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Wes Craven's Last House On The Left has a bad reputation, perhaps unfairly, since not many have actually seen it. In this article, two horror fans take... The Last House On The Left: Not Too Scary But Plenty Creepy By TERESA HENSON The Last House On The Left was an early Wes Craven film...I'm thinking somewhere between 1972 and 1974. I read an interview with Craven in a magazine somewhere that this film now makes him feel "dirty" (like he needs a bath...no sexual innuendo here) when he screens it. It's not really all that scary, but it's creepy in a '70's exploitation kind of way...a teenage girl and her best friend are celebrating her birthday by going into the big city to see a rock concert. Before the concert they try to score some marijuana and run into a seedy character outside an apartment building who tells them he has some upstairs and to come on up. Well, they do and instead of a simple petty drug deal...they meet up with the rest of his "gang" that consists of small-time criminals, escaped convicts, and the seriously deranged girlfriend of the gang leader.
The gang kidnaps the two girls...takes them out to the woods (very close to the birthday girl's house, unbeknownst to the gang), rapes, tortures, and finally kills them. The rape scenes and one killing scene in particular, while not gory, is very realistic, and definitely gives you the feeling of hopelessness. The body of the birthday girl is thrown into a nearby creek...and I think, my memory gets a little fuzzy here, is discovered by a local police officer who is responding to the warning call regarding the escaped criminals and is patrolling the area. I guess it could have actually been her parents who discovered it...I can't remember... All I remember is her body being brought back to her house...the last house on the left...
The criminals who have been stumbling around in the woods lost and severely under the influence of assorted drugs and alcohol come upon the house and ask the girl's parents (once again, unbeknownst to them) for shelter from an ensuing storm. The parents take them in...and the mother discovers a necklace or some piece of jewelry that she gave her daughter for her birthday in the possession of one of the criminals, and the revenge begins. The parents take out the criminals one by one in various and sometimes interesting ways. Anyway...that probably gives you more of a description than you, or most people really want. I would recommend seeing it just for the fact that it is Craven's first film and bears merit because of that. It's also good if you like cheesy, early Seventies exploitation films like I do...enjoy! * * * The Last House On The Left: Not Bad For A First Try By RACHEL BERARDINELLI The Last House On The Left. Just the name alone gives you an eerie feel. Widely known by all horror fans, this movie has gotten good and bad raves. First time I had seen it was a few days ago. The reason why I picked this movie was because I had heard about it from everyone that was anyone. The Last House On The Left, from what I heard, was supposed to be a suspenseful, disturbing film that would scare you horrifically. While at Blockbuster Video in Providence, Rhode Island, I saw the box and knew I had to rent it. I just had to. The cover on the box promised to deliver a creepy feeling. I grabbed the box and left, giddy with anticipation.
I didn't know a thing about the plot, only that it involved killers and two young girls. Oh yeah, can't forget the house! At roughly ten o'clock, I popped the tape into my VCR, made myself some popcorn and got prepared to be scared out of my mind. Well, that didn't quite happen. I wanted to like this movie, I really did. But there was just something about it. The music was horrible, the acting wasn't all that great, and it looked like it was made with a cheap home video camera.
The plot itself was good, and the death scenes were done well. But it just lacked something, I think the word is quality. Don't get me wrong--I liked it. But it wasn't the best movie I have seen, it certainty wasn't the worse. Not bad for Craven's first time around. I wouldn't recommend this to a little kid, due to the rape/torture to the young girls. But to a horror fan prepared for some bad dialogue and camerawork, I'd say go for it. After all, every true horror fan should see the classics that spawned such imitations today. Thanks, Tess and Rachel! Perhaps the infamous ad campaign for this flick was right after all...it is only a movie! Cheers! Articles copyright Teresa Henson and Rachel Berardinelli |
