User reviews

I first saw Last House on the Left at the age of 18 at the drive in with my best girlfriend. This movie, an early outing by horror maven Wes Craven was so disturbing to me that 26 years later I am still haunted by the images on the screen. The story, of 2 young girls, approximately the same age I was when I saw the film, of being abducted, tortured, raped and then murdered is not for the faint of heart. The brutality and violence was staggering, and the film spoke volumes of the depravity of the human soul. I remember driving home with my girlfriend after watching this, and both of us were dead silent, each contemplating what we had watched and knowing that something like that could happen to us. This movie is one I know without a doubt, that I will never again watch, and now, being the parent of a daughter myself, I could never watch it and then allow her out of the house again. This is not a monster movie, the MONSTERS are human and all too real, especially in today's society filled with Ted Bundy's and The Green River Killer, this movie hits too close to home and leaves the viewer depressed and saddened at what human beings are capable of doing to other innocent people. Watch it if you dare, but be prepared to be left with a very hollow feeling after it is over.

Every horror movie claims for themselves that they kicked off something. Be it the slasher genre, be it the "let's go all in and not censor ourselves", be it the body count, gore, nudity, organs on display or whatever else you can imagine. In this case it is more the idea - although there are some short glimpses of visual and very explicit imagery.

Wes Craven and Sean Cunnigham (who worked together on this and then went ahead to make two of the most iconic horror/movie villains of all time respectively - Freddy Kruger and Jason Vorhees) may feel like they wanted more or rather be more diverse. Do movies in other genres - but I do think they can be happy with their career. And it started with a very controversial and evil little movie like this one.

The villains here are as despicable as they can get and the one moment where Wes claims they have a point of no return - well let's just say they are already past that way before that moment. So this is raw, it lacks sense in many respects and you can see there was not a big budget involved. But through it all you can feel the effect until today the movie had ... because of its success and because it was rough and did not really follow any rules

'The Last House On The Left' is easily Wes Craven's most important movie. It was one of the most notorious movies of the early 70s but seems to be half forgotten now, despite being a groundbreaking horror film that opened up territory that had previously not been seen on screen. Romero's 'Night Of The Living Dead' deserves some acknowledgement as being the most realistic horror movie up until that point (the late 60s), but even that had a supernatural element, something 'Last House On The Left' eschews. Craven took the contemporary setting and natural performances of NOTLD and added some graphic violence and a confrontational rape sequence, most likely inspired by Peckinpah's 'Straw Dogs' released the previous year, and made it into something quite unlike anything seen before. This made it the father of all subsequent serial killer dramas. 'Last House...' is still a very nasty and disturbing movie thirty years after it was originally released. Craven was a beginning as a film maker and the budget was minimal, so the movie is rough and crudely made at times, but the best sequences have an almost documentary feel which gives it an appearance of realism that makes it sometimes really difficult to watch. The acting in the movie is variable. Mari's parents and the comic relief cops (who include Martin Kove later to appear in 'Death Race 2000' and countless action movies!) are pretty awful, but the two girls (Sandra Cassel and Lucy Grantham) are both very natural and believable, and Craven REALLY lucked out with Krug and his gang who are all very, very good. Krug is played by David Hess, who also composed and sang the songs on the soundtrack, something which makes him pretty unique! Hess wrote Elvis' 'All Shook Up' and 'I Got Stung' and yet his performance as Krug is totally convincing. Krug is still one of the creepiest and most repellent killers ever seen on screen. Comedian Marc Sheffler gives an interesting performance as Krug's junkie son, Fred J. Lincoln (now a porno director I believe!) is excellent as the aptly named Weasel, and Jeramie Rain is surprisingly good as Sadie, who brings to mind some of Manson's girls. These four actors are outstanding and really help make the movie into an unforgettable experience. Their scenes in the woods with the girls are still as powerful and disturbing as ever. 'Last House On The Left' is hardly the kind of movie you "enjoy" but I think it's a very important movie, and still the best thing Wes Craven has been involved with. It's really quite difficult to believe that Craven made something so uncompromising and nasty as this! I highly recommend 'The Last House On The Left' to anybody interested in the development of horror, screen violence, or disturbing movies of any kind. But be warned, it is NOT easy viewing and may be difficult for many people to take. I think it is worth it as it's still an extraordinary piece of work!

