The Last House on the Left (1972)
The Last House on the Left
Written and Directed by Wes Craven, 1972
Cast: Sandra Cassel, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, March Sheffler, Gaylord St. James, Cynthia Carr, Ada Washington.
Music Composed and Performed by David Hess.
Runtime: 91min.
USA
Ah, this one is a pure classic. Nailed down upon its release, brutal, demented, and psychologically disturbing yet amusing, this one will shame you for watching with a smile in your face. Krug & company are for a feast and two “innocent” beauties are not escaping their fate. Now that the remake is hitting the box-office, it’s time for the real deal, a true disturbing classic.
For his first feature, director Wes “Slasher” Craven delivers us a sadistic tale of brutality, murder, revenge and the psychological effects of dementia. Mari is spending her 17th birthday in town for a concert and brings her good friend Phillys wit her. The pair encounter four escaped convicts leaded by Krug (played by David Hess) that take the two innocent girls into the woods to brutally murder them in a series of mind-twisting fatalities that culminate with a demented revenge courtesy of Mari’s parents.
The film’s sadistic tone is counter measured by its comical characters and situations, punctuated by happy music in sad moments, completely (and purposely) out of sync. This gives this classic slasher an even more cynical feel. The characters, specifically the four drugged psycho killers, are completely insane no-brainers, amateurishly crafted but beautifully portrayed by the cast (that’s the appeal of low-budget classics). Every other character in the film borderlines the limits of impossibility – from the two ex-hippie parents to the two comical policeman, who do absolutely nothing to capture the escaped convicts or prevent the brutal consequences of the finale. This one is sure to give you some memorable dialog quotes.
The soundtrack, courtesy of Mr David Hess himself, is absolutely stunning. From the gorgeous opening credits song (also used in another later film, Cabin Fever), to the interludes that choreograph the sick torture and rape sequences (slashing and raping a victim listening to happy country and funk), this is pure delight. The antagonism that Hess creates for the soundtrack and its direct relation to the images is singular; whereas later holywood movies emphasize on grand orchestrations to create the mood, The Last House on the Left actually utilizes the music to give the film a further sarcastic, almost insane feeling. The soundtrack is, well, almost doesn’t exist. I looked around for an LP version but seems there is none. David Hess sells a CD version on his website, and according to Discogs there is another CD reissue from an almost unknown label. Best is to go for David’s website.
Even if sometimes the editing and overall crude cinematography gives you a feeling of loss, as if some of the most disturbing scenes were forcibly covered, specially in nowadays standards, the movie is truly psychologically and visually disturbing although it seems sketched as a satire. The movie is hailed as one of the most controversial and shocking rape and murder flicks of all time, this should give you a fair warning when watching. The strange documentary-like feeling of the movie (Craven was inspired by Vietnam-war tales when writing this) overshadows the low-budget cuts and simplistic plot structure, and amateur actors that nonetheless do their very best (specially Hess and J. Lincoln) in this absolute classic that preludes the slasher-genre in a disturbing, unsettling, low-budget way.
Buy DVD:
Last House On The Left – 3 Disc Ultimate Edition (Uncut) [1972] [DVD]
(This brilliant special edition features two versions of the film: the screened version on disc 1, one completely new version including unseen footage, and on the third disc the great documentary “The Rise and Fall of the Slasher film”. Grab it, it’s even cheaper than the older 2-disc edition of the film.)
Heartbreak Score:
