There are three haunted house movies I’ve been anticipating this summer. You Should Have Left was one of them and the first to release. Last Friday when it hit Amazon’s Prime Video Cinema, I paid the $19.99 to stream it. Was it worth it?
If you haven’t seen it yet and are wondering if you should stream it this weekend, here are some thoughts.
Thoughts on You Should Have Left
The Good
The acting was superb. But really, it is Kevin Bacon we’re talking about here. He can play any role, and no matter which he chooses, he delivers.
Amanda Seyfried didn’t have as many emotionally taxing scenes as Bacon did, so she didn’t have to flex her acting muscle in quite the same way. But her performance was also solid.
The one who blew me away, though, was Avery Tiiu Essex, who plays Bacon and Seyfried’s daughter. She’s got the same kind of child star acting chops that Drew Barrymore and Dakota Fanning had at her age. She’s an adorable scene and heart-stealer.
The cinematography and the setting also deserve an honorable mention for creating the atmosphere.
The Okay
There are a few chilling scenes, but none that are truly scary. A little disturbing and odd, but nope. Not scary.
The Bad
The storyline left me wanting. It was predictable, contrived, and, as is too often the case, not nearly as interesting as the trailer had promised.
It also didn’t make sense. I’d like to have known more about the house and how it changes, who else lived there. The house’s history would’ve made a more interesting movie than the characters who ended up renting it for a couple of weeks.
The Trailer
What Others Are Saying
Here are my 5 favorite top reviews from Amazon:
1. 1 star from Goldie Lox
I love Kevin Bacon
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
2. 3 stars from MostDeviousKing
The Devil’s in the Details
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
3. 5 stars from Jeannie
So good!
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
4. 2 stars from Ayla
Not quite “meh”
5. 1 star from Sam Niznik
You Should Have Passed (on this)
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
Overall
Basically, most viewers –myself included– agree that You Should Have Left is not worth the $20.
Unless you’re a huge Kevin Bacon fan, or have binged everything else in your queue, I’d advise waiting until this shows up for free in one of your streaming services.
It’s a two skulls out of five for me.
Check-In
What’s your favorite Kevin Bacon movie? If you don’t have one, how many degrees away from one of your favorite movies is he?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I saw this one! I was confused but then I enjoyed the atmosphere (especially if you watch it in the dark), so I didn’t care. Dear Husband and I just kind of made up a story-line for the parts we didn’t “get.”:-)