"The Last House on the Left" (1972) plays a pivotal role in the history of horror cinema, marking Wes Craven's directorial debut. Although it features somewhat quirky performances and moments of comedy that occasionally break the tension, this is undoubtedly a negative aspect, along with its strange and disconcerting soundtrack.

However, the film manages to maintain an intense atmosphere in its more serious moments, whether through Craven's direction or the image quality that gives it an amateur feel, as if we were witnessing real events on camera. The film's plot may not be particularly innovative, but it makes up for it with its scenes of violence, which at the time were, in a way, considered a novelty.

Although it has aged somewhat problematically in certain respects, "The Last House on the Left" still retains its disturbing power and deserves to be appreciated, especially for its lasting influence on the genre, serving as inspiration for countless other films.

I've heard quite a bit about Wes Craven's 1972 debut film "Last House on the Left" over the years and finally decided to see what the hoopla was all about.

PLOT (***Spoilers***): "Last House" is a simple rape/murder/revenge horror flick about two Connecticut girls who go to the big city to catch a rock concert, but they look for pot in the wrong place and end up kidnapped, humiliated, tortured, raped and killed. When the father & mother of one of the victims find out they set out to take revenge; the culprits aren't hard to find 'cause they're, coincidently, overnight guests in their house!

This is, apparently, a loose remake of Ingmar Bergman's "Virgin Spring" (1960), albeit in a modern America setting.

WHAT WORKS: Aside from the brief Manhattan scenes, the woodsy Connecticut locations are great (Westport & Redding); the three female actors are cute; and the diversified score (by the actor playing Krug) is entertaining even while a lot of it is incongruous with the material. In addition, the film can be appreciated as an early 70s period piece/oddity or if you're a Craven fan.

Also, if you're a gorehound there's some significant gore, in particular a bloody disembowelment sequence.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Wow, this story is really DUMB. I'm not referring to just the goofy aspects, i.e. the two rural policemen, but to the complete implausibility of the storyline: ***SPOILER ALERT*** The criminal gang just so happens to break down right in front of the rural house of one of the victims? Why sure! But there's more, way more: After breaking down on some desolate country road the gang decides to take a frolic in the woods where they torment, rape & murder the girls; their clothes are completely bloody but they're able to fully wash up in a scummy pond and deck themselves to the hilt. Where'd they get the soap and towels, etc.? (I didn't see any) Where'd they get the nice dress clothes? Didn't they just escape from prison? Then they knock on the door of the closest house, the house of one of the victims (which they don't realize yet), and her parents cluelessly allow this suspicious foursome to stay overnight, a couple of 'em in their daughters very room -- unbelievable! Keep in mind that their daughter has been missing since the night before and they should be seriously concerned about that, but they're okay enough to allow four weirdo adult strangers to occupy their home -- Why sure! The revenge of the parents is just as ridiculous ***END SPOILER***. As noted above, many of these scenes are combined with an unfitting goofy score, which makes them all the more absurd. Really, the story is so ridiculous it's as if a 13 year-old came up with the plot but, no, it was written/directed by Wes Craven, a full-fledged adult with degrees in writing & psychology -- unbelievable.

With this understanding, how can the viewer possibly take the story serious? Which is why I find it strange that some people call this "the most disturbing film ever made," etc. If the material is absurd it can't truly be disturbing because it can't be taken seriously. Is the violence in the Road Runner disturbing? No. Why? Because it's a cartoon and it's preposterous. "Last House" may not be a cartoon but it's the same principle because it's just as preposterous.

