New doorways and hallways pop up at random, leading to some curiously MC Escher-style detours. Corrupt Feds — Guess Who Wins. Instead, he held onto his guilt and pain and made himself a vulnerable to be taken by the Devil and his house. A screenwriting legend with a to-die-for resumé (Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible, Panic Room, War of the Worlds), his career as a writer-director can be filed under “frustratingly spotty.” When Koepp does double-duty dabble in psychological horror, as with the 1999 Richard Matheson adaptation Stir of Echoes, which also starred Bacon, and his 2004 take on Stephen King’s Secret Window, the results tend to be second-rate scares stuck on a low simmer. The ending of You Should Have Left sees Theo (Kevin Bacon) eternally trapped by the hellish house, but his wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) somehow managed to escape. After the events of You Should Have Left, Susanna will live out her own tortured existence as her sins continue to weigh on her, but when the time comes that she is ready to face her sins, she will likely find herself back at that house with Theo. RELATED: You Should Have Left: Ending & House Explained. Instead, he held onto his guilt and pain and made himself a vulnerable to be taken by the Devil and his house. Theo was charged and put on trial for her death but was ultimately found not guilty and released a free man by the justice system. It's an interesting concept because it implies that for the Devil to catch a guilty person, that person must believe themselves to truly be guilty, regardless of any other factors. Writer-director David Koepp’s tale of a family stuck in a haunted Air Bnb is a spooky showcase for its star’s unflappable professionalism…and little else, Avery Tiiu Essex and Kevin Bacon in 'You Should Have Left.'. The house works as both a beacon and a prison for those with a guilty conscience. The idea of sin is deeply ingrained in him. It contains contradictions, irregularities and deeply rooted fears that represent the complicated nature of Theo and the repressed guilt he feels over the death of his first wife. She likes practicing yoga, talking about movies, and petting dogs. We want to hear from you! The house has adapted overtime in its methods of luring guilty souls into its midst, showing that the Devil must have adapted to modern times. Warning! The religious undertones in You Should Have Left lay the foundation for the Blumhouse horror movie's ending. The house, and the proprietor, Stetler (also played by Bacon), are aware of the guilt deep within Theo and exploit his fears and anxieties of failing his current family, mainly his young daughter, to torture him. Major spoilers for You Should Have Left Below. The best parts of "You Should Have Left" are the first moments when the family realizes all is not as it seems at their vacation home. The house traps the souls of sinners destined for hell and Theo's crimes absolutely put him in that category, but Susanna should be as well. Koepp can set up a curdling May-December dynamic between Bacon and Seyfried, yet he can’t get her mother/actress to seem like more than a rough draft of a sketch of a character. There’s more creepiness on parade, of course, including mysterious figures in mildewy bathtubs, mysterious rooms that aren’t beholden to the rules of time and space, mysterious reflections in mysterious mirrors, mysterious voices on the ends of mysterious phone calls and a mystery man who keeps appearing in Ella’s dreams. He can remind you that Blumhouse, the production company behind the film and the patron saints of modern horror, can do these sort of things in their sleep, but he can’t keep you from occasionally feeling like you’re going to drift into a nap in between “gotcha!” jolts. He stood by and watched as she accidentally drowned in the tub, his inaction resulted in her death. Major spoilers for You Should Have Left Below. Theo was famously accused and cleared of his first wife's murder. We break down what happens to Susanna in You Should Have Left's eerie ending and how it compares to the fate of her husband Theo. Legends tell of this particular house and the many houses that existed before it, going back immeasurably through time. It is a fact that has tortured him and riddled his subconscious with terrible guilt ever since. It is safe to say, however, that the sins of the father loom large here — we can confirm this, because a character actually says that very thing at one point. You soon realize that it’s actually coming from inside your own mouth. According to the movie's mythos, it's important to accept one's demons in order to face them. A one-stop shop for all things video games. Theo keeps stumbling across eerie Polaroids scattered around the place. Haunted-house stories occupy a lot of prime real estate in horror — they’re easy narrative structures for four-walling tales of things that go bump in the night and the psyche, the perfect go-to Gothic settings for letting literal ghosts of the past come out to play (or slay). The Devil goes by different rules than the justice system. So Theo, Susanna and their daughter, Ella (Avery Tiiu Essex), decide to take a quick family vacation before Mom reports to set. The mind-bending twists and the ever-changing layout of the house are symbolic of self-conscience. Staying in the house is his repentance. In the film's ending, he admits to Susanna that he let her die. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. You Should Have Left is a 2020 American psychological horror film written and directed by David Koepp, based on the 2017 book of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann.It stars Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried. What you realize the longer you follow Kevin Bacon through his own personal Overlook, however, is that it’s really closer to those Halloween pop-ups that rattle a few chains, give you a few aggressive stock shocks, and then brusquely send you on your way. Susanna isn't there yet. The House’s 20 standing committees have different legislative jurisdictions. Forget about cell reception. The idea plays into what has been a very game attempt at Poe-lite spookiness, though it does threaten to brush away whatever good will Koepp, Bacon and the production design team has built up to that point. It’s also a notion that Koepp is keen to exploit for all its worth once things go full-blown Hill House. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. The strange events cause Theo to face the demons of his past, setting it apart from other standard haunted house movies. After years of denial, Theo finally came to terms with his sins. ‘You Should Have Left’ Review: The Fall of the House of Bacon Writer-director David Koepp’s tale of a family stuck in a haunted Air Bnb is … He can gin up jump scares — watch out, someone just ran behind you, accompanied by a burst of symphonic cacophony! Ever since, houses have continued to populate that land and draw in vacationers, some of whom never leave. Amanda Seyfried and Kevin Bacon in “You Should Have Left,” now ... Universal Pictures. With Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seyfried, Avery Tiiu Essex, Colin Blumenau. 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Sarah Shatz/Universal Pictures The bottom line: 'You Should Have Left' starts strong, and even though the ending is a bit of a letdown, it's still worth a watch. For starters, there are no pictures on the walls. Could that be the person who scrawled YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT in his private diary, followed by the message: NOW IT’S TOO LATE? Not even his mandated anger-management journaling can quell the paranoia and tension. When he goes to shut things down for the evening — the lights in this place have a way of not turning off when you flip a switch, or simply going out at random — he returns a few minutes later…only to see that the clock says he’s been gone for almost five hours. Please — she's running out of movies to watch. This character’s scribbling isn’t professional, however, but simply therapeutic: It seems that Theo’s first wife passed away under questionable circumstances, and not even a not-guilty verdict could convince the general public of his innocence. — but can’t really get a rhythm going here. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Sort Of, You Should Have Left: Here's Why That House Is Haunted, Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Different Takes on the Same Killer, You Should Have Left: Ending & House Explained, You Should Have Left: Writer & Director David Koepp On His New Thriller, You Should Have Left Is a Tense, Mind-Bending Psychological Thriller, Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe Needs to Bring Back Betty Ross, Crimson Peak Is the Perfect Gothic Romance For Halloween, NIGHTSTREAM: Detention Is the First Arthouse Video Game Movie, Michael B. 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So if the legends of the town are to be believed, Stetler is the Devil, or at least a devil, who lures in people with extreme guilt and keeps them prisoners to claim their souls for hell. Each considers bills and issues and recommends measures for consideration by the House. Even though some sins are unforgivable, the Christian faith says you must repent your sins. That sin is why it was his fate to be trapped in the house. She also has a diploma in Writing for Film & Television from Vancouver Film School. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. The Haunting of Hill House Explained. Except things seem a little off about the place.