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The Last House on the Left (1972)
Director: Wes Craven
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Craven's first horror movie is pretty strong meat, though it never quite lives down to its infamous reputation. Two teenage girls (Grantheim and Cassel), on their way to a rock concert, are abducted, tortured and raped by a pair of psycopathic killers, Krug and Weasel, their dyke accomplice Sadie, and Krug's heroin-addicted son Junior. Then, in a twist borrowed from Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, the criminals ask for help when their car breaks down at a nearby house, where Cassel's parents (surprise, surprise) discover the truth and wreak brutal revenge. Rape, disembowelment and death by chainsaw are now standard horror fare, but Craven's cold, flat style of filming emphasises the fact that the violence dehumanises not only the victims but the aggressors. Craven fans will also note an early use of the domestic booby traps and dream sequences which were to be central to the later Nightmare on Elm Street.Author: NF
Cast & crew
Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Sean S Cunningham
Cast: David Hess, Lucy Grantheim, Sandra Cassel, Marc Sheffier, Jeramie Rain, Fred Lincoln full cast
Genre(s): Horror
Rated: R
Duration: 100 mins
US Release: Mar 13 2009
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