The reason 1978's "I Spit On Your Grave" works, for what it is, is because it's presented to the viewer in a serious, realistic manner (well, except for parts of the revenge scenes in the last 20 minutes -- but even those sequences are believable compared to the inanities of "Last House"). Consequently, "I Spit On Your Grave" is disturbing, "Last House" is not.

One may defend the film on the grounds that it was the first of its kind as far as gore goes. I don't think so. "Night of the Living Dead" came out four years earlier and has more gore, albeit in black & white. "Night" is a thousand times more disturbing and horrifying because, again, it takes the material serious.

Some may object to how sick & sadistic the criminal scumbags are, but they're supposed to be appalling because this is a rape/murder/revenge horror flick. It comes with the territory.

BOTTOM LINE: I generously give "Last House" 2/10 for the positive elements noted above but, really, this is one of the dumbest flicks I've ever seen. I find it hard to believe it ever got a green light. You gotta see it to believe it, meaning it's definitely worthwhile as an early 70s curiosity.

The film runs 84 minutes and the original cut 91 minutes.

GRADE: D-

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) tells her parents that she is going to the concert of underground band Bloodlust in New York with her friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). She borrows the family's car and heads with her friend to a dangerous neighborhood in the city. Meanwhile, the sadistic and cruel escapees Krug Stillo (David A. Hess) and Fred 'Weasel' Podowski (Fred Lincoln) are hidden in a hideout with their partners Sadie (Jeramie Rain) and Krug's addicted son Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) after killing two guards and one shepherd in their runaway. The two girls seek marijuana near the theater and meet Junior that offers some Colombian grass to them. They go to his apartment and are subdued by the criminals that rape Phyllis. On the next morning, they hide the girls in the trunk of their convertible and head to Canada. However, they have a problem with the car's rod and they stop on the road close to Mari's house. When Phyllis tries to escape, the gang stabs her to death and shots Mari after humiliating and raping them. They seek shelter in Mari's home, but during the night, her mother overhears a conversation of the criminals saying that they have killed her daughter. She tells her husband, and they plot a scheme to revenge the death of their princess.

A couple of days ago I saw the 2009 remake of "The Last House on the Left" and I decided to see the original 1972 version, which is a raw low budget movie based on the storyline of 1960 Ingmar Bergman's "Jungfrukällan". The 1972 movie has a more realistic and simpler story and the weakest part are the two clumsy redneck policemen that are ridiculous and never funny. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Aniversário Macabro" ("Macabre Birthday")

Note: On 07 July 2020, I saw this film again.

Note: On 14 Mar 2024, I saw this film again.

While I think that people tend to get a bit hyperbolic when they talk about The Last House on the Left, I do think it's a fairly good film, especially given what the filmmakers were trying to do and considering their lack of experience, the era and the budget. Also, despite a filmic precursor, it just may be the earliest example of the horror subgenre of "brutal, realist tragedy" (that's more a description than a name, but I haven't spent much time trying to come up with a catchy moniker). However, it has flaws that would be difficult to overlook in a "distanced" (rather than "objective" or "unbiased", neither of which I think are possible) assessment of the film.

The story, although claimed as true, is an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's Jungfrukällan (aka The Virgin Spring, 1960). Roughly, it is the story of Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel). We see Mari at home with her almost-hip parents. Mari is about to head out to a "Bloodlust" concert in New York City with her new friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). Mom and dad are harassing her about her clothing, which is thin enough to show off a bit of flesh, but they're not so un-hip as to make her change. Meanwhile, we learn from a radio that four convicts--"murderers, dope-pushers and rapists"--have just escaped from prison. At the same time, director Wes Craven slowly reveals the quartet--Krug Stillo (David A. Hess), Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler), Fred "Weasel" Podowski (Fred J. Lincoln) and Sadie (Jeramie Rain). They're holed up in a New York City apartment. Sadie seems to be group property, and that causes some tension. It is suggested that they look for a couple more women. Mari and Phyllis end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. They're kidnapped, and mayhem ensues. But there's a twist that arrives when the convict's car breaks down in an ironic location.

