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Last House
on the Left (1972) Starring: David Hess, Lucy Grantheim, Sandra Cassel, Marc Sheffier, Jeramie Rain Director: Wes Craven Synopsis: Crudely made semi documentary style gross out tale of twisted revenge Reviewed by: Omar Khan |
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Breakthrough of sorts for a struggling Wes Craven early in his career. This shocker earned him quite a reputation on the low budget splatter circuit especially as the film was slapped a ban upon by various neurotic censors in Europe. The film is a loose remake of a Ingmar Bergman film though artistically as different from Bergman as can possibly be. The film has a grimy, low budget, rough edged semi-documentary feel to it which ultimately works in its favour. A sense of realism and thus disgust prevails due to the up-front style the director adopts. Events on screen are as grim as can be and ocasionally very difficult to watch as two fun-loving teen's are abducted, raped and brutally left for dead by a gang of deranged prison escapees. Things eventually come grotesquely full circle as the criminals take shelter at the home of one of the slaughtered girls.
The film is notorious for the graphic depiction of the rapes plus the extreme gore, intestines being ripped out with bare hands being an atrocity that is indeed difficult to stomach. It certainly doesn't make for pleasant viewing but effective horror it certainly is. Craven display's his "natural" feel for the horror medium at a nascent stage in his development. The film remains banned in several countries and is one of the most sought after movies on either Laser Disc or VHS. The film has been available in various cuts and different lengths and has only recently been issued on DVD in a version that lists a running time of 81 minutes yet contains almost all of the most notorious bits. We however missed the "crucifixion" that John Stanley (of Creature Features) claims is one of the numerous atrocities on display. Despite its shortcomings and crudity of style this film remains a "must see" for all dedicated horror fans. Perhaps the most nightmarish aspect of the movie, unintentially, is the inclusion of a most painfully awful soundtrack consisting of a jaunty tune that is reminiscent of Deputy Dawg and a couple of songs that induce at least as much cringing as any gore on display!
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