The Last House on the Left

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The Last House on the Left is the directorial debut from Wes Craven (a man who actually helped influence my personal love of horror as a genre). The horror of this film comes what is real. A young woman named Mari (played by Sandra Peabody) goes with her friend Phyllis (played by Lucy Grantham) to attend a concert. The two girls are abducted, and subjected to unimaginable horrors. This is Craven's first feature film, and it clearly shows the man's skills. One of the film's greatest strengths is the dialogue. It is legitimately well-written. The horror portrayed in this film is real. It is a film that makes you feel dirty just for watching it, and I honestly don't mean that in a bad way. When I say that these two girls are subjected to awful things, I mean it. They are moments that are legitimately hard to watch, even in moments where Craven shows restraint. I think this is because the implication of what happens can be just as frightening as what we actually do see. Another thing that I actually think works in this movie's favor is the time frame in which it came out. I feel like this is a movie that could have only come out in the 1970s. OK, now that I really have the praises for the film out of the way, it's really time I come clean with how I felt about The Last House on the Left as a film. I appreciate the film more than I honestly like it. The pacing doesn't always work for me. Even in some of the film's more menacing moments, it still felt like the film was moving a little slowly. The film's soundtrack didn't always work for me either. It felt like it was supposed to be a juxtaposition for the heinous acts the film's villains were committing. For me, a lot of it was just kind of distracting. The film also had some tonal issues. It would cut from a moment that was legitimately horrifying to a goofball moment with the film's two cops. A lot of the scenes with the cops just felt out of place. Overall, I have to respect The Last House on the Left for the influence it had on the genre. The film was where one of my personal favorite filmmakers got his start. It's an important inclusion into the rape-revenge sub-genre. However, it isn't a movie I personally cared for. I would still say to see it if you haven't and make up your own mind. Who knows? You may find something in this film that I personally didn't.

5 / 10