"Frightening", "disturbing", "sick" and various other terms are frequently employed when describing Last House on the Left. Since I find no films scary, I can't vouch for the first term, but the other two would perhaps apply proportionate to how many horror films you regularly watch, and just what kinds of horror films. If you're not used to the genre in its grittier and gorier post-1960s instantiations, you'd likely find The Last House on the Left shocking. If you've seen a large number of films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and so on, don't pay too much attention to the hype. You're not likely to be very disturbed by anything you see here.

That doesn't mean that you'll not enjoy this film. After all, it has been a major influence on the films mentioned above--there is even an important chainsaw scene here. That's especially remarkable when we consider that it was only Craven and Producer Sean S. Cunningham's second film. They had been approached by a consortium of exhibitors who said that they wanted "something as appalling and exploitable as Night of the Living Dead (1968)".

Maybe largely by accident, Craven and Cunningham (along with others, such as assistant producer Steve Miner, who later became much bigger "names" in horror--between these three, we have the helmers of a number of films in the three major 1980s/1990s franchises--Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street) happened upon an unusual cinema vérité style that made the horrific situations depicted seem much more immediate and real. Combined with occasionally graphic and always intense situations of violence and control, the final effect is akin to watching a home video/snuff film. In fact, it was promoted as such in some areas, and the effect was disturbing enough in its time that the film initially received an X rating and was banned for many years in some locales.

But again, focusing on that amounts to hype now, and shouldn't be taken too seriously, lest it lead to inflated expectations. Just as surprising on a first viewing is that The Last House on the Left has an intermittent goofy sense of humor and a "groovy" attitude that is firmly mired in the early 1970s. The two policemen are really comic relief characters (and very funny at that), but there is also a lot of humor surrounding the criminal quartet--this almost becomes a "black comedy" at times. These sensibilities even extend to the music, which has a frequent hillbilly edge and lyrics that supply ex-positional material. Surprisingly, Hess, who plays Krug, wrote the music.

Despite the simplicity of the story and the fact that the 2002 MGM DVD release is the "most complete cut ever" according to Craven, there are problems with the story, whether due to the script or the editing. Too many segues between major plot points are "jumpy". The chase(s) through the woods seems a bit random. It's not very well explained how the convicts end up at a home looking as they do. Two characters find another who was missing, and it seems more like a dream sequence because of its arbitrariness, and so on.

But overall, the story is effective enough. Although many subtexts can and have been read into the film, the most interesting theme to me was that it's largely a "tragedy of happenstance". Craven seems to be expressing a strong belief in chance and coincidence and focusing on the dark side of it. Under that reading, we can maybe excuse some of the narrative jumps more easily.

Although there are a number of similar films that I think are better than The Last House on the Left, including Ruggero Deodato's House at the Edge of the Park (aka La Casa sperduta nel parco, 1980)--also starring Hess in a similar role, curiously enough, this is a must-see for serious horror fans because of its historical importance.

Much as I admire it, I can only watch Wes Craven's brilliant debut feature once every few years; as sheer stomach-churning brutality goes, it makes SALO look like Sondheim. Craven has said he made the movie as extreme as it is as his comment on the obscenity of Vietnam. I've heard that number many a time (Ruggero Deodato blames CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST on the Red Brigade!), but in Craven's case, it's so palpable it's believable. LAST HOUSE may be the first (and is certainly the most far-out) case of a horror movie that eschews suspense, tingles, shock, in the wake of sheer, harrowing barbarism.

