Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Writer David Koepp became a Director years ago, but his freshest scarer is YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried from Universal Pictures. PANIC ROOM’s Koepp will fry Bacon and toast Seyfried, no doubt in this nailer-biter for Blumhouse Productions. You have only to peruse their description, as the goosebumps appear prior to the 6/19 release.

On a personal note, Koepp was my mentor at UCLA Film School and uses the fine art of rewriting dozens of drafts to take his films to a high polish, including THE PAPER, he wrote with his brother, as with everything from JURASSIC PARK to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. The man does not ever submit a first raft, kidding, first draft. Not sure about the grammatical structure of the title, but hey, it’s aces. This movie is based on best-selling German literary sensation Daniel Kehlmann's novel.

While a master re-writer, David Koepp has become an exceptional helmer with an eye toward Robert-Wise-like (THE HAUNTING) suspense building. Spielberg loves this guy, which helps.

Take a Gander for Goosbumps

Here’s the Official ‘Terrifying Tale’ Download

In a new psychological thriller from Blumhouse Productions and legendary screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Panic Room), Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried star as a couple seeking a restful vacation on an isolated edge of the world only to discover that secrets demand a reckoning … and travel with you.   

In this terrifying, mind-twisting tale, a father fights desperately to save his family from a beautiful home that refuses to let them leave.  

Theo Conroy (Bacon) is a successful middle-aged man whose marriage to his much younger actress wife, Susanna (Seyfried) is shredding at the seams, frayed by her secretiveness, his jealousy, and the shadow of his past.  

In an effort to repair their relationship, Theo and Susanna book a vacation at a stunning, remote modern home in the Welsh countryside for themselves and their six-year-old daughter, Ella (Avery Essex).

What at first seems like a perfect retreat distorts into a perfect nightmare when Theo’s grasp on reality begins to unravel and he suspects that a sinister force within the house knows more than he or Susanna have revealed, even to each other.  

Based on the novel by best-selling German literary sensation Daniel Kehlmann (Measuring the World), You Should Have Left is written and directed by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes). The film is produced by grandmaster of terror Jason Blum (The Purge and Halloween franchises), Kevin Bacon and Dean O’Toole (Walk Like a Panther), and is executive produced by Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Derek Ambrosi.  

Genre Thriller Cast Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seyfried, Avery Essex Director David Koepp Screenplay by David Koepp, based on the novel by Daniel Kehlmann Producers Jason Blum, Kevin Bacon, Dean O’Toole Executive Producers Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson, Derek Ambrosi #YouShouldHaveLeftMovie is On Demand Everywhere 6/19/2020. # # #