Review: The Last House on the Left (1972)

Review Written By: Gaius Bolling

Release Date: August 30th, 1972

My first exposure to "The Last House on the Left" was actually through my dad. He told me that he saw the film when it was released back in 1972 at the local drive in and that the people who saw it while he was there were throughly disgusted yet entertained by the experience. This was the kind of late night drive in mainstay that flew under the radar but it also had everyone talking among its intended audience.

So with such an interesting backstory, I had to see the film for myself. The only problem was it was extremely hard to find. After a very long search I finally found a copy and got to experience the film for myself. A lot of surprises came my way before and after the experience.

I had no clue that Wes Craven was involved with the film. I originally thought "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was his first film but was proven wrong when I got my copy of "The Last House on the Left". This is when I also found out about his involvement with "The Hills Have Eyes". Having him involved peaked my interest even more before I popped it into my DVD player.

After the film was over and I had seen it in all its cult classic glory, I was left with varying emotions. Lets get the most important part out of the way: The film is not scary. However, I don't think it was made to provide the audience with boo! moments but the film will not keep you up at night.

While it may not be scary, it's deeply disturbing. Despite a limited budget and some questionable acting from all involved, the central torture of the 2 main girls that sets the film in motion, is very hard to watch. Watching what these 2 endure takes a very strong stomach and the film doesn't shy away from what happens to them. Once the torture begins, the film lingers on it and doesn't pull any punches.

But this is only half the story...

 "The Last House on the Left" is actually a loose reworking of Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring". The film essentially pits 2 families against each other. First we have the Collingwoods who have a daughter named Mari (Sandra Peabody). At the start of the film she is celebrating her birthday and has chosen to go to a concert with her friend, the more rebellious Phyllis (Lucy Grantham). While the parents are home setting up for Mari's birthday celebration, the girls try to score some weed for the concert. This endeavor starts their run in with the other family of sorts. This family are a group of escaped murderous criminals who are on the run from the law. They use the youngest member of the gang, the emotionally disturbed Junior (Marc Sheffler), to lure the girls in with promises of party favors but what they encounter is far more terrifying. The group is led by Krug (David Hess) and also includes his would be girlfriend Sadie (Jaramie Rain) and the man he shares her with, Weasel (Fred Lincoln).  They eventually begin the torture, rape, and murder of these 2 girls which inadvertently leads them to their encounter with Mari's family. After they have their way with the girls they experience car trouble and seek refuge at the Collingwood home. The Collingwoods have no clue what these people have done to their daughter and Krug's crew has no clue they're in the home of one of the girls they just murdered. 

"The Last House on the Left" is essentially two films in one. You have the girls journey that kicks off the film and then you have the revenge plot of the parents once they realize who they have invited in their home and what they did to their daughter. Both aspects work surprisingly well. The capture and torture of the girls, as stated earlier, is very gritty and well done. It's hard to really call such a harsh piece of the film good but it's handled well. This is probably the closest one can come to making a snuff film and having it be legal. There is a feeling of isolation and vulnerability that these girls encounter in the woods with these people, that truly adds to the tension. It also helps that, despite the mediocre acting at times, the bond between the girls is very strong. Phyllis is clearly the stronger of the two and she shows this as she sticks by Mari through it all. There is a moment when they make Phyllis do things with Mari as they watch and while it is disturbing, Phyllis constantly reassures her that everything will be ok. Had the chemistry been a bit off, it would be hard to be invested in what happens to these girls.

Then there's the interesting character choices of the villains during this sequence. Once Krug rapes Mari, which is essentially the conclusion of what is done to these girls, They all seem to be disgusted by what they've done. There is a moment as Mari walks to the lake after being raped and before she is gunned down, that they almost seem sorry about what they've done. As if they simply got too caught up in  the violence and mayhem to truly understand what they were doing. It's an interesting choice by either Craven as the writer/director or the actors, but it's a nice touch.

Then there is the revenge scenario. After seeing what they've done, you want them to get what's coming to them, and they do in a big way. This part works on multiple levels. There is a certain tension that aries since we know what they've done but the parents do not. Then we cheer as an audience when they take the law into their own hands and punish them for what they've done to their daughter. There is an interesting dynamic at work here. Does this make the Collingwoods as vicious as Krug and his crew? Or are they doing what any loved one would do if someone victimized their own and were residing in their house? It kind of shows that the line between good vs. evil can be very blurred in a situation like this.

Now that I've sang the films praises I'm going to point out why I think this film doesn't quite work for today's audiences. The film is very much of its time and it's very dated. There are moments of comedy that are inserted to break up some of the tension that don't really work now but I'm sure it did then. The budget constraints make for a really pedestrian looking film but in a lot of ways it makes the film more gritty and realistic. The acting is a bit poor but Krug and his crew come out decently since the actors do form a nice chemistry with each other. The girls are of the hit and miss variety, sometimes they're on point (especially during he torture scenes) but other times they fall flat. The parents are definitely of the era and a lot of their views don't quite work today. I've shown this film to many people since and most of them have hated it. I'm guessing this is why the film was remade (and very well I might add) in 2009 because some people just don't see what the big fuss is about in regards to the original film. If you can look at it for what it is and think about the impact it had during it's original run, I think you'll find a lot to enjoy about the film.

And if you do find yourself disturbed by the film and get caught up in all the mayhem that ensues do what the trailer tells you to do: "Keep repeating...It's only a move...It's only a movie...It's only a movie".

Trivia:

When fledgling director Wes Craven took this film to the MPAA, they slapped it with an "X" rating. Wanting an R for wider release, Craven went back and removed ten minutes of footage. However, this still wasn't enough and the film still got an "X" rating. Once again Craven removed footage, this time taking out 20 minutes. It still wasn't enough. Finally, Craven put all of the original footage back in, got an authentic "RATED R" seal of approval from the film board from a friend of his, put it on the film and released it. 

Wes Craven took Mari Collingwood's surname from his high school. 

Wes Craven later used the name "Krug" in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) for the film's villain, "Freddy KRUEGer." In both films the name is used for teenage murderers. 

This movie has been banned several times in the UK by the BBFC. Originally, in 1974, it received an R rating and was banned. In 1984, it was banned again when it became a "video nasty", and remained that way until 2000, where it again received an R rating. In 2001, it, yet again, received an R rating and remained banned. Finally, a video version in 2002 was passed with around 30 seconds of cuts for an 18 rating, ending a 28 year streak of being banned. It was finally passed fully uncut by the BBFC in March 2008.

According to various cast and crew members (especially David Hess and Fred Lincoln), actress Sandra Peabody was genuinely terrified throughout most of the shoot, at one point walking off-set.

When distribution companies Hallmark and Atlas International released the movie in Germany, they attempted to pass it off as an actual "snuff" film (i.e., a real murder staged for the camera).

Was banned for over 32 years in Australia. It was finally commercially available through DVD in 2004.

The films budget was reportedly $87,000 and it grossed $3.1 million by the end of its run. The film was a success in its own right since it was made on the cheap and it has since become a huge cult classic among horror fans.