Based on Bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING, it tells the tale of a couple of young girls on their way to a concert who fall prey to a Manson-like family. Their rape-murders are avenged by a suddenly wised-up couple of parents who, in their restitution, find themselves as blood-bespattered and guilty as their prey.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is a grindhouse GUERNICA, an outcry over desensitization to violence that leaves you feeling shaken and desolated. It genuinely reupholsters the word "horror." For most, the clarity of Craven's intentions won't be enough to redeem the dire viciousness of what the director puts you through. For me, the ferocity of the movie has a cleansing, Artaudian pureness.

One question: Craven made this film and his masterpiece, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, the ultimate statement on the nuclear family in post-Woodstock, post-Altamont America. He then went on to make a load of occasionally mildly amusing but mostly godawful movies. What's the story?

I have never seen such stupid and boring movie, with no context, movie is made by sick mind to sick mind, and i don't know how normal man can watch this and than say, well the movie is good...so my recommendation is NOT TO WATCH this movie, you will lose approx. 2 hours of your life for nothing, no fun, no story, this movie should be erased from earth, Wes Craven - i am not watching any movie by this director & writer...this movie has nothing to do with horror or even drama, this is crime film with no story and with nothing...just don't watch this, and if you do, you will recall this comment.poor movie and poor people who like this movie.I don't like this movie because there is no point, no storyline, no fun, it isn't horror, or drama, acting is the only thing that's o.k.

I have seen some films literally dozens of times. They will remain nameless, but they are there. Some of those films are pure entertainment and have left an obvious mark on me. I have seen Last House on the Left four times. And there is no film that has left more of an impression on me than this film. It is a visceral experience and one that will never leave your subconscious, and that goes for anyone who has seen the film. There are images here that are about as primal as you can go without feeling like you are in a Neanderthal like state. Wes Craven has tapped into something that few if any have ever been able to duplicate. There have been imitations as recently as the summer of 2005 when Chaos tried to usurp LAST HOUSE as the most disturbing film ever made, but make no mistake about it. This is the one and only. This film still has an adverse affect on me. The only reason I rented this film back in 1992 was because I was convinced that ( along with Jaws and Halloween ) Nightmare on Elm Street was the one of the scariest movies I had ever seen. And when I found out that Wes Craven had an earlier film to his credit, I had to see it. What happened in the next 90 minutes can only be described as an assault on my senses. Everything that was good in life no longer existed and the fun and happy horror films like Friday the 13th were exposed as the charlatans that they were. It's not to say that they weren't fun films but they were not true horror films, the way a Steven Seagal film about war is a quack compared to something ominous like Apocalypse Now. I felt a plethora of emotions ranging from feeling sick, to shame, fear and trauma. I was so unabashedly disturbed after the film that a three hour, head clearing drive in the country was needed to calm my nerves. That is no exaggeration.

The story centers around two carefree you women who are going to a concert in the city. They are looking to score some weed and they meet Junior, who promises them some and he takes them to meet the rest of the gang. What ensues over the next 45 minutes is nothing short of the dehumanization of the two girls. They are forced to beat each other, touch each other and then they are raped and murdered horrifically. There is not much more to say if you do not want to ruin it for those that haven't seen it yet.

Was this a good film? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not. It left me exhausted depressed and it drained me to the point that I thought I would break down and cry. For a horror movie to do that to me is quite astonishing. I have seen most of Fulci's gorefests but every time you see some guy with a drill through his head, you can dismiss is a schlock. You know it's fake. But not with this film. It imbues a realism to it that just makes you feel like you are watching someone's snuff film. It is that macabre and it feels that real. There is nothing else like it.

I remember reading a review of Aliens by Roger Ebert and he said that the film was a work of art and he gave it high marks but the film was so much of a play on his emotions that he did not enjoy it. He was terrified more than he had been before. That is how I feel about this film. It is masterfully made, but it is a tough film to watch. Even after writing this review I am going to have a hard time getting the images out of my head. So my advice to you is if you are going to watch this film, proceed with caution. The subject matter in this film makes 8MM look like Anne of Green Gables.

This is the first time the tagline has read so true. Just keep repeating to yourself that it is only a movie, it is only a movie......

