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The film which brought Wes Craven to the attention of the horror movie world, “Last House on the Left” (originally “Night of Vengeance”) is an enigmatically titled reworking of Ingmar Bergman’s classic “The Virgin Spring” – for ‘reworking’ read ‘dumbed down’.
In its day (released in 1972, shot earlier), it was seen as a horrific gore fest and was denounced as un-American. As has been frequently pointed out, the visceral images from the film were hardly as disturbing as the daily diet of television news from Vietnam which the American public were then watching. For some reason it was seen as going too far, as being too violent for its time … and the notoriety meant it sold and sold and earned a cult reputation which can appear a little surprising by contemporary standards.
Originally envisaged as a hard-core porn movie which would push the boundaries, “Last House on the Left” evolved into purist horror during the shooting (or maybe the editing). It presents two young women heading off from rural Connecticut into New York city to watch a band called ‘Blood Lust’. It’s Mary’s 17th birthday, she’s lovely and innocent, and this is her first real excursion to the big city. Her friend, and obviously a corrupting influence, leads her astray … and they find themselves kidnapped by a couple of guys newly escaped from prison … or rather, by a couple of guys and their two hangers on.
The gang take the girls back to Connecticut, coincidentally parking up outside Mary’s home, and take the girls for a walk in the woods. I use ‘walk in the woods’ euphemistically. Mary’s parents will stumble on what has happened and exact their own, gory retribution.
Frankly, it’s dreadful. The acting is atrocious – the lassie who played Mary was apparently terrified out of her skull that they really were going to kill her. The actors are completely over the top when they’re not actually wooden. They improvise – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It looks like all the best bits were just kept in, edited to fit – so you get incongruous moments of light relief which contrast with the narrative needs of the plot. You sense that, at one point, it was going to be a comic horror … you sense that this is a film which underwent several incarnations before achieving its final form.
Lighting and direction are amateurish – and there are some comments on the DVD extras which present this as exciting and new, and a lot of comments which admit that no one making the film had any previous experience and that they were making it up as they went along. It shows. Picture and sound quality are poor. The editing can be haphazard and a touch self-conscious – perhaps reflecting an absence of script and narrative control.
There is some coy nudity, some gore, but this is a black and white movie. The images are, quite frankly, tame. The violence is amateurish. Overall, it looks very dated. Craven and company couldn’t find a market for it until some advertising executive decided to re-title it “Last House on the Left” – for no obvious reason – and market it with the now infamous “it’s only a movie” epithet.
It’s interesting, it’s worth watching as a piece of history and as a landmark in American horror, but it has a cult reputation which far exceeds both its artistic and its horror quality. And I would seriously recommend buying this as part of “The Wes Craven Collection”, where it is packaged with three other films and some interesting extras, and you get a real sense of the development of Craven’s style and sophistication compared to this first offering.
Rating: 3 / 5
Infamous for having been banned in the UK for many years, Last House on the Left is still a vicious little film. As might be expected, Wes Craven’s first film has production values so low they are barely there, but the lack of polish makes this seem a much more grainy and real film – this is a million miles away from the slick horror of A Nightmare on Elm Street, instead seeming more like an early template for the sadistic horror of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The story is presented as a collision between two families – one a normal conservative suburban family, the other a drug-crazed psychotic Charles Manson-type Family. The first half of the film – while crude – shows flashes of genius, and the fate of the two girls the Family come across is both shocking (convention leads us to expect at least one of these girls to survive to become the heroine of the film) and brilliantly acted and filmed (witness the dead-eyed girls post-rape walk into the river). Unfortunately the second half of the film doesn’t quite convince – the actors playing one of the girls parents are dire, and if two parents found out their daughters killers were in the house I would expect them to attack them without thinking, not potter around laying traps. The film as a whole deals with an incredibly dark subject matters, but Craven unwisely tries to inject some comedy interludes with a couple of bungling policemen – while not completely without merit these inserts clash horribly with the tone of the rest of the picture. The music score is also utterly bizarre, with someone playing an acoustic guitar and singing along songs about the characters in the film over the action, but somehow this works well in highlighting the mood, and becomes one of this films most distinctive and quirky delights. Last House on the Left is certainly uncomfortable viewing, but for every moment of ineptness there’s a moment of brilliance – this is an important film for fans of modern horror, laying the groundwork for the genre pinnacle of Texas Chainsaw, but it’s not exactly pleasant viewing.
NB. Unfortunately while no longer banned, the draconian British Board of Film Censors STILL wont let this film be released without cutting it – according to them as a mature adult you are still deemed to be just to idiotic to be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality, and are expected to turn into a psychotic killer rapist after viewing this film (did it happen to any of them I wonder?), so if you want to see the film as intended you’ll need to import the uncut American version.
