is available now on demand.
