I am a horror fanatic (if you didn't already know). The ability movies have to instill a sense of terror and revulsion at your common man is only surpassed by that of the evening news. I get off on that. So, being the freak that I am, people often ask me about the depths of horror, the dark corners of the genre that only me and my fellow misanthropes are willing to tread upon. For quite some time I've kept The Last House on the Left on a short list of films to recommend at such occasions.
The Last House on the Left is a unique kind of shocking. It simultaneously manages to be endearing and alienating, both enticing and disgusting. The plot itself boils down to a fairly standard tale of rape, murder, and revenge. The viewer is introduced to an innocent pair of teenage girls, hippy-friendly types, who go to the City for a concert and try to score some grass. One thing they don't find is free love. They get picked up by a crew of homicidal lunatics who proceed to humiliate, rape, and murder the young, innocent teens. It may sound like it's one step shy of snuff, like the loathsome I Spit On Your Grave, but it's the unique style of the film that lends it its credibility. The low grade film stock, the amateur actors, and the brutal subject matter make sure the viewer is uneasy as can be, knowing full well that the filmmaker behind the scenes is capable of showing anything, even the most ugly truths about violent human nature. Still, the story telling and craftsmanship is successful enough to remind us that we are watching a film, crafted to elicit the exact emotions that you undoubtedly feel while watching. The result is a creepy disconnect between what you are watching, what you are feeling, and the strong self-conscious streak that drives the whole thing.
The success of Last House on the Left is largely due to a young Wes Craven, this film being his directorial debut. I watched an interview with Craven in which he was reflecting on the artistic impetus for making Last House. The interview suddenly became creepier than most of his films. His expression darkened, and he struggled with the appropriate words to describe the built up anger and rage that he was venting through this film as a young man. It was rugged. The passion for dispelling the hippy love myth is obvious when you watch the film. I sincerely dount that the upcoming remake will manage to reproduce the horrific hatred on display in the original. Just comparing the two trailers gives you some sense of what's lacking from modern-day horror. All I saw in the trailer for the new one was some more contrived murder sequences coupled with photography and acting that just seems to be going through the paces, immitating the original but lamely trying to be different in a vain way. And the new trailer showed a severe lack of chainsaw. Gotta love that chainsaw.
- The Last House on the Left (1972) on Wikipedia
- The Last House on the Left (1972) trailer on Youtube
- The Last House on the Left (2009) trailer on Youtube
- Watch all of The Last House on the Left (1972) on Youtube
