Hollywood loves the idea of a city couple/family to move to the country, only to have something terrible happen to them because of their house. It has been the theme of many movies (and this will be a whole other post), and this time we have (the remake of) Straw Dogs.
What makes Straw Dogs attractive to me is (apart from the cast), is that this time the house isn’t haunted. There are no *Supernatural (see below the movie still for the related Supernatural episode) elements here. The villains are very much human. From what it seems, these villains are not even scary convicts or threatening strangers. They were born and bred in that town – a town Amy Summer (Kate Bosworth) boasts of being so safe that “they don’t even lock the doors”. It is with that great, safe town in mind that they move there, and hire the locals (led by True Blood’s Alex Skarsgard) to repair their roof. But the locals turn out to be bullies, and they decide that they want to play by their own rules, and not their employers’. Of course David Summer (James Marsden) tries to fire them, but guess what? They really don’t take no for an answer, and turn the Summers’ lives into a living hell. So who do you think will win?
I always find that human villains make for creepier, more thrilling movies. And if the story isn’t that far-fetched – if you feel like this could be you- then you are in for a treat.
I don’t know if Straw Dogs will deliver, but the trailer looks really promising. And it is better when James Marsden doesn’t just play the cute romantic lead, because he has a knack for playing darker, or at least, grayer characters. Check out 24th Day to see what I mean.
Adapted and directed by Rod Lurie. The problem? Straw Dogs has got to live up to the original Straw Dogs, a 1971 movie starring Dustin Hoffman. Straw Dogs is based on the novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm, and the 1971 movie script written by Sam Peckinpah & David Zelag Goodman.
Coming to the theaters in mid-September. Link to the youtube trailer:
* Supernatural: Ofcourse the TV show Supernatural has a “haunted” episode where a family relocates to the country to solve their problems, and it is not long before the kids get to meet the “ghost”. But is she acutally a ghost, or can the non-supernatural be much more terrifying than any supernatural element?
21 starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey: It’s Vegas, baby!!!
Also on James Marsden:
Enchanted starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey & James Marsden
24th Hour starring James Marsden & Scott Speedman
Gossip starring James Marsden, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson & Joshua Jackson
Stardust, The Air I Breathe, Playing by Heart, The Good Shepherd, Hairspray & He’s Just Not That Into You: 6 Good Movies with Brilliant Casts– feat. Hairspray with James Marsden