Whether you love it or hate it (there really seems to be no in-between), you must admit that Last House on the Left is a powerful film. In my opinion, it may be one of the most important American films ever made. Screw Scream--this is Wes Craven's best. Combining professional and amateurish elements on a low budget, it has the scratchy, over-saturated look of a perverse home movie--and the rough edges make it all the more unforgettable. The actors are very good, especially David A. Hess in his definitive role as sadistic sex murderer Krug and Jeramie Rain as a deranged woman obviously modeled after Sadie Glutz. The brutal rape-murders and scenes of vengeance are staged in a chilling, claustrophobic manner that makes you feel like you're there. Oddly enough, the clash of light (the comically inept cops, the cheery soundtrack) and dark elements creates a juxtaposition that's even more disturbing; despite what's happening, the three nuts are enjoying themselves without remorse and the rest of the world just bounces along obliviously. Also, the cop scenes often provide a necessary break from the brutality, giving you a brief second to breathe before plunging you back in. A tone of grim tension is maintained throughout, and it clings to you long after you've left the Last House. How, you ask, could a person enjoy something like this? Because it does what a horror movie is ultimately supposed to do, and I know that in the end, "It's only a movie...only a movie...only a movie..."

During its first run in the early 70s this was the only movie I ever walked out on (until Alien vs. Predator last year), and the only one I rated 1 out of 10. However, I watched it recently and I've changed my mind.

Certainly there have been many more explicitly violent films in the 30 odd years since Last House on the Left debuted, but this movie still stands up for pure psychological impact. Despite the sometimes over the top banter among the criminals it still has a kind of realism that makes its "its only a movie" tag line particularly appropriate.

This is not a great film (and it is still uncomfortable viewing), but it is a good film. Unless you're a sociopath yourself you won't enjoy the violence any more than the violence in the opening of "Saving Private Ryan", but you won't forget it. I never did.

Wes Craven has nothing to be ashamed of here.

I give it 7 of out 10.

As parents you're quite liberal and progressive, regards your daughter you are so far from possessive, so you let her go to shows, do not criticise her clothes (too much), or the friends that she enjoys hanging around with. That said, when she does not return back home, you get in touch with the police on telephone, who make a visit and placate, lots of teenagers come back late, they'll make some calls, but young people do like to roam. Later that day, three strangers make a call, the car's broke down, they need someone to haul, you invite them in to stay, unaware the price they'll pay, once you've been down to the lake and made a trawl.

Not sure this could ever be described as anything other than a futile attempt to shock, it certainly doesn't carry itself well in contemporary times.

A strong candidate for "The Worst Movie of All Time". With his first film Craven reached heights of ineptitude and tastelessness that even Craven-haters should be surprised by, and the incompetence is far-reaching; in every respect imaginable does this film not fail to fail. This piece of exploitative trash is at the very least the worst killers-on-the-lam film ever made. The acting ranges from one-dimensional to atrocious to ridiculous, and the characters behave in such an inconsistent and illogical manner that I have to suspect that this movie wasn't so much directed as that it's simply a collection of improvised scenes by a couple of bored – and talentless - students who just happened to have had a camera nearby. One of the main things that separates a film like "I Spit On Your Grave" from this junk is that Craven has neither respect nor pity for victims of brutal crimes; this he shows more than obviously by playing utterly inappropriate cheerful music while the two girls are being shoved into the trunk of a car and then driven off. At the end of the film there is yet more upbeat music. This is not some fantasy zombie film where you can expect your audience to laugh with you about the exaggerated and silly events and cartoon violence that take place in the movie. The main events in this "reality-based" horror movie haven't got an iota of a humorous side to them, and the fact that Craven doesn't realize this shows what a sad little degenerate he is. An English professor??? What a joke. In-between scenes of torture, degradation, and murder Craven manages to squeeze in scenes of goofy cops, which we are supposed to find amusing.