Rating: 3 / 5
this film suffers badly from its censorship cuts (like ‘the hills have eyes’ & ‘I spit on your grave’) and the final edit is made to look shabby. however, this film is better than the two referenced above. craven does exhibit some sense of cinema – his use of music for one is well done here.
this film tells the story of a gang of criminals who assault and kill two girls only to get their comeupence from the parents. these rape-revenge films are largely subject to controversy and bans but the infamy they gain leaves it difficult to be objective – or dissapointed(?). it’s a seventies film so the acting is corny and what was then cool certainly isn’t now(hiding alcohol in a river tied to string?) the rape scene isn’t pleasent but then that’s no surprise and the scene when one of the girls is made to pee herself isn’t nice either.
this film has a reputation as being nasty but as with most of these films it has dated ‘not so well’. one of the better films in this sub-genre but still not a great one.
Rating: 2 / 5
It’s hard to analyse a film like Wes Craven’s 1972 horror classic ‘Last House on the Left’, due to different types of audiences that view movies from the genre. It is very much a ‘cult’ film in every sense of the word, and anyone other than horror enthusiasts and Craven fans will no doubt find little interest in this intelligent work.
‘Last House on the Left’ is a genuinely disturbing horror opus, which pulls no punches in it’s representation of violence and rape, and the debasing affects of these acts. The violence is shown in a raw and dispassionate style, turning the stomach of the viewer, and is shockingly realistic. Although the violence is very much a key factor in the film, Craven’s direction and morbid imagination is unforgettable, and the screenplay offers up some witty dialogue and a lot of shock value.
It’s position in the annals of horror history is legendary, though some viewers may be turned off, due to the low-budget and crude nature of the film, and the overall feeling of dread carried throughout. It is a draining and ultimately harrowing exercise, which is distinctively hard to view. This is definitely not a movie for mainstream audiences, and is extremely different to the more popular horror ventures.
The movie also features a towering performance by David Hess, as the truly dispicable Krug. A pitch-perfect (and terrifying) depiction of his character, is the films key highlight. Gore effects are also stomach-churning, and aren’t given a stylised edge, therefore upping the scare factor considerably. The grainy, documentary style presentation is also a substantial element in evoking response from the audience. ‘The Blair Witch Project’ followed in a similar vein, but that didn’t pack the visceral punch that this film delivers in spades. While this version is cut, some scenes will still frighten certain viewers.
Do I recommend this film? My answer is complicated. If it sounds like you’re kind of flick, you should give it a go. All I ask, is that you go into it with an open mind. While it is far from a masterpiece, the historical siginificance of a film like ‘Last House on the Left’ remains true. The film is crude and without gloss, but it was also ground-breaking. Ultimately, you’ll either love this film, or absoloutely hate it.
Rating: 4 / 5
This film is amazing! It is a film that is loosely based on Inger Bergman’s 1960 film The Virgin Spring. It was also Wes Craven’s first feature film. It is about two girls called Mari & Phyllis who on their way to a rock concert, are kidnapped by four recently escaped criminals. They are then raped, humiliated, tortured, mutilated, disembowelled and shot by their captors. The criminals then spend the night in the last house on the left which is coincidently, owned by one of the girls’ parents. The parents slowly come to realise the fate of their missing daughter and the identity of their guests and proceed to exact bloody revenge on them.
In Britain the Last House on the Left has been causing controversy since the day it was first submitted to the BBFC in 1972 – it was given an outright ban with the BBFC making clear that cuts would make no difference. The film was not allowed to be screened in Britain, and among others Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The film however did manage to become available on video in the early 80s but this was before the Video Recordings Act in 1984 and it did feature predominantly on the Director of Public Prosecutions top 60 ‘Video Nasty’ list. The film also managed to achieve 113 convictions under the Obscene Publication Act in the UK between 1983 and 1987.
Recently the film was submitted again to the BBFC but they demanded that cuts were required to several horrific scenes, including the woman’s chest being carved with a knife, the violent stabbing assault on a woman, the removal of the woman’s entrails and the humiliation of a woman forced to urinate and the two women being forced to strip naked. Not all of what I have described will be seen if you have bought the UK version. But, nevetheless, the film is definatley not for the faint hearted.
The trailer for the film invites the viewer to relish the words “It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie…”. The film has a deep and disturbing portrayal of female humiliation that is brought upon them by their captors. Although the acting is poor and the script bad the grittyness of the film stock and the manner in which it is put to screen add to the overall effect of a dangerous movie. It does not live up to todays standards but then neither does The Exorcist, but then no true film fan would deny that that is a great film.
Unfortunatley the BBFC have demanded these cuts to the ‘Last House on the Left’and in doing so have ruined a groundbraking masterpiece as this film preceded the slasher films of the 70s including the Friday 13th series (which are directed by Sean Cunningham, the producer on Last House on the Left) and Tobe Hoopers ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.
The BBFC have tried to dumb down this film by releasing it cut but the legacy will live on until the day it is released in its entirity in this country. But having said that it is still worth the watch as you will notice the scenes that went on to inspire many of the horror greats.
This a must see for all horror fans (but only if you can not get hold of the uncut version)!
One thing I forgot to mention and an interesting fact is that if you walk in to a high street store and pick up a copy of this DVD you will notice on the carboard sleeve that it states the running time as 84mins, where as on the plastic case inside it states the running time as 81mins. Unyet the BBFC have only cut 31secs – or so they say??!
Rating: 3 / 5