The Last House on the Left

American International Pictures | Release Date: August 30, 1972

6.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Ratings

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TheQuietGamerAug 22, 2021

Gosh, this is depraved. I've seen a few movies from back in the day that received the infamous "video nasty" label such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but this is the first one where I've understood why people got all up in arms over it.Gosh, this is depraved. I've seen a few movies from back in the day that received the infamous "video nasty" label such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but this is the first one where I've understood why people got all up in arms over it. Even now almost a full 50 years later it could still be classified as morally offensive cinema to some.

The story is about two teenage girls who in the folly of youth decide to attend a concert on the bad side of town and attempt to score some weed from a shady guy they meet along the way. This leads to them getting abducted by a group of prison escapees who proceed to torture and rape them on their way to the Canadian border. By some strange twist of fate though they end breaking down in front of the house of one of the girl's parents. What follows is some good ol' fashioned bloody revenge.

This is an incredibly bleak experience. I was only able to make it all the way through to the end credits because it never gets too explicit in its depictions of sexual assault, largely cutting away from the act whenever it occurs. Still, I saw more than I wanted to on that front, and there are plenty of other forms of violence being graphically portrayed right before our eyes. As a result this is definitely not for everyone. It requires an iron constitution and a strong stomach.

So what makes this kind of work despite its harshness and bizarre tonal shifts that come from watching two bumbling cops fumble their way through their investigation into the girls' disappearance? Wes Craven. He showed a remarkable ability to do a lot with very limited resources in his directorial debut. The grainy, low-budget visuals give things an appropriately grimy look and feel. You can almost smell the dirt, sweat, tears, and blood. Another individual deserving of praise in all this however is David Hess as the film's big baddie. Not only is he a physically imposing presence, but displays a knack for mental domination as well as we witness him verbally bully someone into shooting themself in the head. It could have been a career-making performance had the movie itself not been so repulsive. Oh, and the soundtrack? Literally perfect.

While I'm sure there are plenty of more severe options out there, this is the sickest, meanest exploitation flick I've seen thus far. I'm not even certain I could really call it "enjoyable" at all. Yet, if you're determined to watch something vile and nasty it may as well have come from one of the most influential horror directors there has been or ever will be. At least that way you can see the similarities it has to his other works, such as the nearly identical in structure The Hills Have Eyes.… Expand

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hardcorekiddJul 23, 2018

Teenagers Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then killsTeenagers Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then kills the girls in the woods, not realizing they're near Mari's house. When they pose as salesmen and are taken in by Mari's mother (Cynthia Carr) and father (Gaylord St. James), it doesn't take the parents long to figure out their identities and plot revenge. Wes Craven's directing really sells this as an enjoyable Mystery/Slasher film. Final Grade is a B.… Expand