The Last House on the Left

"The Last House on the Left" (1972) plays a pivotal role in the history of horror cinema, marking Wes Craven's directorial debut. Although it features somewhat quirky performances and moments of comedy that occasionally break the tension, this is undoubtedly a negative aspect, along with its strange and disconcerting soundtrack.

However, the film manages to maintain an intense atmosphere in its more serious moments, whether through Craven's direction or the image quality that gives it an amateur feel, as if we were witnessing real events on camera. The film's plot may not be particularly innovative, but it makes up for it with its scenes of violence, which at the time were, in a way, considered a novelty.

Although it has aged somewhat problematically in certain respects, "The Last House on the Left" still retains its disturbing power and deserves to be appreciated, especially for its lasting influence on the genre, serving as inspiration for countless other films.

Last House on the Left, The (1972)

*** (out of 4)

Craven's notorious shocker is a remake of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring and deals with two teenage girls going to the city for a concert but being kidnapped by four crazed criminals. The girls and raped, tortured and eventually murdered but the killer's end up spending the night at one of the girl's houses where the tables are turned. I've seen this film countless times in my life and it always disturbed me to the point where I hated the movie with a passion. I always felt the movie was rather poorly made and in the end it was nothing but an exploitation show meant to disturb you. I still feel that way but I've actually doubled my normal star rating because the film actually worked with me this time. My stomach was still being turned and I was disgusted in its vile nature but I reckon that was the whole point. There's still a lot that I don't like about the film including the stupid comedy relief from the two idiot cops. Why Craven decided to throw this slapstick in is beyond me because it really feels out of place especially when it pops up after watching two teens get brutally murdered. Another issue is that the film looks incredibly cheap (it was a low budget) and amateurish but this adds some to its atmosphere and makes the film seem all the more real. The now legendary tagline that "it's only a movie" is something to really keep in mind as the film comes off very realistic as if you're watching a documentary. The performances are all rather mixed but they all suit the film fine and that includes David Hess as the leader of the gang and Marc Sheffler as his heroin addicted son. The dialogue in the film, especially the opening ten minutes, is downright awful but there's still no denying that this is a highly disturbing film that manages to be vile, disgusting and just downright evil.

A strong candidate for "The Worst Movie of All Time". With his first film Craven reached heights of ineptitude and tastelessness that even Craven-haters should be surprised by, and the incompetence is far-reaching; in every respect imaginable does this film not fail to fail. This piece of exploitative trash is at the very least the worst killers-on-the-lam film ever made. The acting ranges from one-dimensional to atrocious to ridiculous, and the characters behave in such an inconsistent and illogical manner that I have to suspect that this movie wasn't so much directed as that it's simply a collection of improvised scenes by a couple of bored – and talentless - students who just happened to have had a camera nearby. One of the main things that separates a film like "I Spit On Your Grave" from this junk is that Craven has neither respect nor pity for victims of brutal crimes; this he shows more than obviously by playing utterly inappropriate cheerful music while the two girls are being shoved into the trunk of a car and then driven off. At the end of the film there is yet more upbeat music. This is not some fantasy zombie film where you can expect your audience to laugh with you about the exaggerated and silly events and cartoon violence that take place in the movie. The main events in this "reality-based" horror movie haven't got an iota of a humorous side to them, and the fact that Craven doesn't realize this shows what a sad little degenerate he is. An English professor??? What a joke. In-between scenes of torture, degradation, and murder Craven manages to squeeze in scenes of goofy cops, which we are supposed to find amusing.

I first saw Last House on the Left at the age of 18 at the drive in with my best girlfriend. This movie, an early outing by horror maven Wes Craven was so disturbing to me that 26 years later I am still haunted by the images on the screen. The story, of 2 young girls, approximately the same age I was when I saw the film, of being abducted, tortured, raped and then murdered is not for the faint of heart. The brutality and violence was staggering, and the film spoke volumes of the depravity of the human soul. I remember driving home with my girlfriend after watching this, and both of us were dead silent, each contemplating what we had watched and knowing that something like that could happen to us. This movie is one I know without a doubt, that I will never again watch, and now, being the parent of a daughter myself, I could never watch it and then allow her out of the house again. This is not a monster movie, the MONSTERS are human and all too real, especially in today's society filled with Ted Bundy's and The Green River Killer, this movie hits too close to home and leaves the viewer depressed and saddened at what human beings are capable of doing to other innocent people. Watch it if you dare, but be prepared to be left with a very hollow feeling after it is over.

"to avoid fainting"???!!! Oh puuuuurlease!!! What an aboslute let down! having been banned by the moral majority for over a decade,we have finally be deemed "adult" enough to watch LHOTL.now i love wes craven as much as the next woman but c'mon Wes..Give us a break!! Badly acted,poorly scripted and dare i say..badly directed.An absolute waste of my hard earned cash...i should've waited for it to be aired on T.V..probably one sunday night, late, when we're all in bed!! but if all else fails remember "it's only a movie"